3:12pm Thursday 2nd August 2007
By Kerry McQueeney
Phyllis Fairbairn's efforts are pretty impressive - especially when you consider she suffers from debilitating illnesses which have plagued her health over the years.
She suffers from polymyalgia rheumatica, a painful muscle condition, and giant cell arteritis, the inflammation of the arteries which causes impaired vision, as well a blood disorder which has lowered her immune system.
But this has not stopped the 84-year-old widow from volunteering at a doctor's surgery and at two schools in Croydon until she was forced to quit last year due to ill-health.
Now she has found a new way to keep herself busy - doing other people's ironing free of charge.
Grandmother Phyllis, who has three children, said: "After I retired I went to work for a doctor's for 10 years, just to keep busy.
"When I reached the age of 70 I wanted to do something more so I went to volunteer at Broadmead School, just helping out with whatever needed doing. I spent more than 12 years helping out three days a week and then I moved on to the Folly's End Christian school in Croydon, doing much the same thing.
"Unfortunately I had to stop doing that about a year ago because of my health, so I started doing people's ironing for them instead. I love ironing and it really keeps me busy. I do my daughter's on a Friday, my friend's on Wednesdays and her daughter's on Saturday.
"I just can't sit still, I can't sit there doing nothing. It's an honour to be nominated for an award, but I just like helping people. I loved working with the children but I couldn't go on because my low immunity meant I kept picking up bugs that were going around."
Phyllis was nominated as a Charity Champion by her daughter Lyn Whiteway, who lives in Australia. Nominating her mum, she said: "She has been very unwell but constantly amazes me with her concern for others. She says helping others helps her. I would love to see her rewarded with an award as a community champion, even if I couldn't be there to see her receive it."
Phyllis's other daughter Jane added: "I think she's incredible. Sometimes I think she does too much but she likes to do it and it's good for her therapy to keep busy.
"She doesn't want to sit in her armchair vegetating. She loved working at the school but with her immunity problems it meant she was picking up all sorts of bugs that were going round but she loves ironing for other people.
"I hope I'm as active as her when I reach her age."
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