The guv'nor

As you may have gathered from my previous blips I spend a lot of my time working with a phenomenal team of volunteers. Stanley, like Tim from last Friday's blip, is one of the most inspirational.

Stanley spent much of his paid career working as a Dock Superintendent for a shipping company as well as doing a lengthy stint with the British Council. However, his career as an unpaid volunteer is an example to us all.

For over 30 years he was a trustee/Vice Chair of the biggest drug and alcohol service in NW England, of which he was a founder. He's also served for 30+ years on the Independent Monitoring Board of Walton Prison in Liverpool, of which he's been Chair for the past 4 years. He's sat as a Magistrate for almost as long - in addition to being a Mental Health Tribunal member and sitting on the boards of a number of voluntary organisations.

My work with him revolves around improving patient experience at a local hospital and with the regional ambulance service as well as working with the commissioners of Addiction and Offender Health services and sitting on the local Alcohol Strategy Group.

His energy leaves me running to catch up!