Samatiben, ‘Sue’ arrived in the UK from Nairobi in 1965, at the age of 26 years, to get married. She quickly became involved in community work, teaching English, translating and generally helping people just arrived in the UK who needed help with a variety of official documentation.
Amongst a variety of things that Sue has taken on, she spent 26 years as a hospital link worker, becoming especially involved in parent craft classes. In 2008 she received an MBE from the Queen for her community work and her efforts have also been recognised with other awards, including a Parliamentary Award, a Diversity Award, an NHS Award and a Hindu Forum Award.
Sue (Samatiben) is an ambassador not only for Ambition for Ageing but for her wider community. She doesn’t let her age get in the way of her passion for helping and supporting others, and as a retired nurse her caring nature is something that does not seem to show any signs of stopping.
Sue helps out with Ambition for Ageing by speaking to people she knows in her community, especially those who are lonely or isolated, and encourages them to come out and get involved in activities where they can connect and build relationships.
Sue’s advice to young people who wish to become involved in voluntary work in the community to follow the examples of older people they admire. “Most importantly, they should make a point of working with everybody and anybody and not just specific ethnic or religious groups”, said Sue. “We live in a multicultural society.”
Sue is a social butterfly and she always leaves a positive imprint in the lives of those she meets.