'I still have lots to give' says 91-year-old nursery volunteer

At 91-years-old, Ida Martin proves that age is no barrier to continuing to do things you enjoy.

She has been volunteering for over 35 years and is currently helping out at a youth club for teenagers with special needs, at a mother and toddler group and also at a centre that provides supervised parental visits for children.

The former primary school teacher said: “I loved helping children grow within my local community and when I retired I wanted this to continue.

"I get such a lot out of volunteering; it is a labour of love. I get a buzz from helping others and it keeps me busy. I especially love the hugs given by the teenagers at the youth club!”

Ms Martin cannot imagine a time when she would want to retire from her job.

Keen to do more, she has recently started volunteering at Wee Care Day Nursery, located next to her home at Abbeyfield's Bell Rotary House, where she has been living for the last 18 months.

She explained: "I joked to the house manager Anna one day that I needed a job. She took me seriously and we spoke about my interests. She then approached the nursery on my behalf and helped me with the application paperwork to become a volunteer."

She added: "The staff at Bell Rotary have given me all the encouragement in the world. When my daughter moved away, staff organised the D.A.T.S. bus service so I could still get to my groups and carry on volunteering."

According to pre-school leader Claire Smyth, "Ms Martin always comes into Wee Care with a smile on her face! Not only does she visit us to impart her lifelong teaching expertise onto the children, but she could teach us all a thing or two about how to live life to the full!"

She said: "When here, it can clearly be seen that there is a mutual enjoyment that takes place across the ages and everyone is mesmerised by her enthusiasm and drive to be involved in as many different activities as possible. She is an inspiration to us all and we look up to her, in the hope that one day we will be just as happy, determined and outgoing as she is."

While family and friends wonder whether she will slow down anytime soon, Ms Martin admitted she doesn't feel ready just yet.

"Some days I am tired and it would be easy not to go, but if you stop doing things, before long you find you are no longer able, so I push on," she said.

"It makes me feel really happy making other people happy, that’s what life is all about and I want to prove that I am not just an old woman, I still have lots to give."

Bell Rotary House provides supported housing for older people in Belfast, where residents are encouraged to remain as independent as possible.

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