Margaret Rylands
Margaret has been a constant at her local Home-Start since 1999 and in that time has supported almost 20 families. Despite dealing with her own health challenges, she maintains that she gets more out of volunteering than she gives and is always asking to be kept busy. Her long-lasting commitment to Home-Start means that she now spends time with the children of some of the original children that she supported through home visits. It is hard to imagine Home-Start Isle of Wight without Margaret and she has been a constant support throughout the life of the scheme. She is always ready to move with the times and embrace new ideas to help the scheme develop and shares her knowledge and experience with new volunteers and members of staff as they join. Margaret is a calm and reassuring presence for parents and also has a magic touch with the little ones! She is an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on, providing parents with the encouragement they need to move onwards and upwards in their lives.