Roger has been a volunteer for the past 18 years, seeing us through our move to Chesham, working in two sections of the workshop and visiting projects in Africa.
With a chemical engineering degree from Manchester University, Roger became a chartered engineer. He spent most of his career in oil and gas contracting and held the position of project manager at AMEC.
Having been with the company for 25 years Roger then joined Snamprogetti, an Italian company based in Basingstoke and in 2003 he undertook an assignment in the Middle East.
In 2006 he transitioned to a three-day work week while living in Holmer Green. During this time, he decided to do some voluntary work. Several people in the village, including his wonderful wife Cherry, recognised Workaid as an ideal place to spend his free time. This marked the start of his volunteering journey with us. He also became a regular tennis player.
During his early volunteering days, Roger became involved in the Workaid project group assessing incoming applications.
This led him to gain the opportunity to travel to Africa and see the projects for himself.
He visited Zambia in 2010 with Sue Gotley and again in 2013 with Moyra Zaman, both fellow project team members.
On his trips, he met Emmanuel Zulu, who was working for Caritas (a Catholic non-profit organisation) at the time and aspired to establish his own organisation, our current partner; the Vwila Foundation.
Roger fondly remembers his trips, he found seeing the projects first-hand to be a memorable experience.
In addition to his involvement in the project group Roger worked on sewing machines at the old premises in Amersham before helping us move to the Old Boot Factory in Chesham.
After the move, he began working with sockets, utilising his mechanical engineering knowledge and expertise.
Now, he volunteers in the workshop on Friday mornings sorting sockets and enjoys the social aspect of catching up with fellow volunteers during tea breaks.
Reflecting on his time at Workaid, he describes it as an enjoyable place to volunteer and cherishes memories of his trips to Zambia. As a father of three and grandfather of six, Roger also enjoys hobbies such as maintaining a pre-war 1937 Riley.
Roger and Cherry now live in Great Missenden with their two dogs, Sprite and Monty.
Packed with 2,396 Items/Kits and 562 Boxes going to 17 projects, Container Roger has left for Tanzania.
If you would like to donate tools for our next container, please visit our Donate Tools page to learn about what you can donate.
