Without fail Fred Clipper can be found in a cramped room at the Hospital Equipment Rental Service fixing and maintaining the equipment - no mean feat considering he is 91 years old and has lost almost all his sight!

He knows the equipment so well he can often detect a loose bolt or screw just by feel and he takes pride in keeping the items in good working condition. He has been with the charity 19 years and is shown no signs of easing up. In fact he looks forward to the switch to the new building and continuing his charity work. “We should not be as crowded as this and it seems we are getting more stuff all the time,” said Mr. Clipper who keeps a log of all the repairs he has done over the years.

“That new building is going to be fantastic, ideal for customer convenience because they can come right up to the door. Everyone of the ladies is delighted to get out of here, but we appreciate the fact that the hospital has allowed us to be here. Over there we have everything, including air conditioning.”

Mr. Clipper estimates HER has some 800 items, of which half are rented out at any given time.

“Stuff is in and out all the time, that's why maintenance is so important,” said the senior citizen who has Harry McHarg assisting him with the maintenance work. The longest serving volunteer is Peggy Couper, whom Mr. Clipper describes as the ‘critter who got me here'.

“I rented a crib and I complained when I brought it back that something was wrong and so she said ‘come and fix it' and I've been fixing it every since. Now the granddaughter who we got the crib for is 21!

Red Cross Director Ann Spencer-Arscott calls Mr. Clipper a “staunch volunteer who has been with us through thick and thin”.

“This is my life, I had a very devoted wife (Rosemary) who insisted almost that I get out of the house. ‘Go over to HER' she would say. She was a volunteer, too, with the National Trust and here for quite a long while on the executive as membership chairman.”

And now Mr. Clipper's daughter Rosamond and her daughter are also volunteering with the charity. “Before I lost my eyesight we never had to worry about a volunteer who couldn't make it because I was always available,” explained Mr. Clipper who lives close by on Pomander Road. He still goes in twice a week, including every Saturday for the last 15 years.

“Now that I can't see anything we have to get a relief person every time somebody is going away. We don't have many extra volunteers. I'm nearly blind, I do everything by feel now.”

Mrs. Spencer-Arscott is hopeful the comfortable new facility will encourage people to get involved with the charity which continues to provide a good service to the community. The likes of Fred Clipper have set the standards for others to follow.