Volunteer Fred wins award

Fred Eades receives his award from James Cracknell OBE (left) and Stuart Mold

AN unsung hero at The Royal Oldham Hospital is celebrating winning the first local Volunteer of the Year Award.

Fred Eades (72) was named winner during the Pennine Acute Trust’s fifth annual staff awards.

Mr Eades, who has helped out at the physiotherapy amputee class at the hospital for the last seven years, received the award from Olympic rower and endurance adventurer James Cracknell OBE.

Mr Eades said: “I felt overwhelmed when I heard I had won. It’s so nice to be well thought of.

“I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping in the class and I feel I can help the patients as I know what it is like to attend specialist classes as a patient.

“In fact I don’t think of it as helping the patients and staff, I think of it as meeting up with a big bunch of friends.”