Great grandmother described as 'a true inspiration' announced as FCHOs Hidden Hero

An 84-year-old woman who helps clean unwanted items from First Choice Homes Oldham’s (FCHO) vacant properties before they are given to those in need is the housing association’s March Hidden Hero.

Gloria McKinley has volunteered at the Chadderton-based charity Support and Action for Women’s Network (SAWN) since 2016 and is nicknamed Mama Norma due to her kindness and care for others. 

She is the oldest volunteer at SAWN and spends her time cleaning donated furniture and other items like fridges secured from FCHO and other places. All are then sold at a reduced price or at no cost to those facing hardship. 

The retired factory worker from Oldham was nominated by SAWN's programmes and engagement lead Audrey Murphy.   

She said the mother-of-two, grandmother of five and great grandmother of seven was “a true inspiration”. 

A surprised Mrs Mckinley received her Hidden Hero certificate and £50 shopping voucher from FCHO’s customer and digital communications manager Zack Grimes. 

“I didn't know anything about it at all, and I just want to say thank you to everybody,” she said. 

“I’ve been coming here for over ten years now, and I am so grateful for this place because it helps me just as much as I help it.  

“If I were at home, I’d just be sitting down watching the television, but coming here gets me out of the house. It keeps me active and surrounded by friends.” 

She added: “It’s a wonderful feeling to be recognised, but really, I do it because it’s where I belong." 

Miss Murphy said: “At nearly 85 years old, Gloria is a true inspiration to us all. She is an excellent community ambassador who embodies exactly how a community should function - we should all strive to be a bit more like Mama Norma.  

“She has a way of putting a smile on everyone’s face and has become a mother figure to everyone she meets." 

She added: “Gloria is simply unforgettable, and anyone who visits the shop knows exactly who she is because of the wonderful, lasting impression she leaves on the soul of this community.”