Roger Baker has been volunteering for 54 Years at Abingdon’s Oxfam Shop. He is probably the charity’s longest-serving volunteer.
Roger first started volunteering in May 1969, when he was inspired by a talk given by Joe Mitty, the manager of the first Oxfam shop. Mitty had secured the use of the former Boots premises in Abingdon’s high street rent-free and wanted to start a shop there. Baker was one of the first volunteers to sign up.
Over the years, Roger has seen many changes at the Abingdon Oxfam shop. The shop moved to Stert Street in 1971 and to its larger premises in 30-32 Stert Street in 1986. At the start everybody was a volunteer, but now there is a paid manager.
His particular job is treasurer, but being on the end of the phone and being retired – he was a Physics teacher, he will go down and do anything if he is free. He can work on the till, sort new Oxfam goods, do the washing up, or anything.
“It’s still a great place to volunteer, and very varied” he says. “It’s a chance to make a difference to the lives of others.”
Thank you Roger, what an inspiration.
Mr Baker was my form tutor at the start of my secondary school career in the early 1980s. How lovely go see that he is still making a difference to peoples lives.
He covered science lessons a few times for my tutor group in the early 90s, but I remember him best for his involvement in PE. Bless him, he tried so hard to get people interested in cross country, to little avail with our lazy year.
What an example to all of us. I remember hi from school days at Abingdon mainly for his encouragement to do Cross Country running. Later on Orienteering as well. I think it must have set me up well for my later efforts in Cross Country skiing in Canada from 1990 to the present day. I now have a collection of medals!
I am sorry not to be meeting him at a lunch being held at the school this coming week. Maybe in the future.