For the past 33 years, Alan has served as a member of the Newcastle Emlyn Town Council and has been elected Mayor of Newcastle Emlyn six times. A pillar of his community, Alan has been involved with many local organisations over the years and has organised many charity fundraising events. However, his desire to support the BHF comes from his own personal connection to our cause, after he suffered a heart attack in 2021.
Thanks to BHF research, more than seven out of ten people now survive a heart attack.
Thankfully, Alan is one of these. Once recovered, he was keen to give back to the BHF for helping save his life. And so he decided to volunteer at his local BHF home store in Carmarthen, where he has been helping every Monday.
“Volunteering is a great way to get involved in your community. I’ve been at the BHF Carmarthen home store for a year now and it has been a wonderful experience for me. I’d encourage anyone who is thinking of volunteering to try it out – it’s so sociable, and I love working alongside the team.”
The Buckingham Palace Garden Party was hosted, on behalf of The King, by The Prince of Wales. His Royal Highness was joined by The Princess of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Linda Ryan, Carmarthen Home Store Manager at the BHF, said: “It’s brilliant to see Alan’s work recognised in such a monumental way. He is an incredible volunteer and the customers love him as he’s such an important part of our community."
“Our 18,000 volunteers are the lifeblood to our retail, events, and fundraising operations. Without their support, we simply couldn’t do the amazing things we do.”