Margaret Wildgust is a well-known character at City Hospital
Margaret (centre) was joined by her daughter and other family at the NUH awards(Image: Stuart Wilde)
“People come in, and they’re scared and not sure where to go – I have fun with them, and they end up smiling”.
If you’ve ever found yourself at Nottingham City Hospital at any point over the past 19 or so years, there’s a good chance you’ve spotted Margaret Wildgust bobbing about.
Almost every Tuesday and Friday since 2006, the 90-year-old from Hucknall has given up her free time to volunteer at the hospital.
From running up and down buildings, fetching X-ray notes, to handing out sherbets to patients at the chemotherapy ward, Margaret has done almost every odd job there is.
“You couldn’t find me enough to do – I helped with dinners, I’d take the trolleys around the wards,” Margaret said.
She began working at the hospital after her previous job at Safeway supermarket in Hucknall ended in 2005, when Morrisons acquired the company and all stores were closed.
Having been to hospital herself several times over the years, she was keen to give something back, so she initially began volunteering in the ecology ward.
“In them days, you’d have to run up and down and fetch the X-ray notes – it wasn’t digital like it is now”. In the years since, she’s taken on various other roles, including working at the Gervis Pearson male oncology ward.
But despite whichever pocket of the hospital she worked in, one thing stayed the same. “I’d always go up and give patients sweets. People were always pleased to see me, and they’d have fun,” Margaret continued.
“It would cheer people up on the ward for teenagers with cancer, and I’d see families years later, and they’d say ‘I remember you from years ago’ – I love everybody there”.
Among the favourites in Margaret’s famous sweet tub are sherbets, caramels, eclairs, and mints. And when she’s not there, other staff members drop the odd pound in the box to go towards more sweets.
But after the pandemic meant two years away from volunteering at the hospital, Margaret knew she wanted to go back to a role where she could utilise her self-confessed best skill: talking to others.
Margaret was named NUH’s volunteer of the year(Image: Stuart Wilde)
“I’d always liked greeting people who aren’t sure where to go,” Margaret, who has two daughters, five grandchildren and great-grandchildren, continued.
“So I’ve worked on meet and greet since. I just have a laugh and smile at people, because they don’t want you to come and shout at them.
“I’ve been in hospital, I know what it’s like, so it’s important to have fun. When you get to 90, you lose all your inhibitions, and you just say what you think. We have some real laughs.
“There is a lot of sadness on the ward, though. People get married because they know it’s going to be their last chance. But I love being there – it makes me a happy woman”.
Given her dedication and caring nature, it’s no surprise Margaret was named Nottingham University Hospitals’ (NUH) volunteer of the year.
That means an NCT (Nottingham City Transport) bus will be named in her honour, something she says she is “extremely proud of”.
“I wish my husband was here to see – he used to pick me up from the hospital,” she added.
So, after almost 20 years, has Margaret got any plans to leave? “As long as I can get out of bed and get that uniform on, I’ll keep going,” she said.
“I come alive when I’m there, because I know I’m needed”. Anthony May, chief executive of NUH, added: “I would like to congratulate all the winners of our People First Recognition Awards.
“We have received a record number of nominations this year from both colleagues and the public. It has been humbling to hear the stories that have inspired people to vote”.
