IT was a fitting send-off for 25 years of service.
Colleagues of Garry Poulson, outgoing director of the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire (VCWB) threw a farewell party on Tuesday afternoon, March 26.
The bash took place at Broadway House in Newbury and around 100 civic dignitaries, friends and colleagues from around the region including chairwoman of VCWB trustees and former Newbury Weekly News editor Brien Beharrell attended to say thanks and farewell.
Sixty-three-year-old Mr Poulson formally stepped down from the role, after quarter of a century, on Thursday, March 28.
He said he was proud to have promoted volunteering in West Berkshire and to have encouraged people “to become stakeholders within their communities”.
Mr Poulson, a former mayor of Newbury, added: “I couldn’t have wished for a better parting gesture.
“They put in a lot of effort to make it such a special moment and memory for me.”
Despite stepping down from the role, Mr Poulson won’t be putting his feet up just yet.
He remains a volunteer for the Newbury and Thatcham Welfare Trust, vice president of The Newbury Society, secretary to the Newbury 41 Club and chairman of the West Berkshire Suicide Prevention Action Group.
And, as if that wasn’t enough, he is a keen guitarist and now intends to take up canoeing.
