Volunteer of the Month - November 2022 - Mandy Fitzsimmons

“Mandy is a MEGASTAR!” No words could better describe our Volunteer of the Month, Mandy Fitzsimmons, from Greater Manchester.

Mandy began her volunteering journey with Hearing Dogs for Deaf People as a Volunteer Puppy Trainer four years ago, expanding her skillset to advanced dog training during the lockdown of 2020 and beyond. Fellow volunteer, Stephanie Jones remembers: “I first met Mandy when Michelle Taylor and I dropped eight-week-old Leoni off at her house. Although Mandy has a busy family household, with four children who could easily take up all her time, she was committed to volunteering from the outset. She ably manages to go above and beyond in terms of caring for and training Leoni.”

Senior Puppy Training Instructor, Michelle Taylor, agrees wholeheartedly: “I am really grateful for the determination, patience, kindness and support Mandy has given our Manchester & Cheshire Hub, as well as the wider Hearing Dogs family.

She has been absolutely wonderful with Leoni’s training and wellbeing all the way through from puppyhood to placement. Leoni initially struggled with her soundwork, taking time to build alert skills and sometimes becoming frustrated quickly, however with Mandy’s calming presence and tolerant nature they became an absolute dream team working towards the Hearing Dog Assessment.

A lot of this crucial training took place online through Teams however, as restrictions lifted, Mandy also did lots of preparation for Leoni’s proposed city-based match, including taking her on trains, trams, visiting Manchester, going to the town hall, various libraries, taking her into her husband’s office and – on top of all that - having her politely meet any cat she could find!”

Although, through no fault of her own, the placement process for Leoni has faltered, Mandy has shown incredible resilience, understanding and daily dedication, by practicing more skills and tailoring her training each time. Mandy and her family have also been more than happy to welcome Leoni back with open arms while a perfect match for her was found. All of which should be falling into place this week.

As if hands-on and online training wasn’t enough to keep Mandy busy, she is also exemplary in terms of submitting great reports and photos. This being especially important as Leoni was sponsored by a Lions Club International group who were naturally keen to know how she was getting on.

Michelle continues: “Mandy really understands the wider context of the charity. She kindly agreed to be a case study for a funding bid that secured £50,000 to support our nationwide puppy training scheme. Just recently we were in Costa, and when I came back with the coffees, I heard her speaking highly of her volunteer role with a group of women on the next table. Though things haven’t gone that smoothly with Leoni’s placement, Mandy handled their questions about saying goodbye so professionally. Her representation of the charity was as flawless as it was engaging and warm.”

Deserved high praise continues from Hayley Simpson, Training Area Manager: “Mandy is such a lovely lady and very committed to her role. Leoni’s journey has certainly had bumps in the road; however, Mandy’s positivity and dedication have ensured that she has continued to progress and develop. She has worked wonders, helping Leoni to reach her true potential, from the early stages of puppy training, to soundwork, to the individualised preparation for her eventual deaf partner."

Between training, taking care of Leoni, her family and work commitments, we’ve really no idea how Mandy fits it all in and still comes up smiling! She’s a superwoman in our midst, who we would like to publicly recognise for the strength she’s shown in the face of setbacks, as well as all the sunshine she brings to the Manchester team. Hearing Dogs really is appreciative of absolutely everything she has done to make Leoni’s journey successful in helping a deaf person leave loneliness behind.

Mandy – you are simply amazing!