Homecare provider teams up with husband of client to sell hand-crafted key fobs to raise cash for air ambulance

The fobs and some other wooden items made by 92-year-old John Rigg are on sale at Westmorland Homecare’s Penrith branch office. 

“It is lovely that John has come up with this idea,” said Charlotte Cooper, the branch’s care manager. 

“It is great to be able to link with him by selling his products at the Penrith branch to raise money for such a great cause.”

Westmorland Homecare provides regular support to John’s wife, Margaret, 87, who has dementia. 

John started making wooden items as a hobby 50 years ago after he and Margaret moved to Penrith. “I used to make quite large items, such as pieces of furniture, for ourselves and for friends,” said John. 

“I have also made things like standard lamps and kitchen bowls and, latterly, shoehorns, back scratchers, walking sticks, coasters and key fobs. None of these have been sold – they have just been for friends. 

“Recently I came up with the idea of making some of my key fobs and selling them and some other items at Westmorland Homecare’s Penrith branch in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance. I have some key fobs in stock but if I end up making 100 and selling them for a tenner a piece, I shall be very happy.” 

John said he chose to support GNAAS, which is not NHS funded, because he admired its work and services. 

“I see the ambulance fly over our house nearly every day,” said John. “It is able to get to places that nobody else can reach to help people.” 

John likes to use wood such as yew, pitch pine, laburnum, oak and beech and the fobs are usually made with three different types of wood. 

John grew up in Keswick and attended Keswick School before studying agriculture at Newton Rigg College, near Penrith. He then spent four years taking an honours degree in Agriculture at King’s College in Newcastle, which was then part of Durham University. 

John spent six years teaching at Newton Rigg before joining animal feed company BOCM as an advisor. He worked for the company for a total of 25 years, including six years in Lancaster and four years in Leicestershire before he moved to Penrith. 

He took early retirement and set up his own business, Eden Game Supplies, which he ran for ten years, covering Cumbria, north Lancashire, Northumberland and the Border area from Berwick to Newton Stewart. 

He became heavily involved in The Newton Rigg Society and to celebrate the college’s 120th anniversary in 2016 he created a garden for students. He also created a small war memorial, located in the garden, which honours two former students who died during the Second World War. 

John’s wife Margaret is extremely well known as a dietitian, who worked at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and the Cumberland Infirmary at Carlisle.  

John cares for Margaret but said the support he received from Westmorland Homecare and others gave him time to relax and pursue his interest in woodwork. The couple celebrated their diamond anniversary at Easter this year. 

Charlotte Cooper added: “Keeping up with a hobby can be very valuable and fulfilling for elderly people. One of WHC’s main values is enriching the lives of our clients and the support we give to his wife means John has more time to enjoy his hobby.” 

John’s key fobs are on sale from Westmorland Homecare’s office at 2 Penrith New Squares, Bowling Green Lane, in Penrith. 

The branch, which opened in May this year, covers Penrith, Appleby, Shap and surrounding Eden villages.