printed 12 November 2024
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A North East lady coaching to turn into a Church of Scotland deacon has been acknowledged with a Girl of the Yr award.
Angie Mutch was honored for her tireless volunteer work spanning practically 40 years.
She was amongst 450 ladies from around the globe just lately honored at a celebratory lunch at London’s Royal Lancaster Lodge to rejoice the nonprofit’s seventieth anniversary.
They included Yulia Borisovna Navalnaya, a Russian public determine and economist and widow of Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny, artist Dame Tracey Emin and Tanya Ednan-Laperous OBE, recognized for her work on meals security rules.
Whereas the charity awards particular honors to a few of its attendees, its coverage is to rejoice every visitor on the annual luncheon as a “Girl of the Yr” – whose distinctive efforts make a distinction within the lives of others, paving the way in which for the ladies of at present and tomorrow.
Angie is at present in her third 12 months of coaching to turn into a deacon and is on placement at Devna Parish Church in Aberdeen with Rev Peter Johnston and Rev David Stewart.
Raised within the Maastricht space of Aberdeen, she attended Northfield Academy and accomplished a level in nursing.
Angie, who at present lives in Stonehaven, labored as a nurse and a health care provider within the Military, later incomes a grasp’s diploma in utilized social research.
His skilled profession was diverse – he was a youth employee, a social employee, labored with native councils and was a part of the Scottish Authorities’s medicine job drive.
Nevertheless it was for her volunteerism that she was honored because the Girl of the Yr 2024.
Angie began volunteering on the age of 18 and subsequent 12 months will mark 40 years of her dedication.
His volunteer work has taken him around the globe, from medical coaching in earthquake-ravaged Armenia to serving to East Berliners after the autumn of the Berlin Wall in Germany.
Nonetheless, his most treasured reminiscences are from the Nineteen Eighties when he labored with the Haemophiliac Society, notably kids with HIV/AIDS via a pharmaceutical product (Issue 8 and Issue 9) – a tragedy now often called the contaminated blood scandal.
In a time marked by stigma, concern and widespread misunderstanding about HIV/AIDS, Angie remembers giving a compassionate hug to a girl who felt remoted and rejected by these round her.
For the girl, that hug — given with out hesitation — turned her final reminiscence earlier than she died a month later.
Reflecting on the second, Angie stated it was “a privilege to be his pal”.
In one other reminiscence from her years of volunteering, she recalled a six-year-old boy collapsing on a rest room flooring.
He was rushed to hospital however died the subsequent day.
As she comforted her grieving household, Angie shared how the boy had just lately been fortunately enjoying outdoors, making a bow and arrow.
His household, unable to reveal his sickness as a result of intense stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, mourns in silence.
Angie was shocked when, on the Girls of the Yr 2024 luncheon, Her Royal Highness Princess Jama-Zulu Shange of South Africa’s Zulu royal household quietly approached her to present her a private and heartfelt reward – a bit of jewelery made particularly for Deacon. coaching
The princess wore the piece whereas visiting London, then eliminated it and positioned it in Angie’s hand.
The Aberdonian was instructed that in South Africa, the reward and gesture is taken into account equal to an OBE within the UK.
Given South Africa’s deep battle with HIV, the gesture carries deep private significance for each ladies.
Deacons are appointed to a lifelong workplace and provide a pastoral ministry of phrase and repair.
They work on the fringes of church and society and discover it pure to be bridge builders, assembly individuals the place they’re and growing new types of ministry and worship.
Service to others
One of many Church of Scotland’s 5 hallmarks of mission is to “reply to human want via loving service”.
Angie’s residence church is Stockthill in Aberdeen and the parish minister, the Rev Ian Aitken, inspired her to coach for the diaconate and has been a relentless supply of help for her and her household.
He turned a part of the church within the early 2000s and, with Mr Aitken’s encouragement, turned concerned in pastoral work, notably among the many aged.
This led to her being appointed parish nurse and Angie labored with individuals with dementia and their aged members of the family.
She is an energetic volunteer with Aberdeenshire Well being and Social Care Partnership.
In 2023, he gained the “Inspiring Volunteer” award at Inspiring Aberdeenshire 2023.
Reflecting on the lunch, Angie stated she felt “privileged” to obtain an award from Her Royal Highness Princess Zama-Zulu Shange.
“Once I checked out all these unimaginable ladies, together with the highest prize winner, Yulia Navalnaya, the spouse of the late Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny, who was poisoned after which killed in a Russian jail, I used to be amazed. An enormous sense of imposter syndrome, ” he defined.
“I used to be questioning what on earth I used to be doing there.
“Once I talked about this to my desk host, himself a retired military colonel, he instructed me that I had as a lot proper to be there as everybody else, as I had undertaken essential work in different methods.
“As I mingled and talked with the opposite award winners, I used to be extra shocked than something that, though these ladies had carried out superb issues, they downplayed their accomplishments.”
Angie stated Jesus confirmed those that the best approach to cope with rejection is humility, an instance proven by the late Mom Teresa.
He added that he would encourage everybody to thank God for his or her achievements.
Angie stated: “Bear in mind, placing the kettle on, and listening to a pal when wanted, is simply as a lot a care and sharing of affection as we normally respect.
“We is probably not Jesus however we present God’s like to others by the issues we do in silence.
“Now I believe that deserves an award.”
Girls of the Yr is a not-for-profit group run by a devoted committee of volunteers, whose mission is to proceed the legacy of founder Toni Lothian by recognising, celebrating and advancing the achievements of girls within the UK and around the globe.
The ladies who collect for the luncheon annually are from all walks of life and are handpicked in recognition of their willpower, bravery, abilities, ardour and spirit that always go unnoticed.
