She lives in a camper van with a dog called Einstein and travels nine months of the year. She is due to row the Atlantic solo, a venture which was delayed when she fell and broke her collarbone earlier this year. She’s done three Iron Man races, a 212-mile bike ride and a marathon, which she describes as “just a great day out.” And now she’s coming to volunteer for us at Ilmington Community Shop! Captured on her Café shift with a well-earned cup of tea, Vicky explains how she came to join the team. “I’m just so excited to wear the pinny!” she laughs. “I used to live in Alveston. I’d cycle here on my bike and have a cup of tea, so I know the village. It was seeing one of your posts on social media that made me think ‘I’m here for a month, I can help out.’” Vicky has exchanged her house for a camper van, which gives her the freedom to work online as a business consultant and still see the world. She returns three times a year – August, December and April – to help look after her granddaughter. “I love coming to this café. I happened to sit here with a cup of tea on Saturday and I mentioned the idea to Michele [our manager.] It’s a lovely way to give back.” We are so grateful to Vicky and other volunteers who donate some of their precious travel and holiday time to our community. For Vicky, volunteering feels like part of a greater lifestyle shift. “I’m off to France in September,” she says. “I’ve just come back from six weeks in Ireland. I love my van. It’s quite humbling giving everything away and just having what you need.” At 56, Vicky would have been the oldest female on the planet to row the Atlantic solo, but the project is not over. She’ll be doing The World’s Toughest Row in December 2026 when she is 59, so she should be the oldest woman to take the title then. “Usually about 40 to 60 boats set off from the Canary Islands and pick up the trade winds going east to west,” says Vicky. With a fair wind, we hope Vicky will be back to see us this December and maybe next April, too…
