As Blythswood approaches its 60th anniversary in 2026, few a have a longer association with the organisation than Barbara and Kenny Matheson in Fort William.

While doing her nursing training in Glasgow in the 1960s, Barbara was one of the young people who handed out gospel tracts printed by the fledgling Blythswood Tract Society. And Kenny and Barbara were instrumental in setting up Blythswood’s shop in Fort William in the 1990s. “It was opened by Jackie Ross and by Rona Mackenzie from Lochcarron, who was then working for Blythswood in Romania,” Kenny remembers.

Today, with the help of other volunteers, Barbara still runs the shop part-time and is to be found behind the till most afternoon. The shop serves as a collection point for donated items, processing 20 or 30 large boxes in an average week, with a further 20 bags of textiles for recycling.

In October and November, Kenny and Barbara are busy processing gift-filled boxes for Blythswood’s Shoe Box Appeal. About 600 boxes a year are donated from the Fort William area.

At a stage in life where others are taking things a little easier, why do they still volunteer for Blythswood? Kenny says: “We do it because of the good work that Blythswood does in promoting the gospel and in getting aid to those who need it most.”

To find out what you can do to volunteer for Blythswood, go to blythswood.org/volunteer or call 01349 830777.