Mama Norma is our March Hidden Hero

25/03/2026

Gloria McKinley AKA Mama Norma is our Hidden Hero for March.

The 84-year-old who helps clean unwanted items from First Choice Homes Oldham’s (FCHO) vacant properties before they are given to those has volunteered at the Chadderton-based charity Support and Action for Women’s Network (SAWN) since 2016 and is nicknamed Mama Norma due to her kindness and care for others.

She is the oldest volunteer at SAWN and spends her time cleaning donated furniture and other items like fridges secured from our properties and other places. All are then sold at a reduced price or at no cost to those facing hardship.

The retired factory worker from Oldham was nominated by SAWN's programmes and engagement lead Audrey Murphy. She said Mama Norma is “a true inspiration”.

A surprised Mrs Mckinley received her Hidden Hero certificate and £50 shopping voucher from our Customer and Digital Communications Manager, Zack Grimes.

On receive the award, Gloria said: “I didn't know anything about it at all, and I just want to say thank you to everybody,” she said.

“I’ve been coming here for over ten years now, and I am so grateful for this place because it helps me just as much as I help it. If I were at home, I’d just be sitting down watching the television, but coming here gets me out of the house. It keeps me active and surrounded by friends.

She added: “It’s a wonderful feeling to be recognised, but really, I do it because it’s where I belong."

  • Left To Right Rose Ssali, Audrey Murphy, Gloria Mckinley (Aka Mama Norma) And Zack Grimes

Audrey said: “At nearly 85 years old, Gloria is a true inspiration to us all. She is an excellent community ambassador who embodies exactly how a community should function - we should all strive to be a bit more like Mama Norma. 

“She has a way of putting a smile on everyone’s face and has become a mother figure to everyone she meets."

She added: “Gloria is simply unforgettable, and anyone who visits the shop knows exactly who she is because of the wonderful, lasting impression she leaves on the soul of this community.”

Know a hidden hero in your community? Get in touch so we can give them the recognition they deserve.