She was named as Age Scotland’s Young Volunteer of the Year in 2019 for her contribution to the Golden Day Club in Castle Douglas.
It was a richly deserved accolade for Hollie Nelson who, as part of the small team, dished out dinners and laughter to members at Castle Douglas Community Centre.
What made the award even more special was that Hollie has cerebral palsy, which affects her mobility but, mercifully, has left both speech and intellect untouched.
And chatting with this young woman, there’s something quietly inspirational about her attitude to life – one typified by what you can do, not what you can’t.
“There’s no point sitting and dwelling on things – tomorrow is another day,” she says simply.
“I’m stubbornly independent and I want to keep that going as long as I can.
“I have days when I feel like crap but it could be worse.
“There are other people with cerebral palsy I know that are having to be looked after because they can’t do anything themselves.
“So I do try to see the silver lining in things.”
Hollie, 34, proudly tells me she’s “Castle Douglas born and bred” and from a family of considerable size – to say the least.
“My mum Tracy Walker has seven children and my dad Russell Nelson has another two, twin girls,” she says.
“I’m the second eldest and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at five. It took me a wee bit longer to walk than it should have.
“I had a couple of operations when I was younger to try and straighten out my legs but my condition was never really an issue until I was in my twenties.
“I was getting a bit more tired and that’s when I found out that cerebral palsy comes with other issues, which only present themselves as you get older.
“I was always told it was non-progressive but as I got older the fatigue got worse.
“And along with the arthritis and joint pain it got a bit harder to handle.”
Hollie takes me back to her childhood, when she attended Castle Douglas Primary School until P5, then moved to Crossmichael Primary to complete her early years education.
“For the most part I got on alright but there was the odd one who would take the mickey,” she recalls.
“I had a great group of friends then and I’ve still got a great group of friends now. My family have been great as well.
“I passed my exams at Castle Douglas High School and left at 16 to do a two-year child care college course in Dumfries.
“But in my second year I had to stop because they took away the taxi service.
“I tried to keep it up but I had to give it up and got a job cleaning at the Royal Bank of Scotland.
“Then I started as a dishwasher at the Crown Hotel in the town and ended up prepping the salads in the kitchen.
“I started volunteering with the Golden Day Club in Castle Douglas Community Centre and then with Castle Douglas Development Forum too.
“I would help out at events during Civic Week and when they needed help at the town charity shop I joined the rota, then was asked to join the inclusive play park committee in 2018.”
Hollie is not as active now as in recent years, she tells me, recently having been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
“Up until 2019 I thought fatigue was just something people said,” she explains.
“I didn’t realise that it was an actual real thing.
“Now I have to really watch what I’m doing – and if I do too much it takes a toll.
“Yesterday they said they were short staffed at the Golden Day Club and I said I would go in and give them a hand.
“So I’m feeling it a bit at the moment.
“I also helped out at the town charity shop on King Street and I used to work for Castle Douglas Development Forum.
“But when the Golden Day Club opened back up in February I gave up the shop and went back to the community centre.
“I gave that up at Christmas too, because it was just too much – it was taking me a long time to recover.
“I was in the town shop twice a week, at the day centre twice a week and doing swimming as well.
“And, unfortunately, I’ve had to give up my swimming too.
“I have swum for years and would do 60 lengths at a time, no problem. So giving up was really hard,
“I tried cutting down to 20 lengths but it was no good – the fatigue got worse and my arms were too sore.”
Hollie tells me she is still on the committee of the Forward Rotary Group, which organises regular fundraising and social events in the town.
“At the moment we are raising funds for putting picnic benches on the Market Hill,” she says.
“We’re talking to the council and they said if we can raise money for new equipment they would put it in.
“We are doing something for the coronation – it should be a very good day on May 7.
“There will be Rue from Rue and the Rockets singing who played gigs around the Stewartry in the sixties and seventies.
“My grannie used to go to their gigs in Dalbeattie Town Hall!
“We’ll have a children’s entertainer, funfair rides, storytelling and other things.”
Listening to Hollie, her determination to do all she can for Castle Douglas shines like a beacon.
“We live in such a fantastic area and community,” she says with pride. “It’s important that we look after it and we improve.
“At times like this people might think it’s somebody else’s job but I think it’s important that the community takes responsibility as well.
“Covid shut down a lot of things too that have not long reopened,”
It seems the adage smiling in the face of adversity was custom made for Hollie as she details the adjustments she’s had to make on account of her fatigue.
“Although I’ve had to step back physically from things like swimming I’ve kept up going to Riding for the Disabled at Barstobrick, which I’ve been doing since I was 12,” she tells me.
“It has real physiological and social benefits – I live on my own and getting out among people is so important for me.
“Riding a horse gives you a workout and it’s almost like a physio session.
“It helps you work on your balance and strengthens your core muscles – although I’m absolutely knackered afterwards!
“I have a great bunch of friends there too.
“It’s keeping my mobility going and my muscles working and is something I need very much and means I’m as supple as I can be.”
With swimming and horse riding on her CV, I wonder if Hollie has any other sporting passions.
It turns out she does indeed – football or, more specifically, a certain team in red and white.
“I’m a big Manchester United fan and like to go to the games,” she laughs.
“My mum disnae – she’s a big Rangers fan – and I don’t like Scottish football.”
Making regular trips to Old Trafford, it seems, sums up Hollie’s can-do attitude – but that’s not the half of it.
“In my late twenties, when I first started getting sore and the doctors began talking about arthritis, I decided to go travelling round Europe,” Hollie reveals.
“I thought I had better see a bit of the world before such a thing happened.
“And I’m so glad I did – because I’m not sure if I could do it at this moment in time.
“That was six years ago to the day – March 16, 2017.
“I was meant to go with a friend but ended up going myself.
“I was very nervous but excited at giving it a go.
“In life, I have found out, you have to do the things that give you butterflies – you have to go outside your comfort zone sometimes.”
Armed with a devil-may-care attitude, Hollie, then 28, got on a plane to Amsterdam and from then trained it all the way on a European city tour.
“First stop was Berlin – I was not even sure if the scooter would get on the train until I got there and turned up!” she laughs.
“I was on my own and people were saying such nice things.
“From Berlin I travelled to Prague, Vienna, Munich and Venice.
“After that it was Milan, Zurich and Paris then back to London for a few days.
“I still keep in contact with a couple of folk I met on my trip.
“One was a girl I met in Switzerland who was from
New York.
“I went to see her when I was in New York in 2019.”
Hollie didn’t have time to slot in her favourite European city, Barcelona, on her 2017 tour, she tells me, so flew out later that year – and straight into a political storm.
“I arrived in Barcelona the day after the Catalan independence vote.
“I got in to the city at 11pm and you could hear the ruckus – I was right next to the Catalan government building.
“The streets were all shut off because of the parties and it felt like I was in the middle of a bit of history.
“Everywhere you went you got caught up in it but it was peaceful.
“I got more comments about being Scottish there than anywhere else.
“Sky News said there was one million people on the streets
“Then the very last day another demonstration came out, this time for those who supported Madrid and who were proud to be Spanish.”
Six years on from her Euro adventure, Hollie tells me she has to be more careful now not to over-tax herself.
And with more time on her hands she’s been able to bring somebody else into her life – a black Labrador puppy called Luna.
“I feel as if I’ve got my dog at just the right time,” she smiles.
“Luna is coming up for 18 months and is keeping me busy.
“She is going to be a great helping dog – you can tell – and has fitted in perfectly.
“She has been great – anything I drop she will pick it up and give it back to me.
“She’ll pull the washing out of the machine and put it in the basket, shut the doors and tidy up her toys.
“And if I’m going out a walk she’ll go and get my boots.
“If it’s just for the house she’ll get my Crocs – she knows the difference.”
“These days it is taking me longer to get better after physical exertion than it should,” she adds.
“They are giving me physio for my arms so hopefully that will help.
“I’ve had to stand back from most physical activity.
“But I’ll still go in and give them a hand at the club when they need it.”
Meanwhile, Hollie has pencilled in another European adventure.
“I’m planning to go to Krakow in Poland in March 2024,” she says.
“Some of my family are coming with me.
“I’m excited to go and see the city – I love old architecture.
