There is a saying that to get a job done, give it to a busy woman.
That woman could easily be Laura Cooper, a former family lawyer, now working for Multicultural Cumbria, co-ordinating asylum seekers and refugees and a district commissioner for the scouts.
To start with the last first, Laura became a scout leader after her son, Daniel, became a Beaver.
"He was having so much fun I wanted some of it, too."
Daniel, now 13, is a Scout and Laura is District Commissioner of the Reivers District Scouts which takes in all of Carlisle and including Brampton.
Her daughter, Elizabeth, 8, is a Beaver soon to become a Cub, and husband Stuart has decided to join the trend and is now enjoying his time as a Beaver leader!
Young Elizabeth has a Ukrainian school friend and wanted to do something to support her, so she and Laura went down Dino, the Polish shop, which was collecting and packing goods to send over to help the refugees
That one shift has turned into six months of volunteering and there is a chance that she will accompany the next load out to see where it goes.
Laura worked as a family lawyer for 15 years and her new job gives her as much time to help others -and to work with the asylum seekers and refugees who come to the area fleeing wars and uncertainty and just looking for somewhere safe to live.
"They are not allowed to work and, while they get food and board, they have only £8 a week to spend. Most of them, though, are keen to help and to thank the place that has accepted them in."
She said at the same time as talking to the News and Star, she was packing goods donated to Polish Shop Dino in the old Iceland store destined for Poland: "and I have four refugees helping me because they want to do something."
She said she has always wanted to help people for as long as she can remember and her children are learning this too.
"It is the Scout promise, to help other people."
And there is no doubt the children are following in her footsteps.
Elizabeth has raised £350 for the Foodbank by cutting off inches of her hair for the Little Princess trust.
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