Why Marje keeps on motoring

Her generous donation will help purchase the county's first paramedic motorcycle, which can respond twice as fast as a regular ambulance and reach awkward areas. "I've always thought if anything can be done quicker and save lives, so much the better," she says.

"Years ago my husband was in a bad car accident. I didn't know anything about it for seven hours, but I was so pleased by the way he was treated. He was absolutely smashed up and they saved him. "To think someone could get to a road accident like that more quickly is wonderful. Those motorbikes can weave through traffic and will make a real difference."

Her husband recovered and lived 25 years after the accident, but the decades haven't diminished Mrs Hunt's gratitude. She didn't hesitate to dig into her pockets, and encourages others to do the same.

"If everyone gave a penny, there would be a lot of help but not much for each to pay. People don't think about that."

Despite her advanced age, Mrs Hunt has never needed an ambulance. "Now that I'm 91, I do have to stay put a bit," she confesses. "I still walk about with a stick, do my shopping, look after myself so far. I have a gardener now, though." She was born in Weston-on- the-Green, near Bicester, and has lived in the county her whole life. "I'm a farmer's daughter and a farmer's wife. It was hard work, but very pleasant out in the country. I wouldn't live in the city for anything. I went to London once with a friend and it was horrible."

The couple didn't have children, but Mrs Hunt's five siblings provided plenty of nieces and nephews, and farming kept her busy. "I worked my whole life, that's why I got on so well. Hard work and worry," she laughs. "We farmed a little bit of everything - livestock and a mix of crops - that way if one thing failed you could fall back on the rest. Our herd had foot and mouth disease once. It was terrible burning all the cattle. Still, we survived." She survived and thrived, with a cheerful outlook to rival Mary Poppins. "Always live to enjoy life. Do everything for the sheer enjoyment," she advises. "Life does get dreary but don't let it get you down."

Mrs Hunt has suffered a few setbacks, such as her brother's death. "He was injected in the hospital and it killed him. It was a very great blow," she says. Her illness last Christmas also dampened her optimism - momentarily. "I didn't think I would make it, but everyone else did.

"I do get down some days, but like a bubble, I always rise to the top." *The Suzuki Hayabusa is the model that the Oxford Mail has chosen to be Oxfordshire's first fast-response paramedic motorcycle.

Readers like Marjorie have been digging deep to help raise a total of £15,000 to buy the machine, convert to a "Medibike" with blue lights, sirens, luggage and to equip and train two ambulance service riders.

The selection of the bike was simple. We want the best, the fastest, the most stable, and the smoothest machine, with the sole aim of saving lives in Oxfordshire - perhaps your life.

While opting for a motorcycle capable of phenomenal top speed, the big Hayabusa tourer/sports bike fits the Ambulance Service's requirements perfectly as it is capable of carrying - totally unaffected - a heavy load of medical equipment and yet is a pussycat at low speeds. If you would like to contribute to the Appeal, please make your cheques payable to The Oxfordshire Ambulance Service Charitable Fund and send them to the Promotions Department, Oxford Mail, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 0EJ. Alternatively, if you would like to stage a fundraising or sponsored event to help boost the Oxford Mail appeal further, please write to the promotions department at the above address, marking your envelope "Oxford Mail Medibike Charity Event".

Make sure you tell us exactly what you are planning, where and when your charity event is being staged and include your name and daytime telephone number.

Story date: Friday 10 December

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.