SIPPING on a coffee in her Enniskillen home, Eileen Drumm is having a rare day off. It’s a Sunday and like most Sundays, the 60 year old is using the opportunity to rest, do a word search and catch up on her beloved Coronation Street. She may even catch a little football, if she gets a moment.

“I try to keep Sundays to myself. I catch up with my friends and have the craic. I do my word search and I drink a wee cup of coffee. No sugar,” she laughs.

It is that laugh, that infectious belly laugh that Ms. Drumm is well known for. She is regularly spotted driving her mobility scooter around Enniskillen and even if the rain is pelting down she will still batter on with a smile, a glowing smile, and a wave.

“Why am I happy all the time? It’s just me, I don’t know any different. I laugh at myself, I laugh all the time, I can laugh at anything. You can achieve a lot through fun without being serious. People remember you better if you do things with a smile.” Given that she spends nearly every waking hour helping others, Ms. Drumm needs a little rest time at the weekend in order to recharge the batteries after another busy week lobbying decision makers.

The Fermanagh woman has not been elected to government, has not stood in an election, and does not work for a large organisation. She works off her own accord, a lot of the time from her home, and regularly catches the bus to Belfast so she can nudge Stormont politicians in the right direction.

That direction is change. She lives and breathes the idea of change, of making a difference, of equality, and respect for all, particularly disabled people. Her vision since 1990 has been to help others and in that time she has assisted hundreds of people and made a difference.

“Helping others motivates me, I love doing different things. I want to help others because there is a need in this society to really need to help others. I don’t look at this any other way than this is just me, it is who I am, I want to help.

“I don’t want to see people in need. We are seeing a lot of changes that may not be for the better so I want to highlight the issues. There is more work to be done in terms of helping others, highlighting the problems and leaving a legacy,” she said.

Through Shop Mobility, Women Making Waves, which she set up 16 years ago, Disability Action, North West Forum for People with Disabilities and countless other voluntary organisations, Ms. Drumm is already making positive changes. Not bad for someone who was “a very shy little girl” once upon a time.

“I was very quiet, I didn’t like to say too much, but now I am very hard to keep quiet!” she laughs. “I lobby government, I go to Stormont, I lobby ministers, I raise the issues. I like to let them know about the problems. Thanks to training, the support of others, and seeing heroines of mine, I have been encouraged to speak my mind.” She says she has been inspired to do the work she does so well by former Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam, a hero of hers, and former Chief Executive of Fermanagh District Council Aideen McGinley and would-be president Hillary Clinton.

As Fermanagh Trust prepares to champion its community heroes, it is no wonder that Ms. Drumm is among those short-listed for an award.

“I feel very grateful, and very honoured to be chosen,” she smiles. “It is lovely to be recognised by your own people. Fermanagh people are friendly, they are caring and you wouldn’t realise how much I am looked after by people here.” Indeed, the very reason Ms. Drumm has been nominated is because she is the one helping others.

She recently turned 60 and held a party, attended by her friends, with music and laughter.

“I like my country music and music from the seventies. Gene Chetty would be my favourite. No, I don’t have a notion of him!” she insists. “I have always liked Declan Nerney though. He’s sort of cute and very nice,” she smiles. “You didn’t hear about my party for my sixtieth? We had music but there wasn’t a lot of dancing. I was sensible.” And at that, Ms. Drumm laughed out loud, again.

The Enniskillen woman says she wants to be remembered as someone who tried to make a difference and despite the excitement of being nominated for a prestigious award she is taking it all in her stride.

“I would be modest about all that, I would, I would be modest,” she said. “I like what I do, but there are no airs or graces with me. I am just Fermanagh,” said Ms. Drumm, with a beaming smile and a twinkle in her eye.