Rachel – Community Hero

Today, we are proud to announce our Winter Community Hero. Rachel Tokens, is a well-loved member of the CPL team and a bit of a heroine to her family and neighbours back in Cebu, in the Philippines.

Rachel joined CPL nearly ten years ago. This was her first job in the UK. “My husband Stephen already worked for CPL, and although it a big step for me and a little scary at first, everyone was very friendly and welcoming”  Over the years Rachel has been an integral part of our Assembly team and now works full-time in the Deburr department.

Throughout 2020, Rachel has shown outstanding commitment and taken great pride in her work.  Before the start of the pandemic we had a larger team working in the Deburr section, but in March when the first lockdown was announced, most members of the team had to self-isolate for various reasons, leaving Rachel on her own in the department.  She could often be found at her workstation as early as 5am and would still be there after 7pm, in order that important parts for ventilators were completed and delivered on time. Rachel with typical kindness said that she did not mind working these hours because she knew she was helping, and that she was sending the extra money she was earning back home to help her family in the Philippines.

As a child, Rachel lived in Cebu City with her grandparents and like many families life was hard. She worked in the street market selling fish with her grandmother and cousins. Her family struggled to put food on the table, and they were often malnourished, so things like toys were a luxury that they could not afford. As Rachel got older, she studied hard and went to University to study Accountancy, but financial pressures meant that she couldn’t complete her studies and she took up work full-time in a launderette to support her family.

Rachel’s family had left the city and moved to a small fishing village; where they now live in a house that Rachel has bought for them. Every month Rachel sends money home to her family so they can buy food for themselves and the rest of the village. Rachel relates to the children in the village, who still live as she did as a child and she loves to see their faces light up when she can give them money to buy toys. When Rachel visits home, she takes her whole family out for a meal and treats them to as much as she is able to afford.

This year has been extremely difficult for her village due to the pandemic and very sadly, Rachel’s grandmother passed away.

Tony Murray presenting Rachel with her certificate

Cambridge Precision Ltd wish to thank Rachel for all her help and she deserves to be our second Community Hero. We hope that the Company’s donation in recognition of her tremendous good-will and kindness, will help her family and her village.