Hospice News

Volunteer Stories

To kick off Volunteers' Week our CEO, Susan, shares why volunteers are so vital to the Hospice.

"I have been CEO for nearly three months - the time has flown by and I'm absolutely loving my new role. I've been spending time with teams across the Hospice, and one of the highlights of this role has been meeting the fantastic volunteers and hearing about their volunteering experience.  

"Volunteering has always been important to me personally and throughout my life I've volunteered for many different organisations. It was through volunteering as a teenager at a hospital in Uganda that I first got interested in healthcare, leading to a career in public health and to my role at St Peter's Hospice.   

"We are fortunate to have over 1,300 volunteers in 20 different roles supporting all areas of our operations. We could not achieve what we do without the contribution of this time; if we were to pay for this time it would cost us £2 million a year extra to deliver these services. The work that this has enabled us to do in one year is astounding and I wanted to highlight a few facts and figures to illustrate this.

"Last year our retail volunteers steamed over 300,000 items and e-commerce volunteers dispersed over 6,000 items. Inpatient unit volunteers served over 7,300 meals to patients. Volunteers working in the coffee shop served over 10,000 cakes to patients, families and staff. Community drivers covered 60,000 miles transporting patients to and from their homes to appointments.  Our volunteer reception team welcomed 11,000 people and Hospice Neighbours made over 1,000 visits to patients in their homes. Our corporate partners contributed 400 hours of time in the Hospice garden to help maintain a relaxing environment for patients and their families and the spiritual team volunteers delivered 480 sessions of spiritual care. Many other volunteers have helped us with fundraising, administration, and other roles; all these contributions are invaluable.

"As I meet volunteers, I am inspired by their commitment to St Peter's Hospice and the difference that volunteering has made to individual lives. Our volunteers often tell me about the joy that it brings. For many, volunteering is providing a sense of purpose, being able to give back if the Hospice has cared for a loved one or enabling us to continue to provide for their local community. I also hear about the friendships that have developed and the connection with the local community.  

"I want to say a huge thank you to all our volunteers around the Hospice. You are critical to the delivery of our services; we cannot do what we do without you."

Volunteer with us