Volunteer

Volunteers are at the heart of our hospice. We are always looking for kind and compassionate people to join our dedicated team and help people in our community to live well for longer.

Volunteering with St John's

Without our volunteers, we could not provide such high quality care for so many people each year. They help ensure the smooth running of our services, providing support for staff, patients and visitors and helping with vital fundraising activities.

We welcome volunteers from all walks of life, you just need some spare time and enthusiasm! In return you will make new friends, gain skills and build your confidence while letting you play a key role in your community. It can also improve your career prospects and adds invaluable volunteering experience to your CV.

Whether you excel at sorting shop donations, you’d love to enthusiastically cheer on others at the London Marathon or you can be a friendly person to chat to people in the community, we have a volunteer role with your name on it.

Volunteer, Nadya, in the Inpatient Unit.

“It’s a really special atmosphere.”

“You may think that coming into a hospice is all doom and gloom, but it couldn’t be further from the truth at St John’s. We’ve created such a lovely atmosphere here between volunteers and staff, and our patients and their visitors certainly pick up on that.”

Nadya, Volunteer.

Volunteering opportunities

There are lots of ways you can volunteer with St John’s. From providing support in our Inpatient Unit, being a welcoming face on the reception desk or supporting our fundraising and community engagement by volunteering at our charity shop.

Every single volunteer makes a difference to our hospice and allows us to continue caring for our patients and their loved ones. Learn more about our regular volunteering opportunities below:

One-off volunteering opportunities

Whether it’s a few hours a week or a few times a year, any time that you can give makes a huge difference and helps to keep our hospice running, while allowing us to create more moments of joy for our patients and their loved ones.

If the regular roles listed above don’t sound like your cup of tea, why not consider bringing your skills, hobbies and other interests to the hospice?

Nail technicians, hairdressers, and beauticians - we are looking for experienced beauticians, hairdressers, and nail technicians to give our patients some quality pamper time in our hospice.
Gardeners - this role helps to ensure our newly renovated gardens are attractive and well-maintained throughout the year by weeding and watering.
Arts & Crafts coordinator - these volunteers facilitate activities with our patients, providing interest, enjoyment, a sense of achievement and the chance to try something new.
Collection tin coordinator - support our Fundraising team by developing and managing relationships with businesses and shops to hold one of our collection tins and raise vital funds for the hospice.
Workshops - do you have any special interests or expertise? We’re looking for individuals who could run workshops or host talks for our Wellbeing Centre patients or Carers and Bereavement groups. These talks and workshops could be on anything from local history, music, poetry, financial advice, art, and so much more!

Does this sound like the opportunity for you? Find out how to apply.

How to apply

Before applying for one of our volunteering roles, please ensure that you have read the below:

For all volunteering roles, you must be 18 years old or over. Except for retail and events and fundraising roles for which you must be 16 years old or over.
Unless you are applying for one of our one-off volunteering opportunities, we ask that you are able to commit to a minimum of 6 months of regular volunteering (roughly a few hours each week). Volunteering shifts can take place 7 days a week from 8 am - 7 pm.
We ask that all potential volunteers complete an application form and those helping within the hospice undergo a DBS check as well as attend an in-person induction session.
If you are not a British national, you will need to ensure you have an appropriate visa or provide confirmation that you are able to work in the UK, even though volunteering is not paid employment. Please note that we are not able to provide sponsorship for anyone wishing to come to the UK to volunteer.

For more information and to sign up for our next recruitment session please contact our team by emailing volunteers@hje.org.uk or by calling 020 7806 4049.

Other ways to get involved

A St John's runner pauses on Tower Bridge while running the London Marathon, she looks to her left and is smiling.

Find an event

We host a whole range of exciting events throughout the year. From afternoon tea parties, skydives, marathons and more, you can enable people in your community to live well for longer.

View all events

A person wearing a hospice green fundraising t-shirt does a jumping jack in the air.

Fundraise your own way

Fundraise for St John’s with your school, work or community group and make a difference to people living with life-limiting illnesses and their families in our community.

Nurses and Drs walk down the corridor of the Inpatient Unit in St John's Wood.

Work for us

At St John’s we are committed to celebrating and amplifying life, enabling people to live well for longer. Find out what it’s like to work at St John’s and view our current vacancies.