Celebrating our brilliant volunteers

At the end of the month that saw us celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Week, we spent a wonderful evening at local member's club, B-Together, giving thanks to our brilliant team of volunteers.

‍

Our Volunteer's Summer Appreciation Party brought together volunteers from all areas of our hospice including our charity shops, those who help during fundraising events, in our Inpatient and Day Care Unit, as well as some of our latest recruits who are eager to get started over the coming weeks.

‍

‍

We were delighted that so many staff were also able to attend the special event, with our Director of Fundraising, Charlotte Locks-Moro, taking the opportunity to share some exciting future plans for our hospice and to pass on our thanks to every volunteer for the incredible care and commitment they show to our community every single day. Some of our Inpatient Unit Doctors who couldn’t attend the event, sent a special video in their absence reiterating their heartfelt thanks for all that our volunteers do to support us.

‍

‍

We also used this opportunity to present the nominees and winners of our annual volunteer awards, voted for by staff and fellow volunteers and based on our shared values. We received some fantastic nominations and had to narrow it down to just two nominees and a winner for each category, which was no easy task!

‍

The winner of our Commitment Award, in recognition of the dedication of a fellow volunteer, was our brilliant Retail volunteer, Nalda. Her lovely nomination read, "Nalda is an absolute star in the charity shop. She stuck with us through lots of changes in retail and I would like to nominate her because of her overall contribution to the team and her helpful attitude towards all staff and volunteers. We're so lucky to have her."

‍

‍

Sister Anne was presented our Compassion Award; in recognition of the care and empathy she brings to her role as an Inpatient Unit volunteer. Her nomination read, "Sister Anne is the hardest working person I have ever met. Her generosity is unmatched. She is instrumental in training new volunteers and is always on hand if we need extra help. She remembers our patient's likes and dislikes as well as their loved ones and is always willing to go out of her way to make people happy. Be it tracking down a specific brand of lime cordial that a patient likes or coming in just because someone wanted to talk. We're forever grateful for Sister Anne."

‍

Last but by no means least, is our Community Award, for going above and beyond to support fellow volunteers and staff. Our brilliant Day Care Unit volunteer Barbara was the recipient of this award and her nomination read, "Barbara is always so helpful and it makes a huge difference to us knowing when she is on shift. She goes out of her way to support the team and care for the patients, making sure their needs and requirements are always met. Often Barbara will work longer if she knows we are short of staff or volunteers, we do appreciate all she does."

‍

‍

At the event we gave special thanks to volunteers who have shown incredible long-term commitment to our hospice; including Carla and Lucie who have volunteered with us for more than 30 years.

‍

Our volunteers are truly at the heart of our hospice, both those who have been with us for decades and those who are just getting started. Their dedication and kindness are vital to helping people in our community to live well for longer.

‍

If you want to learn more about our volunteering programme and our next recruitment session, please visit www.stjohnshospice.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer. Alternatively, get in touch with Sophie by calling 020 7806 4049 or by emailing volunteers@hje.org.uk.