Local charity St Giles Hospice has honoured its
‘unsung heroes’, those volunteers who give their time to help the charity care for people living with cancer and other serious illnesses.

At a lunchtime ceremony at Drayton Manor Park in Tamworth, more than 140 volunteers gathered to see colleagues receive awards for providing five, 10, 15 and 20 years’ service to the charity.

Lesley Stinton, St Giles Hospice Volunteers Manager, says: “The awards are our way of saying a heart-felt thank you to all those who give their time to help care for patients and support their families and friends at the hospice.

“These local people each add something very special to the work of the hospice by supporting the delivery of the many services we provide at our two hospice sites in Whittington and Sutton Coldfield.

“Their commitment is an inspiration to us all, and we hope that volunteering from within our local community will continue to be strongly supported. I am always delighted to speak to anyone interested in learning about volunteering opportunities we have at St Giles.”

Among those receiving a twenty-year service award were Pat and Fred Elliot, from Lichfield, a husband and wife who are part of the kitchen team and wash up dishes. Also honoured was Eric Davies, from Sutton Coldfield, who has been volunteering for 5 years, and is one of the many volunteer drivers taking patients to and from the hospice sites.

In total, 34 long service awards were given to volunteers from across St Giles’ patient catchment area, which ranges from Ashby de la Zouch and Atherstone in the east, to Cannock and Walsall in the west – and from Burton and Uttoxeter in the north, to Sutton Coldfield and Coleshill in the south.

Those attending were offered a glass of sparkling wine on arrival and entertained before the lunch by Eclypse, a flute and keyboards duo, who kindly donated their time.

A seated-lunch, which included a light-hearted quiz over coffee was followed by hospice Chief Executive Peter Holliday’s informal speech combining humour with relevant information about the work of hospices generally, St Giles in particular and looking towards how the future will be affected by changing demographics.

David Platt, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees then presented the awards.

The afternoon concluded with the drawing of raffle tickets, sales of which raised over £500. All the prizes were kindly donated by a number of local organisations.

St Giles Hospice is a registered charity offering high-quality medical and nursing care for people with cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as providing support for their families and carers.

Care is offered at the hospice's facilities in Sutton Coldfield and Whittington between Lichfield and Tamworth, or in patients' own homes across the region.

St Giles spends over £5million every year providing its specialist services. With just a third of this funded by the Government, the registered charity relies heavily on donations and fundraising.