Volunteers’ Week celebrates dedicated individuals at St Giles Hospice
St Giles Hospice is celebrating the incredible contribution of its volunteers during Volunteers’ Week, recognising the compassion, dedication and support they provide to patients, their loved ones, and staff across the hospice.
Volunteers’ Week runs from 1st – 7th June and is a national celebration recognising the contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK. The hospice’s volunteers play a vital role in every area of care, support, and retail, giving their time to help make a difference to local people living with a terminal illness.
Sarah Keenan, Group Volunteer Manager at St Giles Hospice, said: “Volunteers’ Week is an opportunity for us to recognise the fabulous contributions that our volunteers bring to St Giles Hospice.
“They bring a breadth of knowledge, skill, enthusiasm and dedication. Put simply, we could not do what we do without their support.
“With over 800 volunteers at our hospice and more than 500 of those working within our Retail team, they are the cornerstone of our hospice.”
As part of the celebrations, events will be taking place throughout the week as a thank you to the volunteers for their ongoing contribution and dedication to St Giles. There will be tea and coffee, scones and the chance to catch up and connect with fellow volunteers and staff from across the organisation.
Among over 800 volunteers at St Giles Hospice is Charlotte Kerr, a Clinical Administration volunteer who has been supporting the hospice for 18 years.
Charlotte’s grandad was one of the first patients to be cared for by the hospice at the end of his life in 1983, the year the hospice first opened.
Reflecting on her volunteering journey, Charlotte said: “I work for my parents, and it was them who said we’d like you to volunteer somewhere once a week to give back to the community.
“We all decided that St Giles would be the best place for me to volunteer because of the support they gave to my grandad at the end of his life.
“Volunteering gives me a purpose and it is nice being part of a community knowing that I know that I am helping out that little bit.”
Volunteers at St Giles Hospice support a wide range of services, from retail and fundraising to reception, administration and supporting on the Inpatient Unit based in Whittington, Lichfield.
St Giles Hospice provides specialist palliative care to local people, and their loved ones, living with a terminal illness.
To find out more about volunteering at St Giles Hospice, visit https://www.stgileshospice.com/support-us/volunteer/
