We are celebrating the fantastic volunteers of City Hospice
It’s Volunteers Week from 1st – 7th June, and we are using this as a great excuse to shout about the fabulous people who support City Hospice. As Cardiff’s local hospice, we are extremely grateful to all of the people who give their time, effort and skills to make the charity such a success! We salute these wonderful individuals and share just some of their stories with you…
Karen Bartlett, Volunteer Gardener
Karen lives in Rhiwbina, Cardiff and has been volunteering within the City Hospice Gardens since 2011.
Whilst discussing her volunteering, Karen says, “I like doing something for others, meeting other people, and being outside. I really enjoy giving the patients that visit the hospice, something nice to look at and enjoy – every time I see the patients enjoying the gardens – it makes it all worthwhile”.
“My father died in 2010 and I was looking to channel my grief into something productive and positive. I joined the team of City Hospice volunteer gardeners and really enjoyed meeting all the other gardeners and felt much happier outdoors”
To people considering volunteering for the first time, Karen suggests “If you want to help people, do something positive, and feel good, I can’t recommend volunteering enough”.
A big thank you to Karen and our volunteer gardeners who keep the City Hospice Gardens looking so beautiful for patients, carers and visitors to enjoy.
Eileen Clarke and Jennifer Dunscombe, Retail Volunteers
Eileen is 70 and Jennifer is 73, and both live in Fairwater, Cardiff. They regularly support City Hospice by sorting donated goods to be sold in the City Hospice stores.
Eileen enjoys the friendliness of everyone at City Hospice, and says “I have been made to feel very welcome from the start, and believe I am helping to make a difference to others”. Whilst Jennifer enjoys the feeling of making a difference, along with meeting other people and learning more about the work of the Hospice.
Eileen continues. “Volunteering gets me out of the house for a few hours twice a week and I get to meet lots of new people, I was receiving counselling from Sarah at City Hospice, who got me through a very dark time in my life and I felt by helping others I could say a little thank you”.
When asked for advice for first time volunteers, Jennifer says “Go for it and find something you would like to do – maybe something you are interested in. Volunteering will certainly make you feel better about yourself”.
Thank you to Eileen and Jennifer for sharing their volunteering stories, and for helping to ensure that our six charity shops are well stocked with the fantastic donations that we receive.
Linda Harrison, Penarth Store Volunteer
Linda is 63 and lives in Sully; she is a regular volunteer at our store in Penarth, covering all aspects of shop work. She has been volunteering for the past year at Penarth, but previously volunteered for 9 years at our Barry store.
Linda says, “I enjoy meeting the general public. I feel useful during my retirement and that I am giving something back. The role is very varied and new things happen every day”.
“As a customer of the Barry store I met Jan who was the shop leader. Jan encouraged me to volunteer which I did for 9 years. During my volunteering at Barry I also had my main job working at a school so I used to volunteer at City Hospice during school holidays”
Linda now enjoys volunteering at the City Hospice Penarth store, “My manager Noreen is very focused and is helping us all drive things forward”.
If considering volunteering for the first time, Linda suggests, “Definitely try it and see if you enjoy it. Speak to people who are already volunteering and make use of your skills”.
Dave Bevan, Penarth Store Volunteer
Dave is 61 and lives in Penarth; he has been a Retail shop volunteer at the Penarth shop for 10 years, carrying out all aspects of retail shop work including serving customers, till operations and stock output.
Dave enjoys, “…Interaction with customers and staff. Charity retail is unconventional – you never know what donations we will receive through the door or what a customer will buy”.
He continues, “I was unable to find traditional work due to an eye sight problem. This made me start to volunteer. I like the interaction with the team and customers alike – I find volunteering very therapeutic. I also really enjoy working with Noreen, our manager who does a great job”.
“I think every moment is a special moment. Every customer is generous. I meet lots of genuine people who come into the shop and they are willing to support City Hospice”.
If considering volunteering, Dave suggests, “I think just be yourself – open up and let people get to know you. Enjoy what you do, and be open to new experiences”.
Thank you to Dave and Linda for sharing their experiences of volunteering at our Penarth store.
Volunteering can be a regular occurrence, or can fit in with your other commitments. We even have one-off volunteering opportunities for groups and work colleagues.
If you would like to learn more about the volunteering opportunities we have at City Hospice visit our volunteering section or for one-off projects please download our Corporate Volunteering brochure.
