Hospices transform the lives of the terminally ill with practical assistance and emotional support when they are most
needed. For the volunteers who help to run them, the benefits are often equally significant.
While giving up their time for others, hospice workers make new friends, learn new skills and sometimes even decide on
a change of career. It is the overwhelming sense of satisfaction, however, that many say makes volunteering a life-changing
experience.
More than 100,000 volunteers, from a wide range of backgrounds, work in a variety of roles at Britain’s 248 hospices.
Their contribution is worth £112 million a year, almost equivalent to that of the NHS. Without them, many hospices would be
forced to close, as their overheads would rise by a quarter.
Caroline Davis was a retail banking manager in charge of 40 staff. After volunteering for Treetops Hospice in Derbyshire,
she decided to take a job as a fundraiser and events organiser with a local charity, and still spends four hours a fortnight
at the hospice.
Ms Davis, 43, said: “I had my daughter in December 2000 and lost my mum six weeks
later, which was mind-blowing. I decided to take a career break. Treetops is near by and I thought I could give something
back to the community.
“I enrolled in a ten-week induction course and it was better than anything I’d attended in my job. We learnt
about real-life situations, not to judge people and how to listen.”
Ms Davis drives guests to and from the hospice, and also acts as a hostess at its complementary therapy sessions (it offers
reiki, Indian head massage and reflexology, among others).
She finds the work more fulfilling than her former career. “I’m a bit of a softy – when I started volunteering
here my friends thought I wouldn’t cope. Now I’m extremely passionate about the place. I find it very humbling
and it has a real feeling of joy. They’ve supported me to do a counselling course and I feel valued,” she says.
“There’s an element of selfishness, because I get so much from it and it’s opened all manner of doors
for me.
“Sometimes it’s just about making someone a cup of tea and holding someone’s hand, if they want you
to. It’s had a big impact on the way I live my life.”
Sarah Butcher, 63, began volunteering at Treetops in very different circumstances. When her husband, Anthony, had cancer,
the hospice provided advice, equipment and a nurse who would visit their home. Mr Butcher died three years ago, aged 63.
Even before he became ill, his wife had contacted Treetops about becoming a volunteer. After his death she declined an
offer of counselling from the hospice and instead asked how she could help there. Mrs Butcher, who also lives near Treetops,
said: “I really didn’t know what they could offer. By the time the cancer was discovered it was fairly extensive
and Anthony died less than a year after diagnosis.
“It was nice for us that he could stay at home, rather than die in hospital. We wouldn’t have been able to
do that without advice and nurses from Treetops. If we needed equipment they delivered it the same day.”
Mrs Butcher, who used to run an antiques shop and has also been a florist, is now in charge of a gardening committee that
plans to transform the hospice’s 12 acres of grounds. She has also created floral displays and worked as a fundraiser
and driver.
Roles for hospice volunteers include driving, hairdressing, gardening, reception duties, organising events, giving complementary
therapies and delivering meals to patients and families.
For more information about hospices and opportunities in your area go to www.hospicevolunteering.info. The professional services firm KPMG will match all donations made to Help the Hospices through the Times Appeal
