Hospice Charity appeals for volunteers

Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity is urgently calling for people to sign up as volunteers to help them fund and provide the best hospice care for local residents.

“Volunteers are vital to the success of our Charity and we really couldn’t do what we do without them,” says Penny Bradshaw, Head of Volunteering.

“We are still feeling the effects of the pandemic.  Our volunteers were not needed for many months whilst our shops were closed, our events cancelled and access to the Hospice itself restricted.  And, whilst those restrictions have now lifted, we have found that many of our previous volunteers are stepping back from their roles – in fact we have around half the number of active volunteers now than in early 2019.”

The Charity is particularly looking for volunteers to help in their nine shops between Buckingham and Thame.  “Our shops have worked so hard to recover from the impact of Covid-19 and are now getting busier and busier each week.  But sometimes we struggle to keep all of our shops open due to a shortage of volunteers.  If we have to close a shop for even one day, we lose vital income which funds local care,” says Lily Caswell, Head of Retail at the Charity.

But it is not just retail volunteers that the Charity needs.  The Charity relies on volunteers in all areas of its work – in their shops, at their fundraising and community events, in the offices and in the Hospice itself, supporting patients and their families.

“Without volunteers we cannot plan and run fundraising events such as our Santa Dashes, which raise so much money for the Charity, as well as being fun events for the whole community.  And without our team of volunteer drivers, many of our Day Hospice patients would simply not be able to attend,” explains Penny.  “There are so many ways in which people can support us through volunteering. There are roles to suit everyone; whether that’s working with people in our shops or at the Hospice, or behind the scenes with our Onlines Sales or Admin teams.  And for those who can’t commit to regular volunteering we also need ad hoc volunteers at our events or simply to help us put up posters or deliver or collect fundraising items from time to time.”

To find out more about all the volunteer roles available visit the Charity’s website at: fnhospice.org.uk/volunteer or  email volunteering@fnhospice.org.uk.