Volunteering for St Benedict's Hospice
Volunteers contribute a great deal to the quality of care provided by assisting in the care of patients and their relatives. They are highly valued by the staff and their work is much appreciated by patients and their families.
No job is without its rewards, including volunteering. Although there is no financial remuneration apart from expenses, if volunteers did not get satisfaction from attending St Benedict's they would not stay long! The Hospice offers volunteers the opportunity to learn new skills, make new friends and achieve satisfaction in giving something back. We provide on- the-job training and an induction which introduces you to the work of the hospice and volunteers are always welcome to join any educational courses that are run by the Hospice.
The aim of the volunteer is to strengthen the workforce of the Hospice / Palliative Care Team and provide a complementary service which under the supervision of the professional team, gives practical and supportive help to the patients, relatives and the bereaved whenever and wherever possible.
We currently use volunteers in 7 key areas namely:-
- In-patient area
- Day Care
- Library
- Gardening
- Bereavement Support Group
- Shops (Fundraising)
- Tea bars - Sunderland and Houghton magistrates court
At present we have 32 Volunteers working within St Benedict's Hospice, approximately 12 working within our two charity shops and 32 in the tea bars at the magistrate Courts in Sunderland and Houghton. Most of our Hospice volunteers work approximately 3 hours per day one day a week covering mornings, afternoons, evenings and weekends.
Queen's Award for Voluntary Service
The volunteers at St. Benedict's Hospice in Sunderland have received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. This voluntary group was one of only 92 organisations to win an award in 2005. Created in 2002 for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, winners are nominated by members of the public who have either benefited from their work or seen the positive effect it has on thier community. Awards are only given to those groups who have regularly devoted their time to providing an outstanding level of service to other people.
Some of the volunteers work on the hospice providing help and support to the patients and their relatives while others raise funds for the hospice by working in the charity shops and tea bars at Sunderland and Houghton Magistrates Courts.
For further information on volunteering for St Benedict's Hospice please contact Julie Dagg on 0191 569 9191.
Or alternatively click here for the application form (155k PDF)
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