New volunteers are being encouraged to step up to the challenge and help change the lives of families receiving vital care and support from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
The charity is launching its latest volunteer recruitment campaign – ‘Don’t pass by, give volunteering a try’ – and it coincides with Hospice Care Week.
The call-to-action is an initiative to encourage more potential volunteers to put themselves forward and lend a hand in one of EACH’s shops across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, including its busy Retail Distribution Centre, in Thetford.
EACH has a fast-growing retail operation, and there are opportunities to suit people’s skills and interests, from serving customers to sorting and pricing donations, dressing windows, steaming clothes, testing electrical equipment and listing items on eBay.
The campaign will run for a fortnight from today, with posters and flyers on display in every shop, as well as coverage and volunteer stories being shared online and via social media.
Fran Elliott, an EACH Area Retail Manager, said: “Volunteers are the absolute lifeblood of our organisation, and what better time to step up to the challenge than during Hospice Care Week?
“This is an important national awareness week and a golden opportunity for all of us to champion hospice care nationwide.
“By chance, this year’s theme is all about hospice retail and the role it plays in funding hospice services – something that’s absolutely vital here at EACH.
“Our volunteers make the most extraordinary, essential contribution, and the reality is we couldn’t do what we do without them.
“Without volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to run our shops – and without our shops, and the income they generate, we wouldn’t be able to deliver such world-class care and support. It’s as simple as that.”
Other key roles include being a key holder, listing and sending books and being a driver’s mate, heading out to distribute goods, including collecting and dropping off furniture.
To find out more about volunteering for EACH, pop into your local shop, visit each.org.uk/volunteering, email volunteering@each.org.uk or call 01223 205183 (option four).
“There’s something to suit everyone, with flexible hours and a warm, friendly welcome guaranteed,” added Fran.
“Volunteering is a fun, sociable and rewarding way of making a difference to children and families in our community. It can also provide valuable experience and provide a pathway into a career in the retail sector.
“We’ve got shoes to fill within all our shops, and I’d encourage anyone to give it a try and become part of our great team.
“Even if people don’t have time to volunteer, they can still support our campaign by sharing details from our social media, promoting the idea in their workplace and telling family and friends.”
EACH has three hospices – The Nook, near Norwich, The Treehouse, in Ipswich, and at Milton, near Cambridge.
The charity relies on voluntary donations for the majority of its income. This year alone, it needs to raise £7.5 million from donations and fundraising activities and £8.7 million in retail income. Only 15% of its income comes from the government, county councils and the NHS.
National Hospice Care Week runs from today until 13th October.
Pictures: Karen Self/EACH