East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is launching its latest volunteer recruitment campaign today – with extra help needed to support the charity’s fast-growing retail operation.
The Care to Help initiative is running for three weeks with the aim of encouraging more people to lend a hand in one of its shops and busy Retail Distribution Centre, in Thetford.
This year alone, EACH needs to raise £9.8 million in retail income, in addition to £8m from donations and fundraising activities. Just 15% of its income comes from the government, county councils and the NHS.
Retail volunteers play a pivotal role, and, incredibly, their daily contribution covers the running cost of one of the charity’s bases in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organisation, and we’re excited to be embarking on our latest recruitment campaign,” said Nathan Muskett, EACH’s Head of Performance and Delivery and part of the charity’s Central Care Team.
“The key message we want to get across is that volunteering is about giving much more than your time.
“The hours people donate allow us to provide care to children, young people and their families, and if we put an hourly value on the total daily volunteering hours, it would equate to the cost of running one of our hospices for a single day.
“That’s a remarkable thought, and it’s impossible to overstate the essential role volunteers play.
“People from all walks of life support us, from young people to parents to those that are retired, and hopefully more will be encouraged to follow suit. No matter how much time they can give, it all makes a difference.”
Care to Help posters and flyers will be on display in EACH’s shops, as well as coverage and volunteer stories being shared online and via social media.
The campaign will also highlight the variety of different roles available, with opportunities to suit people’s skills and interests.
These range from serving customers to sorting and pricing donations, dressing windows, steaming clothes, testing electrical equipment and listing items on eBay.
Other 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.
“There’s something to suit everyone, with flexible hours and a warm, friendly welcome guaranteed, and whatever someone does will enable us to provide vital care and support to families across the region,” said Fran Elliott, an EACH Area Retail Manager.
“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.
“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 via social media, promoting the idea in their workplace and telling family and friends.”
Nearly 800 children, young people and family members are currently receiving care and support from EACH, and the charity is generally supporting more than 500 families at any one time, including bereaved. To find out more about becoming one of the many EACH volunteers who make this possible, pop into your local shop, visit each.org.uk/volunteering, email volunteering@each.org.uk or call 01223 205183 (option four).
