A hospice has made a rallying cry for more volunteers.
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) wants to add to its pool of more than 1,300 volunteers.
It is in need of people to support its fundraisers, with administration, bucket collections, community speaking and events, shops, with sorting stock, manning the tills and listing items on eBay, hospices, with maintenance and reception tasks.
It is also looking for people to join its EACH Help at Home scheme, a service that matches volunteers to families to provide practical support such as cleaning, gardening and painting.
The appeal is part of the charity’s Every Hour Counts campaign.
Hannah Diaper, EACH volunteer services and development manager, said: “EACH hour counts for the children and families we support, so each hour given by a volunteer is helping making a big difference one way or another.
“We’re keen to recruit a diverse pool of volunteers and we’ve a growing variety of opportunities to get involved with.
“We’d love to hear from you, whether you can spare an hour a day, a day a week, a couple of hours a month or the occasional helping hand at an event near you.”
Janet Pulham has volunteered at EACH’s Suffolk fundraising office since August 2009.
“After I started volunteering, it soon brought home that not everyone is as lucky as me in having four healthy grandchildren,” she said.
“I like to think I’m helping other people. In the past I’ve volunteered for British Red Cross and Meals on Wheels for the elderly.
“If you have a few hours to spare, why not help others?”
Adrian Cole volunteers as a gardener at The Treehouse, EACH’s Ipswich hospice.
“There are a wide range of activities for volunteers at The Treehouse,” he said. “All are welcome.
“A mixture of practical knowledge and skills are useful.”
Earlier this year EACH revealed that it was launching a recruitment campaign to help deal with a shortfall of nurses at its Treehouse hospice.
It warned that it was having to make difficult choices over respite care because of a shortage in staff.
To find out more about volunteering roles available at EACH, call 01223 800800 and select option four.
Alternatively email volunteerservices@each.org.uk or visit www.each.org.uk/volunteering
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