Appeal for new collection box volunteers
A unique volunteering opportunity has arisen after one of the Hospice’s longest serving volunteers has retired after 20+ years.
Local man, Maurice Foster has volunteered for Alice House Hospice for over 20 years and finally hung up his hat at Christmas. Maurice began volunteering when his wife needed hospice care at the Hospice in Hutton Avenue.
"People interested in volunteering for Alice House Hospice as a Business Box Collector can decide how many hours they are able to give, whether they want to help out on an ad-hoc basis or volunteer more regularly."
Rebecca Jobson, Senior Manager Fundraising
The Hospice’s Business Boxes can be seen in many businesses across the Hartlepool and East Durham area and many people will recognise them from their local butcher or bakers shop or local pub. Many businesses recognised Maurice as the ‘box man’ or ‘man from the hospice’ because for the past 20 years he has tirelessly gone out, week after week and replaced over 200 businesses’ counter top purple collection boxes, with a fresh one.
Each year Alice House Hospice relies on the £15,000 collected in spare change and desperately needs to find Maurice’s successor, or a team of successors, who are willing to give up their time whether it be a couple of hours each week or a couple of days once every few months.
Being a Business Box Volunteer is a great way to get out and about and meet new people, visit local businesses as well as get in some all-important exercise. Volunteers are needed to place new boxes around their local community, including in pubs and shops, and then collect and return the sealed boxes to Alice House Hospice; no money counting is involved! If you are able to find a business that would like to have a box, then even better.
Rebecca Jobson, Senior Manager Fundraising said, “Each one of our Volunteers plays a significant part in raising funds so that people living with life limiting illnesses such as Motor Neuron Disease, COPD, Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis and various types of cancer can get the right care and support that they need.
“Through volunteering in your spare time, you will be helping Alice House Hospice to continue providing emotional and practical support to the local community.”
People interested in volunteering for Alice House Hospice as a Business Box Collector can decide how many hours they are able to give, whether they want to help out on an ad-hoc basis or volunteer more regularly.
Over 380 people from across Hartlepool and east Durham came to the Inpatient Unit, or visited Day Hospice for care and support between 2015 and 2016.
To find out more about our Business Boxes and how you can volunteer, please contact Rebecca Jobson or visit our Volunteering area of this site.