Hospices North East and North Cumbria unite in solidarity to recognise and celebrate volunteers for Hospice Care Week 2023
From Monday 9th October to Sunday 15th October, Hospice’s across the country are raising awareness for Hospice UK’s annual Hospice Care Week campaign.
Hospices across the North East and North Cumbria are working together as ‘Hospices North East and North Cumbria (HNENC). These include: Alice House, Butterwick, Eden Valley Hospice & Jigsaw Children’s Hospice, Hospice at Home West Cumbria, HospiceCare North Northumberland, Hospice at Home Carlisle & North Lakeland, St Cuthbert’s Hospice, St Oswald’s Hospice, St Teresa’s Hospice, Teesside Hospice, Tynedale Hospice at Home and Willow Burn Hospice.
Join us to celebrate hospice care across Hospice Care Week and the incredible work that is being done to make sure everyone can benefit from the very best end of life care. Hospice Care Week 2023 will focus on workforce, under the theme: ‘We are hospice care’.
Hospices support more than 300,000 people every year. But the need for hospice care is growing.
Paul Marriott, Chair of Hospices North East and North Cumbria said:
“Every hospice is firmly rooted in its local community. The sheer number of volunteers who get involved with their local community is proof of this. Volunteers can see the difference their gift of time makes to the experience of hospice care where they live. We need to celebrate this as well as encourage even more people to join the volunteer team in their local hospice”.
With Hospice Care Week focusing on ‘We are hospice care’, we want to highlight the importance of our volunteers who are a fundamental cornerstone to the services we provide.
Over 2,250 volunteers donate their time to the independent hospices across the North East and North Cumbria. Hospices across the North East and North Cumbria rely on volunteer support. Dedicated volunteers donate their time to help across all areas of our services.
Despite this large number, independent hospices across the North East and North Cumbria need to recruit around 600 new volunteers over the next year, to meet service needs.
Rachel, a volunteer at Alice House, explains how she became involved with her local Hospice and why she loves volunteering.
“I first got involved with Alice House Hospice back in December 2015 when the swimming club I was part of decided to take part in the annual Santa Fun Run.
“I loved the experience so decided to register as a volunteer. Since registering I’ve helped at lots of events including bucket collections at Hartlepool United Football Club and helping at the Colour Run, amongst many others.
“It was a really simple process to register to volunteer, all I did was visit the Alice House website and completed an online application form. Once I’d submitted the form someone from the Hospice got in touch to chat about what I wanted to do.
“My favourite part about volunteering for Alice House is that whilst fundraising and supporting the events, it is like one big happy family, having fun whilst making a difference to people’s lives.”
Volunteering develops key skills such as communication, teamworking and organisation. You expand your network which could benefit your career. It’s something positive and worthwhile to put on your CV when applying for education or jobs, you can meet new friends, but most of all – you can make a difference.
We’re asking the general public to start their volunteering journey with their local hospice so they can continue to offer their specialist level care to local people who need it most.
If you would like to volunteer at Alice House Hospice please click the link below for more information and to register your interest: