“I enjoy volunteering because it has enabled me to learn new skills as well as giving me a purpose and a routine in my week,” said Jo Morgan.
“From day one the St Elizabeth Hospice volunteers have all been willing to impart knowledge, explain and show me how to do things.
“While the whole team are patient with their time and encouraging as they teach us too. The shop just has a warm atmosphere, where lovely, friendly camaraderie is displayed.”
Jo is one of more than 1,500 volunteers who generously give their time to support St Elizabeth Hospice. These volunteers provide support in many ways, including working in one of its 31 retail shops, through to volunteering on the hospice inpatient unit and supporting the hospice administrative teams.
Since October 2019, she has volunteered at St Elizabeth Hospice’s Heath Road shop in Ipswich. In a role which sees her complete an array of tasks such as working on tills, sorting clothing and pricing items, while also getting to know the community and regular shoppers.
She added: “There are a lot of behind the scenes activities that make the shop what it is. The manageresses create fabulous displays and I’ve often had customers ask to be able to buy clothing from newly adorned mannequins!
“Time flies when you are busy and the rewards are many, whether it’s new associations, friendships, an enjoyed cup of tea or learning a new skill, volunteering in the shop is something I always look forward to.
“The ‘hard’ work makes you feel much is accomplished in a ‘shift’ especially when you see items being purchased that you have priced up and put out on the shop floor. Knowing the managers and the team value you and your contribution is rewarding and their thanks sheds light into how important volunteering is to keep the hospice viable to those in need.”
Every year more than 3,000 people living with a progressive or life-limiting illness, and their families, are supported throughout east Suffolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveney by the free specialist palliative care provision of St Elizabeth Hospice.
This care is provided by hospice staff who operate throughout the region but who are supported by a fantastic team of volunteers, like Jo, whose generosity enables St Elizabeth Hospice to continue evolving its services to care for more people in the local community.
Volunteering sees supporters donate any amount of time they are able to do so and as part of Jo’s role she normally volunteers two mornings a week.
Living in Ipswich and having known people cared for by St Elizabeth Hospice, she was aware of the importance of its care and was keen to ‘give something back’ to the independent Suffolk charity.
“No longer having school run commitments, meant my time was my own. I wanted to give something back to the hospice, knowing friends of friends who have been nursed at the hospice,” Jo explained.
“I have also taken part in the hospice’s Midnight Walk and felt great empathy for those placing messages on the tree at the hospice during our walking route. To see how people have been affected by loss and also the grief recovery, made me realise the extent to which the hospice has helped and provided unstintingly for so many, not just the patient. It really is a lifeline.
“To anyone dabbling with the idea of volunteering but who feels unsure and worried about not having relevant skill sets, I would say take that first step.
“Then, like me, you will be surprised in the most positive of ways, how supported you are in a caring environment and how quickly you will become accomplished and confident.
“After every shift I feel I have added in my small way to the cogs that keep the shop running, which ultimately means the hospice can continue to support families with loved ones who need its vital care.”
To learn more about volunteering opportunities at St Elizabeth Hospice email volunteer@stelizabethhospice.org.uk or visit www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/support-us/support-us/volunteer-for-us/.