“I was looked after very well and my needs were met – without hesitation – even down to tea and toast made quietly and quickly by a member of staff.”St Ann’s Hospice patient All quotations and photographs are used with permission.

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Different ways to volunteer

Whether you could volunteer for St Ann’s Hospice for a few hours a week, a day or even more – there are so many different ways to help.

Ward duties

The ward duties do not involve and medical or nursing duties. There are four separate duties each day, which are 9am-11am, 2pm-4pm, 5pm-7pm and 7.30pm-9pm*. The duties mainly involve preparing and serving hot and cold drinks to the patients on the wards.

Coffee shop

The shop is located in the main reception area and provides hot/cold drinks, sandwiches and items of confectionary for visitors, staff and patients. An ability to handle money and work on your own is important although duties can be shared by two people if requested. The duty times are 10.30am-2pm, 2pm-4pm, 4pm-6pm and 6pm-8pm*.

Day care centre

The day care centre is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Volunteers act as hosts/hostesses to the day patients. The duty time is 9.30am-3.30pm*. An ability to work within a team structure is important.

Driving service

The service is for patients attending the Day Care Centre and some relatives visiting the Hospice. Drivers must be in possession of a valid driving licence, a MOT certificate (where appropriate) and comprehensive insurance cover.

Reception desk

This is situated in the main reception area. Duty times cover the evenings 5pm-7.15pm, 7.15pm-9pm Monday to Friday and weekends 9am-12, 12-2pm, 2pm-4pm and 4pm-8pm*. In general, the duties involve answering incoming telephone calls and dealing with any queries from visitors.

Flower arranging

Many flowers are donated to the Hospice. These are made-up into displays for the wards and other areas around the Hospice. Flower arranging skills are an advantage but not essential. The duty time is usually from 10am-12 but can be arranged to suit.

Bereavement support

The service provides one-to-one support within a social care setting. This will involve visiting people at the Hospice and in their own homes, as well as attending regular referral meetings. Recruitment is undertaken periodically so please ring 0161 498 3623 (recruitment line) for details.

Gardening

The gardeners look after the lawns and flowerbeds around the Hospice as well as carrying general tasks in the garden areas. Times are flexible.

Fundraising

If you are specifically interested in becoming a volunteer that supports the fundraising team, there are lots of varied opportunities that may suit your skills. From driving to photography to placing items on eBay, we hope there is something for everyone. If you would like more details, please visit the ‘become a fundraising volunteer‘ page.

Charity shops

We raise thousands of pounds from our charity shops each year, which is then put towards improving patient care at each of our hospice sites. This fundraising is made possible by the work and commitment of our shop volunteers. If you would like more details, please visit the ‘volunteer in one of our charity shops’ page.

Other opportunities

If you do not see a vacancy on this list that would suit your skills, experience and availability please call Louise Johnson, volunteer services officer on 0161 498 3653 who will be able to discuss alternative opportunities with you. These may include: work in one of our charity shops, fundraising, IT support, administration work, graphic design or maintenance.

* As we have two main hospice sites, duty times specified above may differ between them

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