Dorcas Hopley, one of our long standing volunteers, has recently died. Dorcas was a volunteer for around 10 years, doing lots of fundraising and helping in the Heald Green Coffee Shop. She also worked in catering for around five years in the 90s.
She stopped volunteering with us a while ago due to ill health, but her contribution over the years has been amazing.
We’re holding a series of charity collections throughout Carers Week (between 9 and 15 June) in the Trafford Centre and Manchester City Centre, and we’re looking for help from people who might be able to volunteer their time to help us raise as much money as possible.
At St Ann’s we’re proud to support not just the patients who come to our hospice sites or are visited by our teams in the community, but also their carers and loved ones too. That’s why we wanted to run these collections during Carers Week, to try and raise as much money as possible to help us to continue providing that invaluable support at such a difficult time.
We’d love as many local people as possible to join us, even just for an hour or two, to help raise vital funds for that much-needed care. There are flexible slots throughout the days, and we can promise it will be lots of fun. Our mascot Stan will be coming along to join us, and there’ll be entertainment and props on the days too!
Please do let us know if you can help out – even for an hour or two – as your time really will make a huge difference to local patients, their carers and loved ones. We’d love you to join us!
Lucy leeming, Fundraising Manager
The collections will take place as follows:
For more information, or to talk to a member of the team about volunteering your time, please email fundraising@sah.org.uk or call 0161 498 3631.
Allan Beardsworth is a trustee and treasurer at St Ann’s.
Ever since I was a child I’ve always wanted to do good things. My earliest fundraising was when still at primary school. I was brought up that way. Throughout my working life I’ve always tried to surround myself with like-minded people who are benevolent. I attracted clients of that nature, and in my 30s and 40s I started to give some of my working time to various charity roles. I think that’s why it was inevitable that I would take on a trustee role at some point in my life.
As a chartered accountant and when I was a tax partner at Deloitte LLP, I had many clients who supported charities. I also advised many charities, and it was when I decided to retire from that position that I was approached by St Ann’s who asked if I would like to join their Board.
That was in 2015, and I now spend half my time working for my own clients, and half the time working for St Ann’s and two other important charities. It’s a great mix, and I thoroughly enjoy the balance it gives me.
Hospices are places that are close to my heart for a number of reasons. I’ve had personal experiences of hospice care with my own family – in fact the first time I ever met my wife’s father was in St Ann’s. My mother died in the loving care of St Rocco’s Hospice, Warrington, and I felt then, as I do now, that hospices give the kind of care that really wraps the whole family up in a supportive blanket.
Trustees have an important part to play in any charity. We need to be involved enough to be helpful and to provide guidance, and we need to act as ambassadors for the hospice. I think it’s really important for trustees to share what they have learnt outside of the hospice environment too – a balanced Board with a range of skills, experiences and backgrounds is vital in order to ensure that we can provide a diverse outlook.
There’s no typical day for a trustee. I often have several meetings in one day when I’m at St Ann’s. I like to arrive early and sit in the café area of the hospice to chat to patients, families, staff and volunteers as they come in and out. It’s really important to me to do this as I strongly believe that trustees need to remain in touch with the people who access the services of the organisation, as well as those who help to deliver them.
I attend fundraising events too, such as the Manchester Midnight Walk or the hospice Christmas Fairs. I’m not a fan of shopping normally, but there’s nothing better than seeing lots of people gathered together raising money for our cause. Our Light a Life Christmas services are intensely moving for what St Ann’s means to so many in Manchester, and a time for personal reflection of loved ones I have lost.
Another important part of my role is to network with other trustees from hospices across the country. Eamonn, our Chief Executive, and I have been lucky enough to visit several hospices in recent months and I’ve enjoyed meeting others and sharing knowledge and expertise. One of the great things about the hospice sector is that we don’t compete with each other – the will for hospices to share and support one another is something which really struck me when I joined St Ann’s, and it’s incredibly helpful to be able to learn from each other.
It’s actually a very exciting time to be involved in the hospice sector, particularly in Greater Manchester. The devolution of healthcare budgets here has meant that there are unique challenges for us to overcome, but there are many significant opportunities for us too. Trustees are perfectly placed to offer guidance and to help open doors for an organisation, and I do try to share my network of contacts wherever I can.
It can be very busy and very demanding being a trustee of a hospice, but it’s incredibly rewarding too. It’s actually a real privilege to be part of the St Ann’s community. It’s such a happy, positive place full of warmth and love, and it’s a real pleasure coming to work here. Being part of such a dynamic team is what drives me to keep being involved, and I’m excited about what the future will bring for St Ann’s.
We’re more than just a charity to our patients. Every single penny donated makes a huge difference to their lives.
We are urgently appealing for local people to sign up as volunteer drivers to help us transport patients to and from our Day Therapy sessions in Heald Green or Little Hulton. Drivers are also needed to help transport patients to and from outpatient appointments at our Neil Cliffe Centre site in Wythenshawe Hospital.
Drivers would be required to use their own car, but expenses would be paid.
Some of our patients are unable to make their own way to and from our Day Therapy sessions each week or to their outpatient appointments, which is why we’re appealing for support from local people.
We’d be looking for people who would be happy to pick up patients so they can come to the hospice at 10am, then who could pick them up from St Ann’s and take them home again at 3pm. There also other times available for those willing to volunteer to bring patients to our Neil Cliffe Centre in Wythenshawe Hospital for appointments. We’d love to hear from you if you have a couple of hours to spare.
Louise Fleming, Volunteer Manager
Our Day Therapy patients can access a range of services, including creative therapies, pain and symptom control, complementary therapies, counselling, relaxation and exercise.
Feedback from our patients is that the care they receive in our Day Therapy services makes a huge difference to their quality of life, whether that’s by helping them to control their pain or other symptoms, or by experiencing invaluable social interactions which make a real difference to their emotional wellbeing.
Our volunteer drivers help us fulfill this valuable service for our patients and help us to improve their wellbeing at a time they need it most. We’d be enormously grateful if local people could come forward and help.
Louise Fleming, Volunteer Manager
Jean Waring has stepped down after 32 years as a volunteer at St Ann’s although her days helping others may not yet be over.
Jean, aged 85, has reluctantly given up her role in the coffee shop at our Little Hulton hospice where she has worked once a week for the last 15 years.
She has left because she is moving home from Culcheth to live closer to her two sons, three grandchildren and two step-grandchildren in Goosnargh in the Ribble Valley.
Jean went with happy memories after fulfilling a variety of tasks at St Ann’s. Initially, she volunteered in the evenings on reception, in the ward office and as part of the bereavement support team.
Jean said: “I didn’t want any fuss and slipped a note under the door to let the volunteer co-ordinator know I was leaving and the hospice gave me a lovely farewell with a bouquet of flowers.
“St Ann’s is a wonderful place. When people come in they don’t know what to expect but the love and care is fantastic. I won’t be doing anything quickly when I move home, but I’ve noticed that a local hospital is asking for a volunteer to meet and greet people and that might suit me.”
Jean worked for Adam Lythgoe Ltd in Culcheth for 17 years as secretary/PA to the owner and then spent 12 years with Astley Hire as secretary/credit controller.
We need help in the coffee shops and more drivers to take patients to the hospice. For more details about volunteering contact Louise Fleming, Volunteer Manager at St Ann’s on 0161 498 3653, or email lfleming@sah.org.uk or you can register your interest online by clicking the button below.
We’re asking local people to consider donating just a few hours of their time each week to help shop staff raise vital funds to support local patients.
Our shops generate thousands of pounds worth of income every year for St Ann’s – income which enables us to continue to provide care to local patients with cancer and other life limiting illnesses.
We have 14 shops across Greater Manchester and they are really busy community hubs – so busy in fact that we really need some extra support from willing volunteers! The role of a charity shop volunteer has really changed in recent years, and we see people of all ages who come to us and really benefit from, and enjoy, the experience. It’s vital we recruit more volunteers so that we can continue to provide our services, and there’s such a wide range of roles for people to support us with we’re hoping there’s something that will appeal to everyone. We need help with everything from window displays and merchandising to serving customers, organising books and DVDs, and collecting and delivering furniture.
Amanda Brooks, Trading Company Manager
St Ann’s has to raise around £20,000 every day to keep the doors open, and we simply couldn’t do it without our army of loyal volunteers. We have people who support us for a variety of reasons, some are job seekers looking to build their CV, others are retired people who are looking for a new challenge, and we also work with students who are helping broaden their skillset too. We give full training and support, and we’d be keen to hear from anyone aged 16 and over who thinks they might be able to help out – even for a few hours a week. Every small contribution makes a huge difference to our patients.
Amanda Brooks, Trading Company Manager
If you’re interested in volunteering in our shops you can contact Louise Fleming, Volunteer Manager at St Ann’s on 0161 498 3653 or register online by clicking below.
This week is Volunteers’ Week 2018! We like to tell our volunteers how much we appreciate them all year round, but this week, as it’s Volunteers’ Week, we wanted to say a special thank you to each and every person who gives their time so generously.
We simply couldn’t run the hospice without our volunteers. Whether you spend a couple of hours a week or a couple of days volunteering, every single bit of support makes a difference to our patients and their families.
We made a short film to thank all our fantastic volunteers, you can watch it here.
We have had an array of activities taking place this week including thank you events in day care and there have been lots of treats for volunteers to enjoy. All volunteers were able to get a complimentary hot drink and cake from the hospice coffee shops and there have been sweet boxes with comments that patients and families have said about volunteers.
We also had a ‘Twitter Takeover’ from some of our shop volunteers, who provided the Twitter community with an inside look at their volunteering roles for a full day featuring all the varied tasks that they do. You can see the Tweets below or go to our Twitter page:
Today we have some fabulous volunteers from our charity shop in #Romiley who are going to be taking over our Twitter feed for the day sharing what they do on a regular day! If you have any questions feel free to Tweet them! #VolunteerTwitterTakeover
Sheila – First thing I do when I get in is put the kettle on & make sure everyone has a brew! #VolunteerTwitterTakeover
Jackie & Sheila – At the start of the day we get the shop looking nice & tidy, ensuring that all the clothes are on hangers properly & sorted correctly. Even though it’s a charity shop, it’s important that it is welcoming for customers. #VolunteerTwitterTakeover #VolunteersWeek
Sue – I am usually on the tills as I’ve been trained up so I can serve customers & process payments. I enjoy it as I get to chat to customers! #VolunteerTwitterTakeover #VolunteersWeek
Alan – My favourite job is to steam the clothes we get donated so they look presentable in the shop. It’s so much easier than ironing! #VolunteerTwitterTakeover #VolunteersWeek
Sue – I often check our stock to see if any items would be more profitable to be sold on our eBay shop. I found this Delph cow jug which was selling for nearly £100 on eBay! You can visit our online shops here: http://ow.ly/PDRb30kmx7O #VolunteerTwitterTakeover #VolunteersWeek
Sheila – I help sort out any textile items that we’re not able to sell & we have a ‘rag man’ who comes once a week that buys them off us & we can even collect GiftAid on these items too! #VolunteerTwitterTakeover #VolunteersWeek
Jackie – I love chatting to customers & I enjoy helping them find things to compliment their outfit, such as accessories, like this fascinator I picked out for someone going to a wedding! #VolunteerTwitterTakeover #VolunteersWeek
Sue – People don’t realise that we also sell new goods, we’ve got lots of summer items in, including these great roller suitcases & some fab decorations! Come down & check them out! Find your nearest shop here: http://ow.ly/aRTh30kmzvw #VolunteerTwitterTakeover #VolunteersWeek
Sue, Jackie & Sheila – We’re going to be models in a Fashion Show on June 15 at @romileygolfclub so we’ve been choosing the outfits we’re going to wear on the catwalk! Get your tickets they’re only £6 with a drink! http://ow.ly/9Xhn30k0Arb #VolunteerTwitterTakeover #VolunteersWeek
Sue – If a customer decides they no longer want an item we do accept returns within 28 days & if they have a receipt. I can process these on the till & provide them with a refund #VolunteerTwitterTakeover #VolunteersWeek
Whether you have a couple of hours a week to spare or a couple of days, every single bit of support makes a difference to our patients and their families.
Our staff and volunteers are what make St Ann’s the amazing place it is. Our hospice trustees are also volunteers and ensure proper governance of our charity. They offer invaluable advice and expertise, and they each give significant amounts of time each year in support of St Ann’s. They are all from a variety of backgrounds and hold senior positions in their chosen field. Here we spend five minutes with Jackie, to find out why she became a trustee and what makes her tick.
What does your role as a trustee involve?
As Chair of the Board, I have a strategic role to play to help shape and represent the vision and purpose of the organisation. I’m also responsible for ensuring St Ann’s functions properly and we look after and safeguard our patients, carers, staff and volunteers to the absolute best of our ability
Why did you choose to become a trustee?
An absolute passion to ensure we provide the best care for as wide a population as possible in Greater Manchester
Why did you choose St Ann’s Hospice?
St Ann’s has an excellent reputation with considerable strategic vision, drive and ambition, great leadership, staff and a phenomenal team of volunteers
What’s the best thing about being a trustee for St Ann’s Hospice?
Meeting patient’s, their carers, volunteers and staff and hearing about the difference St Ann’s has made to their lives and those of the people we care for.
What’s the worst thing about it?
I wish I had more hours to the day to do even more
Tell us about your career
I’m a nurse by training who went onto study for a scientific PhD exploring how nerves speak to muscles. Since then I’ve been interested in healthcare innovation. I’m currently Director of Strategic Initiatives for our innovation teams in Manchester helping drive improvements in health and social care including hospice care, for our Greater Manchester residents.
Do you volunteer for any other charities?
Not at the moment, I want to devote my volunteering time and energies to St Ann’s
What do you get up to outside of work?
Anything outdoors – I crave fresh air – though I hate the rain!
What makes you happy?
Working and spending time with great colleagues and friends who are all pulling in the same direction and time with my partner Alex.
Sum yourself up in three words
Driven, ambitious, loving!
