Posted on: 31 Mar 2017
The 1st to the 7th June marks national Volunteers’ Week and this year Nottingham Hospitals Charity is recognising the tireless efforts of our willing volunteers.
Over 70 committed volunteers give their own time to support the work we do to raise funds for Nottingham’s hospitals, attending a busy calendar of events, helping to ensure that each and every one runs as smoothly as possible. This is crucially important as they help the Charity maximise our presence, donor support and fundraising capital.
A longstanding volunteer at the Charity, you might think that Hannah Curr (32) wouldn’t have time to fit volunteering into her busy schedule, but working full-time for Hillary’s does not stop her from finding the time to support Nottingham Hospitals Charity. During the last 2 years, Hannah has been one of the Charity’s most long standing and reliable event volunteers – lending a hand at everything ranging from collecting donations to marshalling at the Robin Hood Marathon – Hannah has rolled her sleeves proving that there is a voluntary role to suit everyone’s schedule!
Hannah says, “I wanted to volunteer because I was so grateful for all that the hospitals had done for me. I especially enjoy being an events volunteer because of the range of opportunities available at Nottingham Hospitals Charity. Volunteering is great fun and I can highly recommend joining!”
By utilising existing strengths, another Charity volunteer Carmen Moore (59) proves that there is no substitute for experience. At a time when most people might be ready to put their feet up and relax, retirement couldn’t be further from Carmen’s mind, as she is busier than ever dedicating her time to help others! Carmen volunteers every week, carrying out administration tasks including mailings.
Carmen says, “I wanted to do more to support children and help a charity. I like to keep busy and volunteering is a great way to use my time. The staff at Nottingham Hospitals Charity are very friendly and I enjoy learning new skills.”
One of the Charity’s Fundraisers, Sian Griffith, says, “We love having Carmen as part of our team! Her friendly personality provides us with so much joy on a Friday afternoon. Carmen is always willing to take on admin tasks that we need help with, which means that we are able to raise more money for patient care in Nottingham’s hospitals.”
Young people often find themselves stereotyped, but Adil Mehmood, the Charity’s youngest volunteer at 18, is proving that young people have a lot to give their communities and are motivated to make a positive impact on society.
Since March 2017 Adil Mehmood has been volunteering in the Nottingham Hospitals Charity office on a weekly basis, offering support to the finance team.
Adil says, “Volunteering at the Nottingham Hospitals Charity is extremely interesting and challenging. It is giving me an insight into how working life is at a young age. I am able to gain key skills and the experience needed to study Economics at university.”
Nottingham Hospitals Charity is keen to develop their volunteering programme further. Based in the heart of Nottingham it aims to provide volunteering opportunities within a diverse range of areas, spanning from Neonatal care in the early stages of life, to Hayward House for end of life care.
This means that there is a breadth of opportunities for people and timings ranging from a couple of hours to a whole day. The Charity’s volunteers coordinator Lucy Fisher who is working hard to develop voluntary activity, says: “We are keen to embed volunteering into our work, reaching out to different parts of the community and helping others to benefit from volunteering.” With help from Nottingham HospitalsTrust Voluntary Services team the Charity is doing just that.
The Charity is keen to extend the current number of volunteers who attend events, as well as more specifically recruiting volunteers to support fundraising administration, marketing and communications, organising local events and promoting the Charity delivering presentations.
If you would like to find out more about volunteering for Nottingham Hospitals Charity and feel that you or your business have something to offer the team as a volunteer, we would love to hear from you.