Over 100 volunteers celebrated for dedication to Bristol Hospice
The annual St Peter’s Hospice Long Service Awards this year honoured more volunteers than ever before, with awards for 31 years of service and over being handed out for the first time.
The heartwarming evening recognised 140 volunteers who have donated their time for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years. This year there were further awards handed out for even longer involvement, with the longest service award going to Pamela Wilson, who has helped support the Hospice for an incredible 43 years.
The awards took place at the BAWA Club in Filton, where recognition was given for the unique contributions each volunteer has made in giving up their time to help others in need. The Lord Mayor of Bristol Andrew Varney presented the awards and a combined total of 1,470 years of service was celebrated.
Russell Cowan, Head of Volunteer Resources at St Peter’s Hospice, said: “We are immensely grateful to our remarkable and hard-working volunteers who continue year in, year out to donate their time, skills and experience, both in our shops and at the Hospice.
“Our Long Service Awards recognise and acknowledge in a small way the huge impact volunteers make to our patients and their families across Bristol.
“This year our volunteers donated 150, 800 hours of time, the equivalent of £1.9 million. Volunteers give us 20% more workforce power meaning we can achieve so much more for the people we support.”
Among the volunteers awarded were those that spend time at the Hospice, clinical volunteers, Hospice Neighbours, psychological support volunteers, spiritual care, drivers, receptionists, gardeners and volunteers who keep the charity’s 44 retail shops across Bristol running.
One such volunteer was Sheila Williamson, 81, who has volunteered in the Kingswood shop for 38 years. Sheila said: “Having spent several years helping to organise an annual garden party on behalf of the Hospice, I jumped at the chance to help when the St Peter’s Hospice shop first opened in Kingswood. I had never worked in a shop before but I just thought ‘why not?’
“The shop was where the Clearance Shop is located now, so it was a small store and there were six of us running it. I really enjoyed meeting people and chatting to the customers. At one point myself, my mum and my daughter all volunteered there so it was a true family affair!
“It was really exciting when we moved to the bigger store in Kingswood and I’ve loved my time there over the years. We have wonderful volunteers and amazing customers, some of them come in every week.
“I had time out once for an operation but I went back on crutches as I didn’t want to keep away. Nowadays I don’t get out much but my volunteering gives me something to do. I recently had a hip operation and I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to continue but I will really miss it when I do leave.”
St Peter’s Hospice is Bristol’s only adult hospice. All services are provided free of charge for patients and their families and this care costs around £27,000 a day. In order to continue providing vital care for the people of Bristol, St Peter’s Hospice relies on donations from fundraising and money generated by the Hospice charity shops.
If you would like to become a volunteer like Sheila, you can contact Russell directly to find out about roles across the organisation by emailing volunteer@stpetershospice.org
