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Sue Ryder Care harness volunteer power for MADD (Make a Difference Day)

24 October 2008

In the run up to CSV (Community Service Volunteers)’s Make a Difference Day, Sue Ryder Care is appealing for people in Devon to volunteer and help the healthcare charity continue to make a real difference to the thousands of people it cares for each year. 

People can choose from an array of volunteering opportunities at Sue Ryder Care and, as well as supporting the charity, gain invaluable professional experience and develop skills needed to thrive in a work environment.

Tracey Mealing, Sue Ryder Care’s Head of Volunteering, said, “Many people curious about volunteering sometimes feel anxious as they are not always sure what they will be asked to do or what to expect.  At Sue Ryder Care we recognise that volunteering needs to be a mutually beneficial activity and we endeavour to match volunteers’ interests, skills and aspirations to volunteering roles.

“People have different needs and may decide to approach volunteering as a means to gain work experience to help boost their CVs, as a gentle way back into the employment world or simply to help people and enlarge their circle of friends.  Whatever your reasons for volunteering are, we can help you satisfy them.”

Tracey added, “By volunteering and taking on a job to support the charity, it means Sue Ryder Care can focus on delivering vital hospice, neurological and community-based care services to more people living with conditions including multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, acquired brain injury and cancer.”

Volunteering opportunities at Sue Ryder Care include helping out in any of Sue Ryder Care’s 370 shops, 14 care centres and 17 fundraising teams nationwide.  The array of volunteering roles include all aspects of running a busy retail outlet from serving customers, operating the till and sorting through donated items to creating stunning window displays; supporting healthcare teams by driving residents to doctor appointments, dental visits and outdoor trips; gardeners who can help start a vegetable plot or herb garden; help with fundraising administration duties or the running of events.  A flexible role, a person interested in volunteering can choose when and how much time they can commit.        

Sue Brown, a volunteer at the Sue Ryder Care Wheatfields hospice, said, “Having worked in the corporate world for over 20 years in large blue chip organisations, I decided there was more to life and I wanted to “give back”. So, I left full time employment and now I give my time free of charge to charities. It is a win-win situation as I am still able to utilise my business skills and I have created a wider network of business people across diverse areas. Volunteering is great and so rewarding”.

The charity has introduced Long Service Awards to reward volunteers for their support and remind them how much they are valued.  And, on this year’s MADD on 25 October all volunteers at Sue Ryder Care will receive a thank you card for their support. 

The charity has also launched a Volunteering Policy which has standardised the induction of volunteers and ensures their skills are put to the most appropriate use.

Volunteering Fact Box:
• Sue Ryder Care currently has 5600 volunteers
• A volunteer who does a four hour shift at a Sue Ryder Care shop every week for a year will save the charity £1248 in a minimum wage equivalent
• Volunteer worker Lilian Counsell, of Penwortham, received an MBE in March by order of the Queen for her services to the community of Lancashire through voluntary and charity work. Lilian has been a volunteer for the Sue Ryder Care Centre at Cuerden Hall at Bamber Bridge for many years.  As part of her fund raising activities she, along with a number of other ladies, dress up in army uniform as Land girls and perform ‘Hits from the Blitz’ at various functions and care establishments on a regular basis throughout Lancashire.

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