Do I need to have any particular skills to be a volunteer? Expand Some roles related to our care services do require a professional qualification or skill in a certain area - however for many roles, all that is needed is enthusiasm, respect for others and reliability.
How old do I have to be to volunteer? Expand Volunteers are welcomed from age 16 upwards to help in some areas such as shops, fundraising events and to help with administrative work. Volunteers who have contact with patients must be over 18. Drivers must be over 25. We also welcome applications from Duke of Edinburgh award students, and work experience placements from age 14 upwards, in some areas.
Is there a minimum amount of time I need to volunteer? Expand We try to be as flexible as possible and will talk to you to arrange the times you are available. For some roles the times are fixed and in these cases we would like a commitment to these. Our shop managers will be pleased to hear from you, even if you only have a couple of hours to spend a week.
Is there training available? Expand All of our volunteers receive induction training that has been designed for their specific role, including Health and Safety and basic Moving and Handling for everyone. For some roles involving patients and clients, volunteers will need further specialised training which is a mandatory part of the role.
What if I am on benefits? Expand The latest guidance from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations - NCVO is available here.
Will I need to attend an interview? Expand For retail opportunities, volunteers can go into one of our shops, or our distribution centre (warehouse) - the manager will offer you a taster session. If this is successful, you should be able to start very quickly. You will need to be able to provide us with references. For all of our roles an interview is essential as we sometimes have many people apply. If you have added other roles you are interested in and you are unsuccessful in your first choice we will try and match you to another suitable role.
You have been offered a voluntary role - what happens next? Expand We ask for references for all roles (except one-off Store Collections and Event Support) and also carry out a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check if your role requires it. You will then be trained on site at the shop/warehouse or invited to one of the Hospice Induction Sessions as appropriate. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.