Volunteers Week 2025: Simon’s Blog
As National Volunteers Week comes to a close, we’re sharing this special thank you message from Simon, our Voluntary Services Manager.
Our volunteers
Volunteers have been part of St Joseph’s since its inception in 1905. Our first volunteers were of course the Five Sisters who came to Hackney with their compassion and care to those who needed it. Over the years, the faces, the names and the ways that they have supported the Hospice may have changed, but the care, compassion and support haven’t.
Our volunteers have come in all shapes and forms, there have been black cabbies driving patients to their appointments to and from the Hospice and then there have been those in our early days who volunteered in our laundry to make sure that our patients had regular access to clean linen. When the sisters first came to Hackney, they visited people in their homes and this theme continues in some of our roles at the Hospice now, with our community projects such as Compassionate Neighbours, or Dementia Wellbeing East London or the Carers Service.
The Hospice has survived two world wars, two pandemics and many changes and our volunteers have played a huge part in those things, to me, they are the golden thread that runs throughout the Hospice. The one thing they’ve always had in common – and still do, is the desire to help and support those that are reaching the end of their life, or have a long-term condition that requires care.
If you’ve been reading our blogs this week on some of our volunteers hopefully, you’ll understand why people volunteer for us and what they gain from the experience. That the gift that each and every one of our volunteers gives to the Hospice, its patients, their families and to staff is the gift of their time, perhaps their most precious of gifts.
National Volunteers Week is an opportunity to remember those who have supported the Hospice and it’s communities in the past. Whilst thanking those supporting us today in so many different ways, sharing their own gifts.
To each and every one of you…thank you.
Simon Bennett
Voluntary Services Manager
How can I volunteer?
It’s National Volunteers’ Week this week (2nd-8th June), so what a great time to start thinking about volunteering! There are so many ways that you can support St Joseph’s Hospice.
If you’d like to find out more about volunteering with us, please call 020 8525 6032, email volunteering@stjh.org.uk or visit www.stjh.org.uk/volunteer for more information.
