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Hospice secures Investing in Volunteers accreditation for the second time

March 2021

Volunteering

Those dedicating their time to volunteering at a local charity can rest assured that their experience will be well supported after it received an accreditation honouring its commitment to its volunteers.

Prospect Hospice ,which offers free end of life care to those living in Swindon and north east Wiltshire, relies on around 850 volunteers to deliver its services and raise the £8million a year it takes to be able to offer all of its services at no charge to its patients and supporters.

It has now been awarded Investing in Volunteers status for the second time in recognition of the way they support those who give up their time to help the charity.

Su Starkey, head of volunteering, learning and inclusion at the charity, said: “Our volunteers are an integral part of the charity and we work hard to ensure each individual is given a full induction to their role, that the role is well suited to them and that they have the opportunity to feedback and help their role and the hospice develop.

“Investing in Volunteers status for us is incredibly important. It’s not easy to get we’re the only organisation in north Wiltshire to carry the accreditation. It demonstrates the commitment we make to each of our volunteers to ensure that their experience with us is a good one.

“As an organisation, we’ve made a commitment to ensuring that our volunteering opportunities are open to all so, regardless of your experience, your age, your race, gender or religion, if you’d like to volunteer with us, we’ll work with you to find something that suits both you and the hospice to ensure you get the most out of your time with us.”

Just under 60% of those who volunteer with Prospect Hospice do so in their shops located across the local area with others taking on roles helping at events, assisting administration staff and supporting patients.

All volunteers who join the hospice team undergo an induction process preparing them with anything they need to be able to carry out their role. All volunteers are given a dedicated person in the charity to report to so they can help guide them and offer any support they need and the volunteer services team will be in regular contact to make sure they’re happy and thriving in their role.

Volunteers are also kept up to date with developments at the hospice via a quarterly magazine and further information can also be found on a dedicated volunteer website. Those who have committed a large amount of time are also rewarded at the annual long service awards with other social events taking place throughout the year for all those who volunteer.

Due to the pandemic, the hospice isn’t currently seeking new volunteers as it is unable to take them through the full induction at this time, however, they are keeping in contact with those who would like to donate their time to the hospice in the future.

If you’re interested in finding out more about volunteering with Prospect Hospice click here, email the team via volunteering@prospect-hospice.net or call 01793 816193.

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