Our volunteers come from many different backgrounds and have many different reasons for supporting us. Each volunteer brings their own unique personality and set of skills to St Luke's, and in return, they all gain something different - whether that's friendship, experience, a new hobby or even a new qualification.
Volunteers' Week is an opportunity for us to celebrate of our volunteers - their stories, their achievements and their vital contributions to our charity. The videos below show some of the diverse volunteering roles we offer and stories from real volunteers, sharing their passion for what they do.
"What I could do for my mum, I wanted to do for everybody else."
When her mum was cared for on our In Patient Centre, Erica, a qualified hairdresser, would often use our hairdressing salon to do her mum's hair everyday to help her feel more like herself. Now Erica volunteers once a week to bring the same joy to other people being cared for by St Luke's.
"Volunteering is fantastic. It's really rewarding and fun."
Martin volunteers in our Creative Therapies room, helping patients use creative activities to clear their minds and focus on exploring new talents and making cards and gifts for friends and family.
"When you volunteer and see that people are struggling,
just by giving something back you gain so much."
Owen started volunteering in our Hospitality Team after seeing first hand the service and dedication that our team gave to his father who was on our In Patient Centre. He enjoys spending time talking to people and taking an interest in stories from our patients.