Why I volunteer: “Because of the amazing care my dad received”

I volunteer because the amazing nurses at Keech Hospice Care cared for my dad at the end of his life. My dad died in October 2013 and had been referred to the adult in-patient unit at the hospice. At first the thought of dad going into a hospice was terrifying, we did not know much about what hospices do and we were worried it was just somewhere people go to die. We could not have been more wrong.

Keech Hospice Care is a hospice full of life! It not only cares for adults in Luton and South Bedfordshire, but children in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes as well.

My dad was only at the hospice for a very short time but during that time he was so well cared for, and I have learned so much since about the wonderful work the charity does. I wish I had known before about all the services they offer for seriously ill people in our community so my dad could have accessed their excellent care for longer.

Around a month after dad died, I began volunteering at one of Keech Hospice Care’s charity shops. I have a very busy life because I also have three jobs working in my local supermarket, in another shop, and with special needs children, but I like to use the spare time that I do have to volunteer and give something back.

I love volunteering in the shop, I do it three times a week. I have made some great friends, we are like a little family, and I leave each time with the feeling that I have done something good for a fantastic charity that needs to raise around £5.7 million every year just to keep going. Keech Hospice Care depends on the community to raise 70 per cent of its funding, so I know the work I do volunteering in the shop is important.

The thing I like most is that we get fantastic customers coming in and you never know what donations you are going to get. I also see it as my social time, time for me to do something I love and give something back. It is a great thing to do, and if you have got the time, why not?

I find volunteering incredibly rewarding and am encouraging others to join me to help this amazing charity keep caring for adults and children with life-limiting illnesses, making the difference when it matters the most.

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