#PilgrimsLife: ‘Volunteering was one of the best decisions in my life’
James Miller volunteers on the reception at Pilgrims Hospice in Ashford. Each day he meets the many families, patients, staff and volunteers who make the hospice such a special community.
My name is Jim. Some three years ago I was talking to a friend of mine about finding some sort of employment where I would be able to give something back.
I wanted to help others the way I’d been helped after becoming disabled with arthritis. My friend told me of Pilgrims Hospices where her father had been cared for. She told me that the hospice was a wonderful place that cared for not only the patients, but the families as well.
Every shift I have come in for I have seen how committed everyone at Pilgrims is.
Initially I was a bit apprehensive of the thought of working in a hospice but I decided to apply. I must say now that this decision was probably one of the best decisions I have made in my life.
I volunteer at Pilgrims Hospice Ashford and on each and every shift I have come in for I have seen how committed the staff at Pilgrims are. The care and support they, and the many volunteers, provide together is outstanding. This can be seen really clearly in the way both family and friends of patients who have stayed in the hospice respond following the death of a loved one by wanting to give back in return.
Every hour and every minute of volunteering for Pilgrims Hospices is hugely valued and goes a long way for the people needing our care.
Our volunteers play a part in every aspect of life in our hospices. They offer support, skills, kindness and care. They raise money, and can be a friendly face helping in our shops or working on our receptions. By generously giving their time, volunteers support our staff as they work to provide the outstanding levels of care for which we are well known.
If you’re already volunteering for Pilgrims, share your story with us on Twitter using the hashtag #PilgrimsLife.
Together we can make a difference for the thousands of people who depend on Pilgrims services across east Kent every day of the year.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution of the millions of people who volunteer in their communities across the UK. This year it’s taking place from 1-7 June.
5th June 2017
#PilgrimsLife: Colin shares his skills and knowledge
Meet Colin, who has a background in electrical and engineering work and now shares those skills for the good of the hospice.
Steve is one of thousands of Pilgrims volunteers who support every aspect of the charity’s work to make a difference for local families.
Hi, my name is Colin Page. I’m now classed as an OAP, but having come from an electrical and engineering background I find it hard to sit about doing nothing.
So around five years ago I visited the Ashford hospice with a bag of coins to donate to this worthy cause. While I was there I enquired about donating my skills as a handyman. After all, 63 years of experience that could benefit the hospice and all the wonderful people who work there while keeping me active seemed to be a good deal.
We are all working together for one vision – to meet patient’s needs.
So now I assist the hospice team and staff in practical areas where needed. I share my knowledge for the benefit of others as knowledge does not come cheap and the hospice is very dependent on donations.
Every little helps Pilgrims Hospices continue doing the wonderful work they do in caring for the people they look after. Volunteering is a great experience, with great people all working together for one vision – to meet patient’s needs.
Every hour and every minute of volunteering for Pilgrims Hospices is hugely valued and goes a long way for the people needing our care.
Our volunteers play a part in every aspect of life in our hospices. They offer support, skills, kindness and care. They raise money, and can be a friendly face helping in our shops or working on our receptions. By generously giving their time, volunteers support our staff as they work to provide the outstanding levels of care for which we are well known.
If you’re already volunteering for Pilgrims, share your story with us on Twitter using the hashtag #PilgrimsLife.
Together we can make a difference for the thousands of people who depend on Pilgrims services across east Kent every day of the year.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution of the millions of people who volunteer in their communities across the UK. This year it’s taking place from 1-7 June.
Estate Agent of the year hosts bottle donation stations
Over the coming weeks, Andrew & Co Estate Agent in the local area is supporting Pilgrims Hospices by hosting bottle donation stations.
Matt Skipper from Andrew & Co explained: “As a way of celebrating a recent award for our Cheriton branch as Estate Agent of the year, rather than crack out the champagne for ourselves, we have chosen to sponsor Pilgrims Hospices Summer Fair. At the same time we thought it would be a lovely idea to ask the public to join us by popping in to any of our branches in Ashford, Cheriton, New Romney or Charing and donating anything from Champagne to shampoo, wine to water to be taken to Pilgrims Hospice Ashford. These bottles will then be used as stock for a variety of stalls including their popular bottle tombola and bottle fishing stalls.
“We will accept bottle donations until the end of July so if you are passing just drop in.”
This is fantastic and such a lovely gesture.
Victoria Friar, Pilgrims Community Fundraising Manager said: “This is fantastic and such a lovely gesture from Matt and the team from Andrew & Co. The Summer Fair is a much loved feature on our calendar, raising thousands of pounds for Pilgrims care at the hospice, within the community and peoples own homes. We will putevery bottle collected and donated to very good use.”
Every year Pilgrims Hospice Ashford holds its amazing Summer Fair in the grounds of the hospice. This year the fair will be held on Saturday 5th August from 12pm until 4pm. Entry is free and there is something for all the family. As well as these popular stalls there are cake stalls, books, jigsaws, plants and many other items for sale. These are also all completely stocked by donations from the general public and last year helped to raise a record breaking £22,500.
For more information about how you can donate goods for the fair, please call the Ashford Fundraising office on 01233 504111 or email rachael.edmed@pilgrimshospices.org and don’t forget to book the date in your diary.
Pilgrims Hospices has three vintage shops in Canterbury, Folkestone and Tenterden that specialise in items from times past. They are run by a band of dedicated managers and volunteers, who are all interested in vintage items and motivated by a desire to support Pilgrims.
Pilgrims vintage shop volunteers are some of the thousands of volunteers who support every aspect of the charity’s work to make a difference for local families.
Here, they share their stories.
Maria, Canterbury vintage shop volunteer
Maria started volunteering in April 2017, so she’s the newest member of the team at the Canterbury shop. She is an MSc Marketing student at the University of Kent.
“I wanted to volunteer here because the shop gets so many unique items and it’s really well organised. I enjoy discovering new items; I personally shop here, too.
Everyone here is so friendly. Everyone should support causes like Pilgrims.”
Yumi, Canterbury vintage shop volunteer
I feel appreciated, and I enjoy seeing the range of people who visit our shop – for some people it’s a retro museum experience.
Yumi has been volunteering for a year. She has experience of a family member being cared for by Pilgrims, and her son volunteers at Pilgrims bookshop, Burgate Books.
“I wanted to volunteer because I had some spare time and I live nearby. It’s a good cause, and we sell nice things. I haven’t worked in retail before so that makes a nice change for me. I enjoy working with my colleagues, they’re nice people and we have a great manager. It’s nice to socialise.
I think other people should volunteer for Pilgrims because everyone can relate to end-of-life care.”
Amina, Folkestone vintage shop volunteer
Amina is a textile designer who has been volunteering for five months. She has also done care work in the past.
“I had some free time and didn’t just want to sit at home by myself. I wanted to get out and make a difference. I love the sense of community here. It’s great to meet people, talk to them and learn how they see things. I like hearing about the personal stories attached to their donated items.”
Jo, Canterbury vintage shop volunteer
Jo has been volunteering for two and a half years. She often chooses an ‘item of the week’ to showcase from her favourite recent donations to the shop.
Volunteering for Pilgrims makes you so appreciative. The people here are in it for the right reasons. We focus on the customer and there are great training opportunities.
“I’m into haberdashery, so that section of Pilgrims Canterbury vintage shop drew me in. I noticed they were advertising for volunteers, and as I’d taken early retirement and had some spare time I decided to apply. I really enjoy socialising and building close relationships with people; I missed that part of office work.
The people here are in it for the right reasons. We focus on the customer, there are great training opportunities and we have a supportive shop manager. It’s lovely to see repeat customers, too.
Volunteering for Pilgrims makes you so appreciative. It’s a nice way to be part of the community.”
Elizabeth, Folkestone vintage shop volunteer
Elizabeth has been volunteering at Pilgrims Folkestone shop for six and a half years.
“I’m retired so I wanted to do something. I love working on the till and meeting new people. It’s lovely, I’ve made lots of friends by volunteering.”
Anna, Tenterden vintage shop volunteer
“I volunteer for Pilgrims because my mother was cared for in the hospice. I feel appreciated, and I enjoy seeing the range of people who visit our shop – they love it because it’s like stepping back in time. For some people it’s a retro museum experience.
It’s easy to volunteer with Pilgrims. You’ll be appreciated and it’s for a very worthwhile cause.”
If you’d like to become a Pilgrims vintage shop volunteer, contact one of our shop managers:
Char (Canterbury) 07972 855204
Alison (Folkestone) 01303 2590378
Sarah (Tenterden) 01580 765462
Every hour and every minute of volunteering for Pilgrims Hospices is hugely valued and goes a long way for the people needing our care.
Our volunteers play a part in every aspect of life in our hospices. They offer support, skills, kindness and care. They raise money, and can be a friendly face helping in our shops or working on our receptions. By generously giving their time, volunteers support our staff as they work to provide the outstanding levels of care for which we are well known.
If you’re already volunteering for Pilgrims, share your story with us on Twitter using the hashtag #PilgrimsLife.
Together we can make a difference for the thousands of people who depend on Pilgrims services across east Kent every day of the year.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution of the millions of people who volunteer in their communities across the UK. This year it’s taking place from 1-7 June.
#PilgrimsLife: “Simple things can have a big impact”
Meet Steve Turner, who started volunteering to fill his time in between job hunting and hasn’t looked back since.
Steve is one of thousands of Pilgrims volunteers who support every aspect of the charity’s work to make a difference for local families.
Here, Steve shares his volunteering story.
About three years ago a lot of things happened in my life: redundancy, the end of being a full time carer, and permanently relocating back to Kent from London. I suddenly found I had lots of spare time to fill. Not one for sitting around, and knowing that job opportunities were few and far between, I decided I’d like to do something useful and rewarding with my time. Pilgrims was the first organisation that I came across that was looking for volunteers. I applied to offer my skills, time and experience, and, after undergoing the recruitment process, was welcomed on board.
Initially I did a lot of admin support work as part of the volunteer coordinator team. Nowadays, I mainly do shifts on reception at the Thanet hospice. I really enjoy being part of a dedicated team of volunteers who make a huge difference and contribute to the care of patients. The opportunity to support families in a variety of ways, and at a difficult time for them, is very rewarding. I find it’s the simple things – a smile, a kind word and making endless cups of tea – that can have a big impact.
It’s a privilege to be part of a remarkable team.
I always tell people that Pilgrims is a great place to come and volunteer. You get as much out of it as you put in. Yes, there is sadness and tears but there’s also fun and laughter. The genuine care and compassion shown to patients and their families by the medical and support staff, along with our huge band of volunteers, makes it a privilege to be part of a remarkable team.
Pilgrims has given me several opportunities to share my skills and experience, whether that’s on reception, in the office or at events. I’ve met and worked with so many nice people and made lots of new friends who would never had come into my life if I had not come to Pilgrims. Although I now have paid employment outside Pilgrims, I can’t imagine a time when I am not reporting for reception duties!
Every hour and every minute of volunteering for Pilgrims Hospices is hugely valued and goes a long way for the people needing our care.
Our volunteers play a part in every aspect of life in our hospices. They offer support, skills, kindness and care. They raise money, and can be a friendly face helping in our shops or working on our receptions. By generously giving their time, volunteers support our staff as they work to provide the outstanding levels of care for which we are well known.
If you’re already volunteering for Pilgrims, share your story with us on Twitter using the hashtag #PilgrimsLife.
Together we can make a difference for the thousands of people who depend on Pilgrims services across east Kent every day of the year.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution of the millions of people who volunteer in their communities across the UK. This year it’s taking place from 1-7 June.
#PilgrimsLife: Linda’s personal journey
Linda Stears came to give her time and skills at the hospice in order to give something back to a charity she felt had special meaning for her. Here she explains why she took that first step.
I came to the hospice due to the experience of a very dear friend. Many years ago my friend had breast cancer. She bravely fought this and recovered well. Wanting to give something back, she became a volunteer for the hospice, until sadly cancer returned. She was then referred to the hospice as a patient. She found this daunting at first, to be on the ‘other side of the fence’, but the loving and cheerful care she received added much to the quality of her life.
Together the staff and volunteers make the hospice a haven that often brings joy into the lives of people with life limiting illness.
When I found I had more free time myself, she told me there were vacancies for volunteer jobs at the hospice. I applied and became a volunteer two and a half years ago. I enjoy my volunteering and feel it is a privilege to be able to help people just a little at a distressing time. That is not to say the hospice is a constantly sad place – the staff and volunteers make it a haven that often brings joy into the lives of people with life limiting illness and their families.
My friend is no longer with us but she and her family received much support through the hospice. I am proud to be continuing my volunteering in her memory, and to support in a small way other families.
Every hour and every minute of volunteering for Pilgrims Hospices is hugely valued and goes a long way for the people needing our care.
Our volunteers play a part in every aspect of life in our hospices. They offer support, skills, kindness and care. They raise money, and can be a friendly face helping in our shops or working on our receptions. By generously giving their time, volunteers support our staff as they work to provide the outstanding levels of care for which we are well known.
If you’re already volunteering for Pilgrims, share your story with us on Twitter using the hashtag #PilgrimsLife.
Together we can make a difference for the thousands of people who depend on Pilgrims services across east Kent every day of the year.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution of the millions of people who volunteer in their communities across the UK. This year it’s taking place from 1-7 June.
