“There’s something for everyone!” Joyce Allaf talks about volunteering with Pilgrims
When Joyce Allaf retired from primary school teaching she knew she wanted to keep making a difference. Here, Joyce explains how she uses her professional experience and hands-on skills as a Pilgrims volunteer in Ashford.
“When I retired I wanted to do something that gave me a sense of purpose – to fill the gap of leaving teaching and to save myself from daytime TV.
“I had known about Pilgrims Hospices for a long time as my friend worked for them, so I decided to become a volunteer and applied through the website,” explains Joyce.
A few weeks later, Joyce was signed up to Pilgrims’ induction programme and since that day in March 2016 she hasn’t looked back.
“The things I do are really varied and it’s very satisfying. Not long after I became a volunteer, I was asked if I could help with the Volunteers’ Induction Training. For the past year, I’ve been introducing new volunteers to Pilgrims. My teaching experience has come in really good use!”
As well as helping new volunteers find their feet, Joyce is also a Pilgrims Ambassador. She regularly visits businesses, clubs and societies to meet people who have fundraised and thank them for their support. Joyce uses this as another opportunity to spread the word about what Pilgrims does for people with life-limiting illnesses in the community, as well as the hospices.
“Everyone I talk to about Pilgrims is amazed at what the charity does. It’s a real eye-opener for the fundraisers I meet as an Ambassador and the new volunteers I meet.”
I’m called upon lots and get all sorts of opportunities… I think it’s a great place to volunteer because there’s such a variety of things you can do, there’s something for everyone.
Joyce Allaf, Pilgrims’ Volunteer
“Before I joined as a volunteer I thought people went to Pilgrims to die. That view has changed absolutely loads. The fact there are 350 or more people being cared for in different ways in the community is incredible. I didn’t know any of that when I first joined.”
Joyce says she finds it hard to say ‘no’ when asked to lend a hand and also gets involved in Pilgrims different fundraising events. Most recently, she helped to wrap 3,500 slices of cake for the Cycle Challenge feeding stations.
“I’m called upon lots and get all sorts of opportunities. It sounds like I do a lot, but I only volunteer for a few hours a week and those few hours can go a long way.”
Joyce says that she’d encourage anyone thinking about becoming a Pilgrims volunteer to give it a go. Over the past two years, she has made new friends, been to new places and learned plenty of new things.
“I think it’s a great place to volunteer because there’s such a variety of things you can do, there’s something for everyone. There are hairdressers, receptionists, beauticians, gardeners. What’s great is that everyone is equally valued, no matter what they’re doing.”
It’s #VolunteersWeek 1-7 June 2018 and during the next seven days, we’ll be celebrating the incredible things our volunteers do by sharing their stories.
A special ‘thank you’ to Joyce and all those who volunteer to help others. If you’re interested in becoming a Pilgrims’ Volunteer, visit our Volunteers’ page to find out more.
Paul: “Volunteering has transformed my life”
Paul Anthony Hope has lived with bipolar for most of his adult life, having first been diagnosed at 26 years-old. In May 2017 he became a volunteer at the Pilgrims Hospices shop in Hythe. Here, Paul shares how volunteering has helped him turn his life around and live well with bipolar.
I’ve had bipolar since I was 26; it’s caused when a chemical in the brain becomes unbalanced. It can be disastrous.
Self-management is really important in dealing with bipolar; that means being able to look after yourself, working with the right people and having the confidence to keep going. I’ve always had people-focused jobs. I wanted to try and improve some of my skills like reading, writing and maths, as well as working on a till and with customers. So when Pilgrims Hospices opened a new shop in Hythe last year, it was a real calling for me for get involved. As I came in at the very beginning it meant I could learn how everything worked; once you’ve got that confidence, and with the help of the retail managers and the other volunteers, you can grow and grow. It’s transformed my life.
It’s such a good cause; volunteering for Pilgrims has improved my wellbeing and helped me with my bipolar as well because it’s given me something to focus on. It’s transformed my life.
Paul
A long, long time ago my grandfather’s chair was donated to the hospice at Canterbury. It’s such a good cause; volunteering for Pilgrims has improved my wellbeing and helped me with my bipolar as well because it’s given me something to focus on, something to get out of bed for. I’ve met lots of new people, too.
I’d recommend volunteering for Pilgrims because they’re a caring organisation; they listen to people and will give you the support you need to become a confident volunteer. A lot of good work goes on within Pilgrims Hospices that you can’t see. In Pilgrims shops, that comes down to the volunteers and the managers Louise, Frances and Tim. It’s not just one person, it’s a whole group of people who keep the cog turning. We are all part of one cog.
Every member of the Pilgrims team is there to support you to be the best volunteer you can be.
Paul
It doesn’t matter whether you’re bipolar, or a widower, or whether you’re married with a family – every member of the Pilgrims team is there to support you to be the best volunteer you can be.
Tell us your volunteer story on social media by using the hashtags #PilgrimsLife and #VolunteerVoices.
Volunteers’ Week is a chance to say thank you for the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK. It takes place 1-7 June every year and is an opportunity to celebrate volunteering in all its diversity.
2nd June 2018
The perfect path: From high-flying consultant to Pilgrims’ volunteer
Volunteering with Pilgrims is a far cry from a jet-setting career in a global consultancy, but when John Mabberley retired from the corporate world in 2017, it was a natural next step.
“Working with people to help them achieve more through a greater belief in themselves has always been a passion,” explains John.
“My career began in a privately-owned bank and over time I realised that helping rich people to make more money wasn’t a great motivation. It was then that I discovered I had a talent for developing people, and it was something I enjoyed.”
John rose through the ranks to become head of human resources, a position that gave him the chance to establish a culture of learning and development in the bank. It was the perfect grounding for his next career move…
“I had an exit plan with the bank and when that moment came I met up with a former associate – a failed actor. He’d been to drama school and had lots of skills, a blossoming training business, a great client list but there was only him.”
Not long after, John was helping him to grow the business and flying around the world to help executives improve their presentation and communication skills.
“I worked with people who needed to explain, and sell their ideas to others but struggled,” explains John. “They were technically brilliant at what they did day-to-day, but when it came to communicating their brilliance to more senior people or clients it was very difficult for them. Those skills are vital if you want get your idea off the ground or get funding.
“I loved what I did. When I retired in 2017 I found myself asking; “what am I going to do now? I can’t play golf and garden every day!’”
John had known of Pilgrims Hospices for many years, but it wasn’t until he listened to a presentation from a Pilgrims Ambassador that he spotted an opportunity.
“My wife was the lady captain of the local golf club and Pilgrims was their charity of the year. A lovely person came to accept the cheque and did a thank you presentation to us all. What a remarkable organisation!”
It was then the light bulb went off. “It was a good presentation, but I knew it could be even better. I instantly thought ‘what a great opportunity this is!’”
John got in touch with Pilgrims’ volunteer manager Jeff Southon and struck up a conversation. A few weeks later, he was talking to Pilgrims’ CEO Cate Russell. After discussing some initial ideas, he was on his way to planning a pilot training programme to deliver to some of Pilgrims’ senior managers. This then developed into some 1:1 coaching, as well as a programme for clinical staff and fundraising ambassadors.
“Fortunately people understood and appreciated what I was giving them. One of my current tasks is working with senior staff who are the patient advocate at multi-disciplinary meetings. It’s about helping them to find their voice, and helping them to understand how they can ensure that what they say has the impact they want.”
John says he is surprised how quickly his training ideas have taken off and he’s looking forward to what the future brings.
“I am humbled by what the staff do and feel quite a responsibility in providing what help I can. Most people at my time of life want less responsibility, but I’m getting something out of it too. Even though I’ve reached the end of my employable life it gives me a value and a purpose.
“The thought of having empty, blank days frightens me. All the time I feel I can make a difference, I’ll keep going for as long as I can. It’s good to know that other people feel they can benefit from what I do. It’s especially good to make a difference to those who make such a difference!”
You will be gobsmacked by Pilgrims – what an extraordinary organisation! We think of it as a wonderful, caring and supportive place, which it is. But it’s also a business that has to be run along business lines. I’ve been very impressed and reassured by how well run Pilgrims is. They should not just be recognised for what they do, but how they do it. That’s the bit most people don’t see and I’d like people to be more aware of that.
John Mabberley, Pilgrims’ volunteer
It’s #VolunteersWeek 1-7 June 2018 and during the next seven days, we’ll be celebrating the incredible things our volunteers do by sharing their stories.
A special ‘thank you’ to John and all those who volunteer to help others. If you’re interested in becoming a Pilgrims’ Volunteer, visit our Volunteers’ page to find out more.
1st June 2018
Making the biggest difference: A personal message to Pilgrims’ volunteers
Volunteers’ Week 2018 begins today (1 June) and Cate Russell, Chief Executive of Pilgrims Hospices, is marking the occasion with a special ‘thank you’ message to all of Pilgrims’ fantastic volunteers.
Dear Pilgrims Volunteer,
A great deal has been happening at Pilgrims Hospices this past year and I am excited to mark Volunteers’ Week 2018 by recognising all that you do.
The theme this year is ‘diversity’ and this is best reflected by the wide variety of tasks and activities you undertake to support Pilgrims’ mission.
You bring in revenue; we won the Retailer of the Year award this year – a wonderful recognition of all the hard work that goes on out there.
You support our events and what a busy agenda we have this year with major fundraising going on across all sites!
You tend to and care for our hospices, therapy centres and gardens.
You run our receptions, work in the Therapy Centres and now we are building specialist roles with volunteers who complement our business teams.
Not only do you get stuck in to your hands-on roles, you are also there to talk with and listen to patients and their families, often over a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
You connect with people in the community as well as the hospices by what we do and you often do this without realising how important it is.
And so much more!
We are one of the biggest adult Hospice groups in the UK and we can only offer the level of service that we do because of your efforts.
Our vision is to have a community where people with a terminal illness and their family and friends, are supported and empowered to live well in mind and body until the very last moment of their life.
Cate Russell
I’d like to take this opportunity to not only publicly recognise the amazing things you do, but to update you on how Pilgrims is moving forwards to make an even bigger difference to people at the end of their lives, their families and friends.
Looking ahead
Currently, we care for around 2500 patients a year and the average time from referral to death is often less than 10 weeks. For some patients it can be just a matter of days. The average length of stay for a patient with us in the final phase is around six days.
The earlier patients are referred to us, the sooner we can make a difference to their lives, and those of their family and friends – in the community and not only in our hospices.
One of the challenges we face is that, although we know we deliver an excellent service, many healthcare professionals are unaware of our full service capability. Families often aren’t referred because there is a lack of understanding as to how to identify people in the final phase of life.
So what can we do about this and how can you make an even bigger difference?
We have just completed a review of our role in supporting families in east Kent who are at the end of their life. It was a timely exercise as our NHS and Social Care partners were doing the same.
We consulted with stakeholders and had discussions with our NHS commissioners, GPs, district nurses, other care providers such as Marie Curie and Crossroads and people within the acute services East Kent University Foundation Trust (EKUFT).
We have also taken feedback from service users and held workshops to understand the views and ideas of our internal experts.
The good news is that we are all looking to work in a more integrated way! We can now see a real opportunity for Pilgrims to move beyond the walls of our institution and lead the way in ensuring that people in their final phase of life can access good quality services and support much sooner.
We now want to go beyond the actual delivery of care and reach out to influence and empower others within the community. This means we have to create the resource, time and tools to train and develop the skills of others, whilst continuing to care for people whose needs cannot be met elsewhere.
One of our key goals is to encourage people with an incurable illness to come and talk to us sooner. We want people to live well in the last year of their life, and for their families to be part of that too.
Cate Russell
Of course, we cannot do this alone and our work with the social care and health community will continue. But we want everyone to have a much more active role in improving the end of life experience, inside and outside our hospices.
This is where you, as a valued volunteer, can help.
Sharing Pilgrims’ vision
We want to create an open culture around the whole subject of the final phase of life, so more families can have more insight and make more informed choices.
By finding new funding revenues and sharing greater knowledge, we will work to empower people, helping them to take control of this final phase in their lives much sooner.
We will be developing new roles for volunteers in the future too. But you don’t have to take on a new role to help our vision become reality. We recognise that you are already a powerful voice for Pilgrims in your community, so we ask that you continue doing what you’re best at – raising awareness and talking to others.
For example, you can point someone in the direction of our new website to find additional resources and contacts.
Or you can mention that every month we care for more than 850 people in the community after their prognosis.
You can talk about our education and research teams who are leading the way in end of life care and our work to help the bereaved.
Or you could mention that we help people to live well by providing therapy and physio services they can access when the time is right for them.
We hope that simple conversations will lead to earlier referrals, and, as we know, that can make a huge difference to someone in their last year of life.
And that’s exactly why we do what we do for Pilgrims – to make a positive difference to others.
Tell us your volunteer story on social media by using the hashtags #PilgrimsLife and #VolunteerVoices.
Volunteers’ Week is a chance to say thank you for the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK. It takes place 1-7 June every year and is an opportunity to celebrate volunteering in all its diversity.
It’s #VolunteersWeek 1-7 June 2018 and during the next seven days, we’ll be celebrating the incredible things our volunteers do by sharing their stories.
