Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice is celebrating this year’s Volunteers Week by highlighting the amazing work that our volunteers do and thanking them for their contribution to their local communities, the voluntary sector, and society as a whole.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual UK-wide campaign held from the first Monday in June to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers. Launched in 1984, this initiative has been running for over 40 years, providing organisations and communities a platform to thank current and past volunteers for their invaluable efforts. The campaign highlights the diversity and unity of volunteer work across the UK. In its 40th year, the campaign underwent a rebrand, introducing a vibrant identity to inspire continued engagement. Volunteers’ Week fosters connections between national organisations and grassroots groups, celebrating the spirit of volunteering that enriches communities each year.
Volunteering has always been central to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, it’s a hugely rewarding experience and one that enables volunteers to develop their knowledge and skills. Whether it’s just a few hours or a couple of days a week – volunteers really make a difference to the children and families they support. The charity’s Home Support Volunteer programme was established in 2008 to help families cope with the demands of providing constant care. Home Support Volunteers provide a range of practical and social support to the families of children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions. This ranges from helping siblings with their homework and playing games to simply being a spare pair of hands to help with household jobs. The charity is looking for Home Support Volunteers across all its catchment areas but especially in the Brent and Harrow areas. They would also be delighted to hear from volunteer hairdressers and individuals interested in gardening to offer these specific services to families in their homes. Becoming a Home Support Volunteer provides a rewarding opportunity to directly support children who are seriously unwell and their families in your local community.
Ashleigh Ace Barrett, aged 39, from Hemel Hempstead, has been a Home Volunteer Support at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice for nearly two years, she says: ‘The matching process at Noah’s Ark is incredible, all my matches have been a great fit personality-wise.’ Ashleigh considers volunteering to be an integral part of who she is, she explains: ‘Once you start volunteering, it gets a grip on you when you realise how it makes you feel and how you don’t want to be without that feeling.’ Ashleigh encourages anyone thinking about becoming a Home Support Volunteer to go for it. She says: ‘You can give as little or as much as you can. I have so much gratitude to be welcomed into these families’ lives and absolutely view it as a privilege that they open their door and let me spend time with their most precious thing – their child.’
Sophie Andrews OBE, CEO of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice said: ‘We are incredibly proud of our volunteers and the amazing work they do right across the charity from helping out in The Ark to working with families in their homes. What better time to celebrate our existing volunteers and tell potential new volunteers just how fulfilling and rewarding volunteering can be.’
More information on the roles and the application process can be found here – https://www.noahsarkhospice.org.uk/support-us/volunteering/. If you have any questions, please email – volunteering@noahsarkhospice.org.uk
