Long-Serving Volunteers Thanked at Annual Hospice Awards Ceremony

The annual Volunteer Long Service Awards was held at the hospice on Friday, 21st February to thank volunteers who have reached significant milestones for their continuing service and support.

Volunteers who have devoted five or more years (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 milestones), to helping at the hospice were invited to the ceremony, where they were celebrated for their time, hard work, and commitment over the years.

Bury Hospice is honoured to have more than 400 volunteers who dedicate their time and skills to supporting patients and their families in receiving the best possible palliative and end-of-life care and support.

The Long Service Awards is the hospice’s way of showing appreciation to our amazing volunteer supporters.

A total of 25 volunteers reached a milestone this year, with a combined total of 245 years between them. Each volunteer was awarded a certificate marking their milestone achievement, a special pin bag and a gift bag of treats.

Volunteers receive their awards

The awards ceremony was hosted by Volunteer Services Coordinator, Joanne Johnson, and was supported by Bury Hospice trustees and the bereavement team. It was followed by a lovely afternoon tea, created by Diane Fenton, Catering Manager at Bury Hospice, and the team in Café Retreat.

The amazing volunteers enjoy afternoon tea

We take every opportunity to celebrate our fantastic volunteers, whose hard work spans all hospice departments; from gardening to fundraising, administration to retail.

In 2024 our inspirational volunteers clocked up an amazing 47,443 hours of their precious time across all areas of the hospice.

These invaluable volunteer hours’ means monies can be diverted towards our palliative and end-of-life care services, in addition to providing staff training opportunities.

Last year: 147 patients were supported at our inpatient unit; 21 children and 15 adults were supported by the Sunflower Group (bereavement support for children aged 5-11), and there were 517 complementary treatment sessions, providing holistic, compassionate care.

Additionally: the Palliative Support Line received 68 calls; there were 179 Hospice at Night house sits, and 563 face-to-face counselling sessions were delivered.

Joanne, said: “It is important that we recognise the efforts and importance of the volunteers at Bury Hospice.”

“Our volunteers play a vital part in the smooth running of our services, and we couldn’t achieve a lot of what we do without their committed support. We are grateful for everything they have done and continue to do for the hospice.”