Vital volunteers for Cynthia Spencer Hospice were celebrated for their invaluable efforts at a special event today to mark Volunteers Week (2nd-6th June 2025).

The Volunteers Afternoon of Appreciation took place at The Abbey Centre in East Hunsbury and saw the charity’s kind-hearted volunteers thanked for their hard work, with afternoon tea, close up magic and a quiz.

Both the fundraising and the hospice team took the time to personally show their gratitude to all of the guests, who between them help inside the hospice, work in the donation station and retail, support the administration team and help with collections and fundraising events.

The crowd were also given an update on the charity’s popular Make A Difference, Your Way campaign, which was launched last year to encourage more people in the local community to support the hospice in a way that best resonates with them.

One of the guests, Trevor Hardwell, has been volunteering for Cynthia Spencer Hospice since his wife, Ros, was cared for there before she died in 2017.

He said: “It brings me great satisfaction that I’m giving back to the hospice after all they gave to me and my wife. I feel like I’m repaying their kindness, support and care.”

For the past seven years the 74-year-old has volunteered as a driver, taking hospice patients to and from the Wellbeing Centre, three days each week, as well as donating time to the befriending service.

Trevor, who has also left a legacy to Cynthia Spencer Hospice in his Will, said: “I think people have the wrong idea about hospices. They think it’s somewhere that people go to die. It’s actually the complete opposite of that. It’s a joy to be there.

“The staff are kind and supportive and that reflects on to the patients. They still support me now and I couldn’t be more grateful to them. It’s wonderful.

“I cannot fault it in anyway, whatsoever. My wife filled out a survey about the hospice not long before she died and she used the word exemplary, which means near to perfection, to describe it. How could you not want to help a place like that?”

Fundraising assistant and volunteer coordinator Lauren Sheppard said: “Our volunteers really are the lifeblood of our charity. We couldn’t do our incredible work without their invaluable, unwavering and selfless support. For that reason, we wanted to show our appreciation as part of Volunteers Week and give our gratitude to all our volunteers for their dedication and hard work.

“I hope that more and more people in our community will consider giving their time to us, it really does make such an incredible difference. If anyone would like to volunteer, they can visit our website today and register their interest.”

Find out more at www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk/how-you-can-help-us/volunteer/