Sue - Retail Volunteer

What is your volunteer role at Farleigh Hospice?

I’ve been volunteering on Monday afternoons at the Gloucester Avenue store in Chelmsford for about eight years. I work with two lovely ladies at the back of the store sorting all the donations. We go through them to check that they are clean and ready to sell. If some things are a bit grubby, we give them a wash. If it’s a game, we check to make sure all the pieces are there. Then we put a ‘checked’ sticker on it and either store it or pop it on the shelves.

Because I've been there for quite some time, I know what price to put on most things but we do discuss it between us. If we think a donation could be valuable, we'll always ask the manager to check – sometimes it’s worth quite a lot of money.

Unfortunately, we have to throw quite a few things away - do you know it costs Farleigh Hospice £36,000 every year to dispose of unsaleable donations?

Why do you volunteer here at Farleigh?

My Mum had cancer and passed away eight years ago. She received such good care from the nurses that came in to see her, that it left me feeling that I wanted to give something back to the community - so I decided to support Farleigh Hospice.

I went into the Gloucester Avenue store and made them aware that I was available to volunteer. I didn’t have to wait very long before I started and I’ve been there ever since.

What training and support are you given to help you in the volunteer role?

The other volunteers showed me how to do my role because they had been helping at the shop for a long time. Obviously, the manager is there to answer any questions I have.

You also get training on Gift Aid. If people are paying tax, then we can get 25% extra on the value of their donations from the government, so I have to be aware of how that works. It’s all done on the computer now – you put in the information and it prints out the Gift Aid sticker to put on the item.

What do you enjoy most about volunteering?

I know that I’m helping the people that Farleigh cares for. I went to an open day at Farleigh’s hospice building in Broomfield a couple of years ago and was given a certificate by the Chief Executive for volunteering for five years. When I left that day, I really, really felt that I had made a difference.

I also enjoy the role because of the people that I work with. On Monday, I know I'm going in to see my lovely ladies and also the managers who are lovely too. We all get on really well and have a laugh so it's just a nice afternoon. I've got to know them very well over the years. We have lots in common and we are firm friends now. We see each other outside of Farleigh too for lunches and little day trips.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming a volunteer?

I would say to give it a go as you will definitely be helping Farleigh Hospice. If you're just sorting out donations that are coming into the shop, you might think ‘I'm not really doing much so am I actually making a difference?’ but you are. The money that the shop is earning goes directly to Farleigh Hospice, which then goes to the care of people with life-limiting illnesses. Without the volunteers helping at the shops, where would that money come from?

If you go to one of Farleigh’s open days, you see what happens there and you know that you really are making a big difference to somebody's end of life care. You never know whether one of your relatives is going to need the hospice – without Farleigh, what would they do?

How else are you raising money for Farleigh Hospice?

I am holding an art exhibition at the gallery at Farleigh’s building, starting on 12th. December. I work with wax on glass. It’s quite pretty and unusual – mostly abstract flowers. I was into art when I was at school, then I taught myself how to do this technique about twenty years ago. I’ve exhibited art and sold my work in and around Essex for over two decades and my pictures are currently in a gallery and shop in Chelmsford.

I think this is the third exhibition that I’ve done at the hospice. All of the art is for sale with 25% going to Farleigh.

How do I find out more about becoming a volunteer?

For more information on any of our volunteer roles, or to find out more about volunteering with Farleigh Hospice, please contact our Volunteering Team on 01245 933735 or email us at volunteer@farleighhospice.org