A day in the life of Samuel

“In October 2023, I lost my mum to cancer. In the weeks before she passed away, she was in the care of Farleigh’s Inpatient Unit at the hospice in Broomfield.

I can’t thank the doctors, nurses and all of the staff enough for how well they looked after her, making her remaining time as comfortable and as pleasant as possible. She’s in my prayers every night.

Supporting the Witham Homeware shop

I started volunteering at Farleigh’s Witham homeware shop at the beginning of 2026 to give something back, so other families can get the same level of care and comfort for their loved ones.

I work two afternoons a week at the shop and also cover other days if needed, when I’m available. What I do each day varies, depending on if the store is busy or quiet, whether there’s a delivery coming in or if stock is going out of the shops.

My role includes moving furniture around the shop, hanging pictures, pricing stock and presenting items for sale. I also assist our customers by helping them to take heavy items to their cars.

Learning new skills and becoming part of the team

When I first started, I wanted to improve my communication and people skills. Now I enjoy working on the till – which I was
too afraid to do at first – and I have the confidence to engage in conversations with our customers. I always found that difficult before, but it comes easily now.
At the moment, I’m passing on my experience to a new shop volunteer. I’m helping her to learn the ropes and making sure she feels part of our friendly team.

I love volunteering at the Witham homeware shop. I particularly enjoy the social side, interacting with the people I work with and our lovely customers. It’s given me the belief in myself that I can be a valuable member of a team. I’m very grateful to my supportive managers and fellow volunteers for encouraging me out of my comfort zone and helping me to thrive.

Supporting Farleigh Hospice through fundraising

I’ve also been supporting Farleigh in other ways, including taking part in Walk for Life in May. (Sam is pictured with a baseball cap featuring photos of his mum).

It was tough walking 24  kilometres but it was so rewarding, knowing I’d completed it for a great cause in memory of my mum. So many nice friends and family, who knew and loved her, gave a donation and I want to thank everyone who helped me to raise nearly £600. I will do it again next year too.

I also jumped at the opportunity to help at the Sunflower Collection Day in Chelmsford city centre. I enjoyed every second and want to help at more of Farleigh’s fundraising events in the future.

I would encourage anyone thinking of volunteering for Farleigh to give it a try. It’s really rewarding to know you’re helping to make a difference. I hope my mum would be really proud of everything I’m doing to support this amazing charity.”