Meet Hugh, Kitchen Volunteer in our Courtyard Café

Hugh volunteers in the kitchen at our Courtyard Café, supporting the catering team and helping things run smoothly behind the scenes. Here, he shares what he does, why he chose to volunteer, and what he enjoys most about being part of Farleigh Hospice.

What is your volunteer role at Farleigh Hospice?

I volunteer in the kitchen at the Courtyard Café on Wednesdays from 9.30am to 2pm. I help with the washing up, stock control, taking items to the Inpatient Unit (IPU) and setting up tea trolleys for meetings.

There are four deliveries on Wednesdays so I also carry the boxes, unpack the food, check it and put it away. This frees up the catering team’s time so they can concentrate on their roles preparing and cooking the food.

I try to be helpful and do as much as I can. I am an organised and proactive person so I just get on with it.

Why do you volunteer here at Farleigh?

I used to work at the London Stock Exchange and for the Financial Conduct Authority. After I retired, I wanted to do some voluntary work, particularly at Christmas.

In December 2022 I approached the Council for Voluntary Service in Chelmsford and they showed me a few roles including one at Farleigh Hospice that I could do. In the end I went into Farleigh’s Moulsham Street store and asked who I should call. They gave me Michelle von Kimmelmann, Volunteer and Corporate Administration Manager’s number. I spoke to her and signed up to be a volunteer.

The kitchen job was available so I decided to give it a go and I have been volunteering here for a year now. It is a very nice and supportive team in the Courtyard Café and at Farleigh generally so I am happy to do this.

What training and support are you given?

There are forms to fill in when you start and you have a health and safety briefing. It was mostly on the job training. I work with three people in the kitchen and they have all been very helpful.

What do you enjoy most about volunteering?

Before I began volunteering I knew of Farleigh Hospice and its shops but I did not really know what Farleigh did. It is a fantastic cause to support and an amazing place to work.

I am happy to come in for one day a week and know that I am doing something useful. I enjoy the atmosphere and it is good to feel a part, however small, of an organisation like this and I get fed.

I have worked every single Wednesday this year. Last Christmas I helped at the staff lunches and volunteered on Christmas Day too. I really enjoyed helping my team to make it a special day for the patients so I will be doing the same again this year.

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

I would tell them to go for it. I cannot see a downside to volunteering. Being retired I have more time for it and it gives me some purpose and structure to the week. It is good for your social life too as you meet more people and lots of other volunteers.

Looking back I am glad I decided to do it. I will carry on volunteering in the kitchen for as long as I can lift a box of chips.