Volunteers from St Catherine’s Hospice praised for efforts

Collectively, volunteers at the hospice commit around 2,500 hours every week.

The hospice, a charity that provides end of life care and support to terminally ill people and their families, dedicated to providing specialist end of life care and support, has thanked its volunteers for their work.

Rosemary Bentley has been a ward volunteer at St Catherine’s for much of its history.

She said: “Nearly 30 years on I’m still here, doing anything from helping patients with their breakfast to making beds and talking to patients and their families.

“I love being part of the St Catherine’s team and working with the nurses on the wards.

“I wouldn’t swap my Mondays for anything. Even my family know that Mondays are my St Catherine’s days!”

Matthew O’Leary, from Horsham, witnessed the impact of the hospice’s volunteers when his mother moved out of her Horsham home to stay in St Catherine’s.

He said: “At such a traumatic time little things like the coffee shop and drinks trolleys, which I know rely on volunteers, are so important; being able to have food and drink or even to step away to collect your thoughts is really valuable.”

As part of Volunteers’ Week, St Catherine’s is holding a series of events to honour volunteers, including an introduction to volunteering session on Monday June 2 at 5.30pm in the Crawley hospice, a volunteers’ day trip to Canterbury, and a volunteering long-service awards ceremony hosted by Jonathan Lucas, the high sheriff of West Sussex.