Time to salute the unsung heroes
 Morag Deans from Grangemouth, who happily describes herself as a “yap”, replied to an advert looking for ambassadors to the charity three years ago and has been donating her time ever since.
“I’m a volunteer speaker, giving talks about the work CHAS does,” says Morag, who also participates in “can shakes” and picks up donated cheques.
“It’s important to get the CHAS message out, how the hospice affects those who work in it and the many other vitally important aspects of the work.”
Felt the pain
Like many of the unpaid workers, Morag has felt the pain of the parents.
“I remember one mum and dad were reluctant to leave their dying baby and only did so when I persuaded them to take a break for a couple of hours,” says Morag.
“Sadly, while I was looking after their little girl she passed away and I felt dreadful about persuading them to go out.
“But when they returned they simply said their daughter couldn’t have wanted them to be there when she died and we all took comfort from that.”
That’s an extraordinary story, and maybe not a common experience for most volunteers, but each and every contributor is held in high regard.
“Our youngest volunteer is 15, our oldest is 78,” says Ros Scott, Head of Voluntary Services for CHAS.
Caring sector
“Many of the younger ones want to pursue careers in the caring sector such as nursing and see their contribution as a good introduction to the work.
“We have housewives, company directors and grandparents among our army of volunteers and many of them have to travel for miles to put in their time.
“Some have been with us since the beginning and just over one per cent leave each year,” says Ros.
“The average age is 50 and only 20 per cent are men, a figure we’d like to increase.”
In financial terms the 50,000 hours of work they put in is worth £618,000 a year to the charity and there are six volunteers for every paid worker.
“After filling out an application form there’s an informal interview, references and police checks and once accepted there’s a short induction period,” says Ros.
“We try to tease out what people are interested in to put them into the right work area and quite a few bereaved parents want to return to help others facing the same trauma.
“It’s amazing just how appreciative parents are when someone gives them a couple of hours off just to do a simple task like the shopping.”
Anyone who wants to find out more about volunteering can call Ros on 01577 865222. |
You can e-mail us at:
hospice@sundaypost.com
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