The heart of our community

Volunteers are at the heart of our hospice community. We have roles available to suit everyone’s skill level and time commitments, from retail to patient-facing roles, fundraising, sitting on our board of trustees, acting as patrons and everything in between. Every year our hard-working volunteers donate hundreds of hours, and we wouldn’t be the organisation we are today without their hard work, dedication and commitment to delivering hospice care.

Why volunteer?

People volunteer for many reasons: some are doing it in memory of a loved one, or they might be retired and keen to invest their skills in a worthy cause. We also have people looking to meet new friends, and others who do it as a pathway to employment – and indeed we have people go on to be employed by us or other organisations.

Which volunteer role is right for me?

No matter what your skills, experience and interests, there’s  an opportunity for you! If you have a talent you’d like to share, you might be interested in helping at one of our Living Well groups – assisting with baking, gardening or art, for example.

Our Community Companion roles are patient-facing and make a huge difference to people’s lives. This initiative is very successful and recently celebrated its tenth anniversary.

This important role is a commitment of just a couple of hours a week. Volunteers ‘buddy-up’ with patients who have received an end-of-life diagnosis but who are not in their last months or weeks. Having a visitor from the hospice might give a family member the chance to go off and have a break – or if a patient lives on their own, that regular visit is hugely important in terms of mental health and well-being.

Volunteer counselling placements are available for people who are currently studying for a counselling qualification at a college or university.

Retail volunteering opportunities near me

We have 13 St Barnabas House charity shops in the Worthing area and we’re always interested in hearing from prospective retail assistants and warehouse assistants.

Volunteering in one of our charity shops is fantastic way to give something back to your local community. You’ll also learn essential retail skills, like customer service and processing transactions on the tills. And you could even get to flex your creative muscles and help out with visual merchandising – helping decorate the shop windows.

Most of all, by volunteering in our shops you’ll meet lots of new people and have fun while raising funds and helping spread awareness about the importance of hospice care.

Fundraising opportunities near me

We know how busy and hectic life can be and we also recognise that some people want to really dedicate their time to our cause. This is why we have two types of fundraising roles available so you can get involved in the way that fits best with your lifestyle.

Option 1: Flexible, fun and not too much commitment:

If you have a busy life, you might only be able to commit to volunteering on an ad hoc basis. In that case, you can ask to receive notification of events and sign up to help when it’s convenient to you. Every event is different – you could be selling raffle tickets at a ball one week and then working at a fair in the countryside the next. Or you could be one of the 200 people stewarding our flagship event, Night to Remember.

Option 2: Longer-term involvement, building your experience and skills:

If you can offer a deeper commitment, our lead volunteer role comes with a higher level of training and would be good experience for anyone looking to build a career in charity fundraising. You’ll need to be comfortable being super-organised and confident chatting to the public as well as assisting other, less experienced, volunteers.

What skills and experience do I need to volunteer?

The main thing we look for in our volunteers is that they reflect our values – they feel passionate about the cause, they reflect our caring ethos, they are reliable and honest. It’s important to be good at listening and communicating because no matter what role you do, if you’re associated with the hospices people will want to share their story. You will have to be compassionate and empathetic.

Whatever role you choose, you will be giving back to your community and helping us provide loving hospice care to local people with life-limiting conditions. Over the past 50 years, we have cared for more than 45,000 patients and their families – and with your help we will reach many more.