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Celebrating our volunteers

On Thursday 6 June, St Barnabas House and Chestnut Tree House held a special event at the Charmandean Centre in Worthing to celebrate the contribution of volunteers and to thank them for their role in supporting local hospice care. BBC Radio Sussex presenter Allison Ferns presented the Heart Awards, which were given to three individuals who have gone above and beyond in their volunteering roles.

Every year, we depend on hundreds of volunteers, who support the hospices in various ways – from retail to fundraising, gardening to office support, as well as helping patients directly through schemes like Community Companions and volunteer lifeguards.

Over 100 nominations were received from volunteers and staff for the inaugural Volunteer Heart Awards, which were split into three categories, reflecting the hospices’ values – Caring, Connected, Courageous. The three top nominees were announced on the night.

  • Caring Heart Award went to Lynn McCutcheon. Lynn is involved in many aspects of volunteering across the charity, from Friends groups to fundraising, admin support and singing in the hospice choir.   
  • Connected Heart Award went to Bernard Shaw, who works 12 hours or more each week to support the Chestnut Tree House maintenance team. He’s a great mentor and has passed on a huge amount of valuable advice, knowledge and skills to the team.  
  • Courageous Heart Award was won by Marcus Hoare, who brings to life the hospices’ mascots – Sidney and Barnabee. Marcus always has a positive attitude and brings joy and entertainment to children and adults alike at events.  

Thank you to all our volunteers for all their support every year!

Local volunteer opportunities

We have different roles available across Sussex, from ad hoc events, befriending with patients and roles in retail.

Volunteer

Read about volunteering, from our volunteers!

Bereavement counsellor volunteer
Volunteering as a bereavement counsellor
Belinda, a volunteer counsellor, has been at St Barnabas for six years after initially joining us on a placement. She tells us what its like volunteering with patients and families.
Image of Jazzy
Why I became a hospice Community Companion
Jazzy, 28, is our youngest Community Companion. After studying psychology at university, Jazzy wanted to positively impact someone’s life and use her skills to help others, so she looked for a role in hospice care.
Sheet music and tuner
Sharing the joy
“Making music is a massive joy in my life. The St Barnabas Community Choir is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. As the famous phrase goes, ‘Music speaks where words fail,’ and to me that is totally true."
Corrine in a garden smiling into the camera
Why I signed up as an Emotional Support Volunteer
Corinne explains why her role as an Emotional Support Volunteer means so much to her, what her role entails ant the type of training and support she gets from the hospice.

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