Feedback from our corporate volunteers

At Prospect Hospice we are very fortunate to be supported by so many local organisations, the employees of which kindly donate their time, skills and knowledge. We recently received some lovely feedback from employees of Arval in Swindon, who volunteered to spend a day at our Distribution Centre.

Here’s what they had to say about their experience:

“It isn’t until you have the opportunity to volunteer somewhere like the warehouse for Prospect Hospice that you realise how dependent such organisations are on volunteers, and how labour intensive the work is. I completely underestimated the scale of the operation, and how many people would be there doing their bit and helping out. Everyone was really friendly, and took the time to explain what we were doing, why, and the benefits. The whole team enjoyed the day. We could visibly see what we had achieved, people were appreciative of our efforts, and we all went away feeling really positive.” – Linda

“We began our day by sorting donated clothes into ‘Rag’ (where they are sent to developing countries) and ‘Shop’ (delivered to one of the charity shops). We had to separate the bulk from the really good quality, shop-ready items. It was surprising what you came across and it was interesting to know just how much money Prospect Hospice makes from those that are ‘Rag’. It makes you realise they really do appreciate every donation. After lunch I concluded the day working in the warehouse, sorting through the toys. This was a cage of items that the team do not normally have the opportunity to clear, as they are busy keeping on top of the donations they receive on a daily basis. They really do rely on volunteers like us to help with the backlog of tasks. It felt like such an achievement to clear the cage of toys into categories, and get them prepared to be sent to a local charity shop the next day. We all really enjoyed our time with Prospect Hospice and hope to be back next year!” – Amy

“My time was spent mostly sorting the winter and summer clothing bags into ‘Rag’, and top notch items to go straight into sale in the shops. It was nice to know that, whilst it is called ‘Rag’, and there was a lot of it, that it wasn’t just going to be got rid of, but would go to help those in Afghanistan, Pakistan etc., people that you know will be extremely grateful for such items. We had to be pretty brutal with the decisions we were making; shops now only want to take the decent stuff. I think this certainly got easier throughout the day, as we were getting through more bags! It was a great team effort and I was chuffed with what we achieved, albeit a bit chilly in the warehouse.” – Danni

We are so pleased that these volunteers enjoyed their day with us. Not only do we appreciate their help, it is encouraging to us that they also picked up on the various recycling activities that generate much needed additional income for the Hospice, whilst reducing the impact on the environment.

If you are interested in becoming a regular volunteer, either at our Distribution Centre or elsewhere across the Hospice, please complete the registration form here, contact volunteering@prospect-hospice.net or call 01793 816193. We have over 60 volunteer roles, many available Monday-Saturday, so you can be sure to find something that will suit you.