Mountbatten volunteers will be thanked for their contribution during national Volunteers’ Week, which runs from Friday (1st June) until Thursday 7th June.
Around 500 volunteers give their time and skills in all areas alongside Mountbatten’s end of life experts, supporting people and families facing death, dying and bereavement across the Isle of Wight. This includes community volunteers who, with the Mountbatten at Home team, support more than 650 people who want to stay in the places that they live.
Other volunteers give their time to support the ten Mountbatten shops, the Sunflower Café, in the admin team and driving people to and from the John Cheverton Centre so they can receive treatment and take part in group activities. Volunteers also support people and families during their stay at Mountbatten Hospice and with spiritual needs and bereavement support.
Nigel Hartley, Chief Executive at Mountbatten, said:
“We are truly grateful to the hundreds of Islanders who volunteer with Mountbatten and give their time to really make a difference to people’s lives. I hope that they are able to join in the celebrations and know how much their involvement with Mountbatten means to those we support.
“As our work in people’s own homes continues to grow, and our work extends further to reach more people sooner in their illness, we will need ever more volunteers out in the communities we support. I believe we all have a social responsibility to look out for those around us and close to us and, in the future, we will all need to ask ourselves what more we can do to care for people who may be isolated and facing death or bereavement without the support we could offer them”.
To celebrate National Volunteers’ Week, an afternoon tea is being held for Mountbatten volunteers at 15:00 on Thursday 7th June in the John Cheverton Centre. Mountbatten shop volunteers will receive hampers of goodies to share, in gratitude of their support.
The week is also a chance to showcase the wide range of volunteering opportunities on offer with Mountbatten. Anyone who is interested in volunteering can visit www.mountbatten.org.uk or call the Voluntary Services Team on 01983 217322.
