Now meet our hospital heroes
From firefighters to Pilates teachers, 34,000 of you signed up to help. Here’s just a handful of your amazing stories!
AYEAr ago, the Daily Mail launched its Hospital Helpforce campaign, calling for volunteers to help boost the NHS through the charity Helpforce. Some 34,000 big-hearted readers signed up, increasing the number of volunteers supporting Britain’s best-loved institution by a third.
Sir Thomas Hughes- Hallett, founder and chair of Helpforce, said: ‘We were humbled by Daily Mail readers’ spirit of generosity.
‘The time these volunteers give means many more vulnerable patients have someone to talk to and rely on. It means more hard-working doctors and nurses have the support they need to focus on the job they trained so hard to do.’
For many, supporting the NHS has also offered an opportunity to make friends and take up new activities.
‘Volunteers tell me they are grateful for the opportunity to give back to the people who were there for them in times of trouble,’ says Sir Thomas. ‘This is the spirit that drives our NHS.’
Here, volunteers share the stories of how they’ve given their all to the NHS over the past year . . .
I JOINED UP IN A CINEMA QUEUE
MICHelle VARnDell, 48, a Pilates instructor, lives in Seaford, Sussex, with her husband Matthew, 48, and their two children, aged 16 and 11. She started volunteering at lewes Victoria Hospital in Sussex four months ago.
WHEN I read about the campaign last Christmas, I was so taken with the idea that I signed up on the spot in a cinema queue. It’s been such a positive experience for me — I’ve even begun striking up conversations with strangers when out and about, as volunteering seems to have reignited that desire to connect with others.
I had some fertility problems when I was younger and needed operations, so if it wasn’t for the NHS I might not have had my two children. Now, after 16 years as a stayat-home mum, I’ve gone back to work as a Pilates instructor as well as volunteering for two hours a week helping patients who have had hip replacements, falls or amputations get mobile again.
I don’t need my Pilates instructor qualifications for this, but it certainly uses the same sort of people skills. I help out at two classes led by physiotherapists — I’m there to lend a hand to anyone who needs it. Most of all, though, I just love chatting to the patients, who have led such interesting lives. One man was a marathon runner who had competed at events all round the world.
What I do is a tiny bit of what goes on in the unit, but I like to think it makes a difference — I walk out smiling and feeling fulfilled. It’s even made me consider training as a rehabilitation service worker, to help patients recover.
WE MADE NEW FRIENDS AND FEEL FULFILLED
KAy WIlKInSOn, 69, a former publishing company manager from West yorkshire, and her husband, Ted, 69, a retired firefighter, volunteered together. Since July, Kay has been
helping in a cafe at lynfield Mount Hospital in Bradford, while Ted helps nurses in a county-wide school immunisation programme.
KAY SAYS: A man singing and playing the guitar recently held me utterly transfixed for far more than his beautiful, soaring voice. The fiftysomething singer was a patient in the mental health centre, yet
had chosen to play in front of everyone at our fortnightly music session.
He was followed by a young woman — another patient.
Our cafe offers much more than coffee I work alongside a mixture of NHS staff and volunteers who are so cheerful and encouraging.
The manager, Annette, often puts her arms around patients and gives them a
huge hug. I spend half a day each week here, but I’m planning to extend to a full day. I’ve made new friends and found something else meaningful to do in my retirement.
TED SAYS: The nurses I work with tell me that, before I volunteered, they would be left trying to help any child who fainted at the sight of a needle; in the meantime, other children would become distressed, and vaccinations would be delayed.
Now, I’m there to reassure anyone who keels over — and keep the other children calm. Having an adult to chat to calms them right down, and we end up laughing and joking. They remind me of my own grandchildren, now in their 20s.
When I applied as a volunteer, they clearly looked carefully at the application and asked me if I fancied this role. Perhaps they thought having been in the Navy I could help run a tight ship! I do two full days a week, helping nurses immunise 400 to 500 children at a time. Kay and I enjoy chatting about our volunteering. I’m even invited to the nurses’ Christmas lunch — the only man present!