Accord says thanks to army of volunteers
Paisley’s Accord Hospice has said a special thank you to its army of volunteers.
Every year, volunteers dedicate more than 30,000 hours of their time to all areas of the hospice’s services, including its shops and fundraising.
And during Volunteers Week, which finishes on Monday, staff at the hospice wanted to take the time to say thank you to everyone for their efforts.
David McFadden, fundraising and communications manager, said:“We are always thankful for the volunteers’dedicated efforts to help support end of life care within Renfrewshire and parts of East Renfrewshire.
“Without their continued support, the hospice would find it difficult to maintain the level of support we provide to our patients and their families.
“It has been a tough year for everyone, with many of our volunteers unable to keep up their regular volunteering due to the pandemic, with some helping adapt to new ways of supporting our patients – to everyone, we want to just say thank you.”
Jeanie Watson, 73, has volunteered at the Paisley Centre shop since it opened.
She said:“I came to volunteer with the hospice as my son told me I had lost confidence and it would be a tonic for me to meet new people.”
Another shop volunteer, Eddie Wilson, 71, has a more personal reason for giving back to Accord.
He said:“I’ve volunteered at the Glasgow Road shop for the last three and a half years, six days a week.
“The hospice looked after both my sister and sister-in-law when they both had cancer.”
David said they hoped all the volunteers will be able to return to their roles soon as restrictions start to ease.
He said:“Much like our shops we hope that all aspects of the hospice get back to a form of normality for everyone .
“There’s exciting new plans and changes for the future of the hospice and our volunteer network will be more important than ever.
“Volunteering in the community is so important, not just to the hospice.
“If you think you can help a local organisation with time or expertise, get involved!”
To find out more about volunteering with Accord Hospice, go to www. accordhospice.org.uk/ support-us/volunteers/