Big thank you for 200 years of volunteering
VOLUNTEERS at Stepping Hill Hospital have been thanked for their long service, after clocking up more than 200 years between them.
A total of 22 volunteers from the 350 who give time at the hospital were given awards at a ceremony held by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
Awards were handed out for five, 10, 15 and 20 years’ service, with the longest service certificate going to George Raywood for his 28 years helping out.
George, 74, a retired local government officer from Hazel Grove, was a patient at Stepping Hill following a back injury in 1989.
And as a thank you for his treatment he has been volunteering ever since, with his main current area in A&E.
George said: “I’ve been volunteering at Stepping Hill Hospital since I was 46 and I’ve loved every minute it.
“I enjoy helping out in the emergency department where there is such a good, friendly team and I’ll carry on doing it as long as I’m fit to do so.
“I do a lot of hours here and worked across the hospital but I get more out of it than I put in.”
As well as his honour at the long service event, which included a cream tea, George won volunteer of the year award at the hospital’s Pride of Trust awards in 2014.
The foundation trust’s new chairman Adrian Belton handed out the latest awards and certificates as well as ones to other volunteers.
Among services they provide are supporting by helping with mealtimes, serving at one of the hospital’s shops and greeting and guiding patients and visitors when they first arrive.
Mr Belton said: “The work of the volunteer is invaluable. I never cease to be amazed by how much people, of all ages and from all walks of life, willingly give their time to help others.
“It was an honour to show our gratitude to these remarkable volunteers for their generosity and support.
“They are a greatly valued and essential part of this hospital and help, in so many different ways, to care for patients and their families.”