This year, NCVO‘s Volunteers’ Week celebrated its fortieth year. Coincidentally, we are also celebrating 40 years of volunteering. It is true to say that if a group of amazing, determined volunteers had not started to fundraise for a local hospice over 40 years ago, we would not be here today.

During Volunteers’ Week we invited our volunteers to the Hospice for a party to thank them for their enormous contribution. It was a lovely afternoon and an opportunity for volunteers with roles in our shops, our communities and at the Hospice to come together and share their experiences. Showing true dedication to her role, our Head of Volunteering, Vanessa, was married on the Friday before Volunteers’ Week began but was determined to come back to work the following week to join the celebrations. For a bit of fun, we had asked our volunteers and colleagues to provide photos of themselves back in 1984, the year our Hospice first opened its doors to patients. The photos were displayed on a board for everyone to enjoy and we served 80s-style food – cheese and pineapple sticks, anyone? Our Chief Executive, Nigel Seymour, welcomed everybody and was proud to be able to award long service badges to a number of our volunteers, and we were delighted to celebrate those who have been with us since the beginning.

We’re really proud of the innovations we’ve made over the last 40 years and are excited to see how volunteering at Princess Alice Hospice continues to evolve, with new projects and partnerships on the horizon. We look forward to continuing to support people who are looking to contribute to their local community in a meaningful way.