A letter from Stuart Mitchell, Volunteer and Community Manager for Retail and Support Services at Sue Ryder.

Dear Editor,

Volunteers’ Week runs from 3rd – 9th June 2024 and at national healthcare charity, Sue Ryder, we want to mark the week by saying a huge thank you to our volunteers for the admirable contribution they make, raise awareness of the benefits of becoming a volunteer and the volunteering roles that the charity has to offer.

With the cost-of-living crisis continuing to hit us hard, now more than ever, we are relying on the support of our dedicated volunteers, who are a lifeline to our shops. In the last year, our volunteers have supported our retail shops to contribute over £17 million to deliver our end-of-life care and bereavement services and given over 1.3 million volunteer hours.

Unfortunately, we are still seeing around a 10 per cent increase in the total costs to keep our palliative care services running and without the support of our retail volunteer team, we simply could not operate.

Despite these challenging times, our retail volunteers have continued to stand by us, and we want to recognise the fantastic contribution they make, by offering every opportunity for them to progress and develop in their role.

We have fantastic Lead Volunteer opportunities nationwide, and in the last year, 68 volunteers have taken on paid positions at Sue Ryder. Not only are our volunteers making a huge, positive impact on people’s lives, they play a crucial role in strengthening our organisation.

Sue Ryder is committed to making volunteering a rewarding, inclusive and empowering experience for everybody. We would like to appeal to any of your readers who would like to find out more about joining our team. No matter how much time you have, we would love to hear from you.

To make a difference as a Sue Ryder volunteer, please visit: www.sueryder.org/Volunteer for more information.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Mitchell, Volunteer and Community Manager for Retail and Support Services at Sue Ryder.