{"id":3562,"date":"2019-06-28T10:18:02","date_gmt":"2019-06-28T10:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/?p=3562"},"modified":"2019-06-28T10:19:03","modified_gmt":"2019-06-28T10:19:03","slug":"faculty-services-management-team-getinvolved-with-volunteers-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/06\/28\/faculty-services-management-team-getinvolved-with-volunteers-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty Services Management Team #getinvolved with Volunteers’ Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>As part of this year\u2019s <\/em>Volunteers\u2019 Week, our Health and Wellbeing Faculty Services Management Team<\/strong> spent their away day joining forces with St Luke\u2019s Hospice Sheffield. Here\u2019s Ben Machin<\/strong> (professional issues officer) describing how the day went . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cGemma Lancaster<\/strong> had kindly arranged for us to volunteer at the St Luke\u2019s<\/a> retail outlet in Gleadless. To anyone not familiar with St Luke\u2019s, they are a Sheffield-based charity whose vision is to \u2018support and care for everyone affected by terminal illness in Sheffield\u2019, whilst their mission is to \u2018deliver the best possible palliative care in Sheffield\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were welcome in the morning by Claire <\/strong>(manager) and Emma <\/strong>(assistant manager). Claire and Emma allocated us to various areas of the shop. It quickly became apparent that the \u2018back room\u2019 was a hive of activity with considerable amount of volunteers tasked with keeping a conveyor belt of donations moving.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ben hard at work<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThough it was a rather cool day – and we\u2019d been advised to bring a jumper – it quickly became hot and sweaty as we lugged around bags of donations, sorted out the stockroom and had the steamer on full flow. The most unnerving part of the day was opening a bag not knowing what the contents will be. Perhaps washed and ironed clothes? Wishful thinking! The find of the day went to Rebecca Hirst-Nelson<\/strong> who was registering donated books on Amazon based on the marketplace price when she came across a Sheffield United book valued at \u00a3100. I only presume this was provided by either a generous donor or someone who didn\u2019t spot a diamond in the rough!<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than anything, we were taken aback by the real sense of community spirit within the staff. Many of the volunteers were retired, some of whom had lost their partners and wanted to form new friendships, whilst a couple of young volunteers were looking to increase their skillsets and employability. Collaboratively it worked and most importantly, everyone had a sense of belonging and knew they were making a real difference to a worthy cause. I discovered that St Luke\u2019s was not only a donations shop that raised vital funds for a highly valued local charity, but that it also gives a committed community of volunteers a continued sense of purpose and belonging.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a very enjoyable day at St Luke\u2019s, here are my top tips for those considering making a donation:<\/p>\n