Charlie Barnes became a community volunteer at Blythe House Hospice in 2020, after previously volunteering as a humanist pastor at Manchester Royal Infirmary, following his retirement.
Charlie, who is from Chinley, explains: ‘When I decided to retire from my career in classical music back in 2016, I felt that I needed a new direction. Around the time I retired, I started training with Humanists UK. My time spent speaking to patients on hospital wards gave me a brief insight into how some individuals need that connection. Nobody wants to be away from home. This did prove difficult at times approaching patient’s bedsides and not knowing whether they wanted the company or not. The brief connections I made as a humanist pastor made me realise the value of volunteering in the care sector, and how the act of listening to someone can make all the difference.
‘When the first lockdown began in March 2020, hospital visitations were restricted, and my volunteering was put on hold. Once the initial weeks of lockdown had calmed down, I looked into other areas of voluntary work I could do. I joined Blythe House’s “Here to Help” drive during the Covid-19 restrictions, which involved contacting people who were experiencing loneliness. Since then, the Community Volunteer programme has returned to providing support and companionship for individuals with a life-limiting illness across the local community.
‘My volunteering can vary on a day-to-day basis. I may be offering a carer some respite by sitting with their loved one whilst the carer runs some errands, or driving a patient to hospital visits. I can see how it can benefit the carer as well as the patient to have a different face around; someone different to talk to who is not a loved one or a medical professional; that can be the distraction they may need from their circumstances.
‘The volunteer team is incredibly supportive through the training process and they check in on you regularly. They are your first point of call, and they are always there to listen to any concerns or queries you may have during your volunteer journey. I have found it instrumental to have Julie, the hospice’s volunteer manager, make the initial contact to patients because she establishes what their needs are, and how we can help them. This means that we are always putting the patient’s needs first, and I feel like I can put my best foot forward in supporting them.
‘When wearing my badge as a community volunteer, I feel a lot of pride and a sense of identity. It enables me to approach patients with a sense of purpose. I would class myself as a shy person, and in a new social setting, I am particularly reserved in many respects. But, I find that wearing my volunteer badge gives me a role and it defines me, giving me permission to meet patients.
‘I have made many meaningful connections during my time volunteering. For example, one particular patient who I had visited during his last year of life. When he died, his daughter reached out to me to let me know that my visits had a positive impact on her father. I will cherish the time spent with this genuine man and the good relationship I had created by visiting his home.
‘The biggest difference I can make between volunteering in a hospital and volunteering for a hospice is the lasting connections I have made with patients in the community. My time volunteering at the hospital gave me brief moments with people who I never saw again, and didn’t know how they were keeping. The hospital would define my visits, but volunteering for Blythe House and Helen’s Trust, you get to know someone in their personal surroundings in their home.
‘There is so much reward when volunteering. It is full of rich encounters that leave you with so much gratitude when spending time with each individual you meet. Sometimes it is simply the company that patients are looking for in your visits. Someone to listen to them. It gives you a chance to discover new parts of yourself that you may never thought you were capable of doing. I would recommend to anyone unsure whether to volunteer, to just give it a go.’
Learn more about the range of volunteer roles at Blythe House Hospice – including the community volunteer programme – and apply online.
The Buxton resident raised over £2,000 for local hospice care when he took on the London Marathon in October 2021.
Sarah explained: ‘I live in a small village near Bakewell, in the Derbyshire Dales. I got to know Helen’s Trust because it’s a very popular local charity and I started volunteering at the Chatsworth 10k run. I persuaded a team of people from work to get up very early on a Sunday morning to run the water station, which was part way round the route, and we’ve been volunteering as a team every year since then. I built up more of a relationship with the Helen’s Trust team, and they asked me to become a trustee in 2014.
Steven, who was born and bred in Buxton, explains: ‘I left school at 16 and immediately joined the family business W Booth and Sons, a local butcher’s shop. In 1979, aged 18, I developed testicular cancer. In those days, people didn’t talk much about such things and as a result my diagnosis was quite late. After my operation, the staff nurse told me I had to go to The Christie hospital, for further procedures and investigations. I was terrified; there were no counsellors or anyone to answer my questions. I stayed in The Christie for four weeks and had further chemotherapy, which lasted for 18 months.
The New Mills resident explains: ‘When I retired some time ago, I knew I wanted to do something purposeful and meaningful. I didn’t want to do something that would “pass the time”, but something worthwhile. I wanted to support a local charity, so I walked into the Blythe House charity shop in New Mills and offered my services! I had only been there for about two months when the shop in Whaley Bridge opened- so I worked there too. This was different to the New Mills shop as they sell furniture too.
With new volunteers come new stories and for Bakewell volunteers, Denise and Jane, they found a new friendship. These two lovely volunteers found kindred spirits in one another when they chose to volunteer soon after the shop opening.
The Chapel-en-le-Frith resident explains more: ‘It’s a bit of a ‘back stage’ role; as a teenager and young adult I worked behind the scenes at a local amateur theatre company, I always saw myself as working back stage…definitively not on stage.
Graham says: ‘It was great at first to enjoy walking and gardening any time I wanted, and not to have long surgeries and endless paperwork, but then I felt something was missing. I missed helping people and the fulfilment it brings, so I asked Blythe House if I could be a volunteer driver.
Sonia explained: ‘I have been a volunteer driver for Blythe House since I retired from district and practice nursing. I always felt I would do some volunteering for Blythe House in some form. I was very familiar with the valuable service they provided for the care of several of my patients. I also was indebted to the service of a bereavement counsellor after the death of my younger brother to cancer at the age of 43.
‘I have been supporting local patients and elderly, isolated and vulnerable members of the community since the beginning of the first lockdown back in March 2020. Some tasks I regularly undertake include visiting local residents for a socially-distanced chat (when restrictions allowed) to give their partners and carers a bit of free time; provided weekly telephone support to different male patients; and transported two people to important medical appointments at The Christie hospital, and for blood tests in New Mills.
