Charlie Barnes
Charlie shares his story of volunteering at Blythe House Hospice.
‘The more you give, the more you will get out of it: you will never regret it’
It is now four years since Charlie Barnes started volunteering at Blythe House Hospice and in that time, he has been involved in a wide variety of roles.
‘I am meeting so many wonderful characters. Around here there is a wonderful sense of community.’
‘I started volunteering almost as soon as I retired. I don’t think I would be very good at retirement if I wasn’t doing something practical.
‘I’d be rattling around the house; I’d be ok if I was working on a particular project but if I am not reasonably busy, I start to get morose.
‘It sounds corny, but it really is good to put something back. The more you do, the more you get out of it. That is really the bottom line.
‘If you go out feeling a bit low, chances are you will come home feeling better.’
It is thanks to Covid that Charlie started volunteering at Blythe House Hospice, answering an appeal he saw in 2020, which led to him making regular calls to people in the community who were suffering from loneliness and isolation.
While he was happy to help in whatever way he could, Charlie admits he prefers being able to meet people in person. ‘As soon as we were able to do “real” visits, after restrictions were lifted, I was very happy to do that,’ he explained.
Now Charlie regularly visits people in the community facing a life-limiting illness needing companionship, have a few odd jobs or light gardening he can assist with, and others where his visit allows carers to take a break.
‘With the carer visit it is up to the carer how they spend the time. This could be just getting out, maybe running errands, or giving them a chance to catch up on paperwork.’
A further volunteer role that Charlie undertakes at Blythe House Hospice is as part of the Spiritual Care Team, made up of people who have experience in chaplaincy type work.
More recently Charlie has expanded his volunteering to include supporting the regular Tuesday morning Walking Group. This group meets to walk around Chapel Memorial Park each week.
‘It is very strenuous,’ Charlie joked, ‘We go once around the park and then go for coffee which takes considerably longer than the walk.’
Charlie and his fellow volunteers are supported by Julie Forrest and her team at Blythe House Hospice.
‘They are fantastic: if you come across a situation, you haven’t come across before and don’t know exactly how to deal with it, they are there to offer support and guidance.’
Charlie and his wife Mary have lived in Chinley for 31 years moving after friends who had relocated to the area said what a great place to live it was.
The couple who were formerly living in London time moved in 1992. ‘We have no regrets at all,’ said Charlie, ‘There is a real sense of community here.’
During his career Charlie was an orchestral violinist before working for the ABRSM exam board as an examiner, a role that took him abroad, travelling to 32 different countries including India, Malaysia and South Africa.
After retiring back in 2017 Charlie had initially trained in chaplaincy at Manchester Royal Infirmary, but when Covid hit volunteers at this front-line hospital were unable to access the site.
A member of the British Humanists, he had worked with the hospital’s chaplaincy team. ‘I became their first non-religious chaplain and was able to go round the wards just visiting people, which I was very happy doing.’
Charlie said while he misses some of the fantastic people he met, he doesn’t miss the commute, travelling into Manchester twice weekly.
‘Everything I do for Blythe House Hospice is within a short distance of home, half an hour away at the most.’
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