Archive for month: January, 2015

Early in 2014 Cheddar Valley U3A Patchwork Group were approached by a friend who asked if the group would make her a king-sized quilt, for which she would donate £350 to Weston Hospicecare.

 

Members of the group accepted the challenge and decided on an autumn theme for the quilt.

 

“As a first step everyone sorted through their stock of fabric, and each brought along suitable autumn colours for the group to share,” comments Barry Coppard, co-leader of the Patchwork Group.

 

“Once the three layers of the quilt had been carefully smoothed out and pinned together the real work of quilting it began! A generous member opened her house as a drop-in centre where members willingly gave their time with needle and thread until the job was done.”

 

Sadly, in mid-November, just days before the group were due to present the finished product the U3A heard that their friend had passed away.

 

Barry recalls, “The news came as a shock to us all. We contacted Weston Hospicecare to explain the situation and offer them the quilt.”

 

The charity’s fundraising team were delighted with the offer, and have accepted the quilt to be included in a charity auction taking place in March.

 

Blair Chadwick, fundraiser, says: “The donation was a lovely gesture from Barry and the group, we hope that the auction is a success amongst our supporters.”

 

The autumn quilt will be one of the items in an auction at ’s charity ball at Cadbury House, which is to be held in aid of Weston Hospicecare and Macmillan Cancer Support. There are still tickets left for the event on Friday 6^th March by contacting .

Jon Whitfield, 33, of Penrice Close, is theOnline Trading Assistant Manager at Weston Hospicecare’s Business Hub. Jon began his relationship with the charity as a volunteer, and was lucky enough to find a paid role within the organisation after he picked up valuable skills and boosted his employability by volunteering.

 

With many of us overspending at Christmas, the opportunity to give our time instead of money to local causes is a brilliant alternative that makes a big difference to charities.

 

Jon speaks of his experience: “I started volunteering for Weston Hospicecare in June 2013 after being made redundant. My neighbour volunteers in one of the Hospice shops and she often tells me how it keeps her busy.”

 

Jon downloaded an application form from the Hospice website and expressed his interest in three volunteer roles. “I knew that volunteering would look great on my CV to show that my time between jobs was spent productively. Plus there was the chance to meet new people and gain some useful experience whilst I waited for employers to get back to me.”

 

A week after applying Jon attended an interview at the Business Hub to discuss his suitability for the volunteering roles that he had chosen. Seven days later he began his volunteering by attending an induction day.

 

“My first role was as a Drivers’ Mate. This involves traveling around the network of the Hospice shops on a daily basis delivering and collecting stock, collecting the recycling and assisting with furniture delivery. I really enjoyed my time in this role, especially as there was lots of opportunity to be outside and to be active.”

 

“My friends and family kept asking me about the positive change in my demeanour and how much more energy I seemed to have. Volunteering genuinely gave me a feel good factor that I needed to improve my attitude.”

 

“After a few months I began a new role as Stock Allocation Specialist which meant I had to check and organise the incoming donations for the shops. The majority of the items that I checked through were clothing and linen, which were to be separated into seasons. There were other donations to sort including electrical items, crockery, toys and various items unique enough for me to bring to the attention of the eBay team.”

 

“Selling online is less daunting than it sounds, and has provided me with more skills than I first realised. I have picked up photography skills to show an item off in the best way, and learnt how to coherently respond to customer enquiries through email and the telephone. As with every role, I have learnt more about flexibility and the willingness to learn.”

 

“I was extremely lucky to be volunteering for the charity at the time when they were looking for paid staff. However I am confident in saying that I would never have secured this position if it wasn’t for the skills, professionalism and workmanship that I learnt whilst giving my time to Weston Hospicecare.”

 

“I would absolutely recommend volunteering. The opportunity has helped me to become the person I am today – and that person is a lot more knowledgeable, approachable and happy!”

 

If you’re interested in volunteering at The Business Hub or any other part of the Weston Hospicecare organisation call the team on or click here

One volunteer from Weston Hospicecare gave more than just her time this week. Suella Stisted, of Yatton, had her head shaved in aid of the charity.

 

Suella, who volunteers in the Hospice’s Yatton shop, has been fundraising since September for the event and has beaten her original target of £300 having raised £600 so far!

 

“I wanted to raise funds for a charity close to my heart and thought what better way to go about it than have my head shaved in the middle of winter!” says Suella, who was joined by her son Tim and granddaughter Beth on the day.

 

The fundraiser took place at Broad Street Hair in Congresbury on Friday 9^th January. Owner, Tracy Taylor, commented: “Even though she was joking whilst having her hair taken off, it felt very emotional. Sue is definitely the bravest customer I’ve ever had sat in my chair!”

 

Friends and family have been donating to the cause via Suella’s Just Giving page which will be kept active for a while longer.

 

If you would like to holding an event in aid of Weston Hospicecare contact the team on 01934 423 960 for a Fundraising Tool Kit.