Volunteer of the Year
Volunteer of the Year
All our volunteers do an amazing job! They give up their time to support the work of our trust in a variety of roles, including helping patients navigate around the hospital, assisting trolley rounds on our wards and supporting the Fountain Centre to provide holistic care for our patients with cancer. This award recognises their commitment to our patients and will be awarded at their annual Christmas dinner celebrations. Here’s what our colleagues wrote about them in the nominations.
Alen Lang, Radiotherapy Volunteer
Alen has volunteered for the trust for the last few years, primarily based in the cancer centre. He has been responsible for checking patients in, helping them to feel comfortable and find their way around the hospital.
More recently, he took on an initiative to refurbish and recycle crutches, helping our trust reduce waste and contributing to our bid to reach Net Zero.
Alen is always so cheerful, and is very helpful and polite with patients and staff alike. He is a great example of how vital the volunteers are to the trust and we would be lost without them.
Ann Gallacher, Maternity Volunteer
For two decades, Ann has regularly supplied the maternity service with knitted hats for newborn babies, helping to keep them warm and safe.
The colour-coded hats enable our team members to quickly identify and monitor newborn babies who are at risk of clinical deterioration.
Hats also support babies in regulating their temperatures at birth which is essential in reducing the need for babies to be admitted to the special care baby unit (SCBU).
The hats always bring a smile to the parents who delight in choosing a hat, often telling us they will be kept as a memory of the birth of their child.
Ann — who began knitting for us after responding to a local newspaper advert — demonstrates such compassion, always sending chocolate gifts for the team and a card with each delivery.
Emma Randall, Dementia Volunteer
Emma arrives with a smile and enthusiasm to help some of the most vulnerable patients in her role as a dementia volunteer.
She has a personal and friendly approach. Nothing is too much for her and she is always happy to be here.
Each visit comes with new opportunities for Emma, which she embraces and enjoys. Sometimes, she will be sitting with a lady to help her feel cared for and other times it’s helping a gentleman to eat.
The moments she spends with patients also brings light relief to staff. Recently, she has taken on additional duties to train up new dementia volunteers, passing on her excellent knowledge and skills.