Publish date: 2 June 2025
From Monday, 2 to Sunday, 8 June the Trust is celebrating Volunteers Week.
Volunteers Week is a national campaign to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers.
Here at BTH we have 367 volunteers who make a unique and valuable contribution to patients, carers, visitors, and our colleagues.
Our volunteers help us to enhance the experience of our patients, the experience and wellbeing of our staff, and add value to the services provided within the Trust supporting us in achieving our mission, vision, and Trust objective.
As part of our celebrations we spoke to 5 volunteers about their experiences, read about them below.
Lucie, 37, has been a Ward Helper in Maternity for around two years alongside Maureen, a former nurse and medical secretary.
Working as a team, Lucie and Maureen produce admission packs and deal with compliments and comments received by the ward.
Lucie, has a passion for singing, is proficient in sign language and wowed her fellow volunteers recently at a social gathering where she sang, and signed, Cyndi Lauper’s hit ‘True Colours’.
Lucie whose niece Holly is a matron in Maternity says the best thing about volunteering at the Trust is that “Everyone is lovely”.
Maureen has been a volunteer with Blue Skies for eight years and says of her partnership with Lucie “She has such a good personality, working with Lucie is like being with a friend – I always look forward to seeing her”.
24-year-old Cameron is one of our Blue Skies trolley helpers
Cameron says he was inspired to become a BTH volunteer by one of his college teachers and he also has an auntie who works at the Trust. He catches the bus to the hospital with fellow volunteer, Kelly who he loves working with and describes volunteering as “Brilliant”.
Patricia says “It’s the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done and I really love it. No two days are the same and I love being busy and meeting people”.
Life as a Navigator involves not just greeting people and helping them find their way around but dealing with lost property and ensuring wheelchairs are available for anyone who needs one. Luckily for us, Patricia loves the variety and enjoys it so much, she is even encouraging friends and family to become a Volunteer here. “It’s just nice to greet people with a big smile and make them feel at ease”.
John has been one of our blood runner volunteers for around three years, 
John says he likes knowing that his role helps patients by getting samples delivered more quickly, helping to speed up getting the results. He also has a second role, locating wheelchairs and re-distributing them at the bays around the Trust – he says this is a really busy role too.
When not at the hospital, John might be boosting his steps count even further as he likes to go walking – although he says it’s “nothing too strenuous.” With his blood runner duties clocking up around 3 miles per shift, we’re grateful to John for playing such an active role in the Trust!
Phil says “It was my Cardiac Rehab Physio (Joanne Delicate) who suggested I would make a good volunteer – and it all went from there.” Starting in the Emergency Department making drinks as a ward helper, he’s full of admiration for the colleagues there working under such pressure and he still does shifts there to this day.
Due to his own experience as a patient in cardio, Phil’s main role now is as a health mentor volunteer and he can signpost patients to health support services such as giving up smoking or reducing alcohol intake.
Phil won “Volunteer of the Year” in 2019.
Away from volunteering, Phil has been playing walking netball for 9 years in a mixed team known as “The Promenaders”. Playing alongside wife Linda, Phil enjoys walking netball but still includes cardiac rehab sessions as part of his routine. Phil likes to encourage others to consider volunteering so that they can benefit from the same appreciation he gets from patients and colleagues alike.
