Kind-hearted volunteer Ian makes all the difference
30th November 2020
Submitted by Mark Cruise, West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust
Ian Blacklock registered and started with us as a volunteer in late 2019. When our volunteers began to step back during the pandemic, Ian contacted us to state that he was still willing to volunteer with us.
Despite being our oldest Response Volunteer at 68, Ian was one of the first people to put his name down for Response Volunteer training, and was in attendance at the first session and in the first week of the volunteer hub.
Ian is a warm, patient, and friendly person. The moment he walks into the Volunteer Hub, you can feel his gregarious presence. He makes sure that whoever he is talking with has his full attention and feels listened to. He is fond of a coffee and always willing to get everyone else one too.
He is beloved by staff throughout the hospital – particularly housekeepers as he loves visiting wards to make drinks and serve meals to patients. Ian has completed over 120 hours in the Volunteer Hub, making him one of our busiest volunteers.
Jess, one of our young volunteers, had this to say about him: “He’s so lovely and always offers all of the volunteers coffee when he goes to get one….he’s just always been so welcoming and friendly and nice to talk to.”
One of our Acute Admissions Ward Housekeepers, Sarah, had this to say about Ian: “Ian is a really lovely person. He is kind, hard working and very helpful. Nothing is too much trouble, and he always has a kind word for everyone. Staff or patient.”
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