Our volunteers never stopped thinking of ways that they could help
16th November 2020
Submitted by Lianne Gurney, Dr Kershaw’s Hospice
Over half of the volunteers who support Dr Kershaw’s do so in one of our four charity shops based around the borough of Oldham. In March the Government Guidelines due to the Coronavirus outbreak meant that most of these individuals were asked to stay home and very shortly the Charity shops were deemed non-essential retail and closed as part of the lockdown.
Many of these volunteers asked how else they could support the Hospice and made monetary donations. Over several months volunteers sent well wishes and treats for the Clinical Teams at Dr Kershaw’s who were working around the clock to provide palliative care during the pandemic. It never ceased to amaze me at how our volunteers never stopped thinking about ways that they could help, even when the shops were closed. One of these volunteers sold her second hand goods outside her home in a socially distanced way, two others completed fundraising challenges.
The whole shop volunteer team handled the lockdown incredibly well. We heard lovely stories of volunteers checking in on their more vulnerable volunteer colleagues, shopping for one another and even ringing their Shop Managers to offer encouragement and support as they tackled various different roles. It is clear that each shop has its own community and they rallied around one another during the outbreak to make sure everyone made it through safely and no one felt alone.
This became ever more apparent as we moved towards reopening our Charity shops. There were apprehensions, not only for themselves, but for their colleagues and customers. Everyone was open and honest in their individual consultations and each person brought forward suggestions and ideas on making the shop safe for everyone. No one knows the shops and their customers better than the volunteer teams who have supported us for over 10 years, and they were able to play such a crucial part in pulling together the risk assessments and control measures. Despite initial nerves the volunteers were keen to look around the shop to see the changes before opening, many came as customers before returning as volunteers and everyone was passionate about encouraging their family and friends to ‘Save it, Store it, Donate it’ as part of one of our lock down campaigns.
Due to the commitment and enthusiasm of this volunteer team we were able to open one of our shops within days of the Government making the announcement of non-essential shops being able to reopen to the public. Only one week later we were able to reopen a second, shortly after a third and we are now very proud to have all four shops open and bringing funds in to support patient care.
There is no way we could have opened our shops so successfully without the positive and realistic attitudes of our volunteer teams. Volunteers from other areas of the Hospice volunteered their time to support, while some of our most vulnerable volunteers had to remain in isolation. Existing volunteers covered sessions for their colleagues who were not confident enough to return yet and the team worked together to fill the rota each week. One shop alone managed to successfully bring in nearly £2,500 during their opening week; showing just how successful the reopening was, and how they made the community feel safe enough to make a visit and purchase items to support the Hospice.
Some of the volunteers based in our shops have been with us for over 10 years and the way in which they responded to the required changes and safety measures blew us away. No one complained about increased cleaning rotas, or an extra session here or there, they put their masks on, completed their hand hygiene training and welcomed their local community to purchase goods as they always have. The volunteers not only abided by the new social distancing and hand hygiene measures, but implemented them thoroughly and understanding the need for the measures has definitely paid off.
We have not had to close any of our shops since opening and have been able to respond to changing guidelines quickly, due to the flexibility of the team. The volunteers being so involved with consultation has meant that they not only buy into the safety measures, but can speak about them confidently and informatively to customers which has only strengthened the presence of the shops in the community.
Without this team being so confident and invested in their shop, team and community we would not have been able to open all four shops, recruit new volunteers and keep everyone feeling safe in the shops. With events cancelled or postponed for the duration of the year the financial income from the shops will be vital in funding patient care at Dr Kershaw’s and ensuring that the people of Oldham receive care and compassion when they need it most.
With only seven paid staff members across four shops this volunteer team of over 120 individuals is vital in representing the Hospice and our values to the wider community and generating funds for patient care.
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