Volunteer with us

You can give as much or as little of your time as you can. Every little helps! Some of our roles, particularly patient-facing roles, need a little more training. So, for those roles, we do ask that volunteers commit to a regular shift if possible. 

The easy answer to that is anyone. Everyone has something to bring to Ashgate Hospice. We want our volunteer teams to represent the diversity of our local community. For example: 

• if you have some spare time, you can help our fundraising teams by helping at events 
• if you are retired, we will welcome your experience and skills. Plus, volunteering can help you make new friends and regain a sense of purpose 
• if you are a student, you can volunteer to gain experience to enhance your career prospects 
• if you want to boost your confidence to gain paid employment, volunteering can help (and shouldn’t affect any benefits you may claim).

We advertise all our current volunteer roles on our website. 

If you have any questions or would like to talk things through, our People Services team are always happy to help and can be contacted at [email protected]

All we ask is that you work within our values and code of behaviour, and bring a positive, can-do attitude. Don’t worry about experience – we’ll provide all the training you need.

All roles have on-the-job training. We also ask that all volunteers complete our essential training. This will enable you to keep yourself safe in the role and give you all the knowledge and skills you need to carry it out. We also have role-specific training where required.

We pay full travel expense for volunteers travelling on public transport. We also pay car mileage and car parking charges (conditions apply).

All our volunteering opportunities are listed on our website. If you’re interested in a role, please apply online.

We do ask for either one or two references depending on the role you are applying for. We also require DBS checks for some roles.

Yes, we do. Corporate volunteers can help us in many ways, whether that’s in our grounds and gardens, in our shops or at events. You can help us to build community links and valuable business support. Corporate volunteering gives us the opportunity to work with a dynamic team of people with varied skills. If you’re interested in corporate volunteering, please contact Adele Taylor at [email protected]. Find out more about corporate support.

Absolutely! Our event volunteers are at the heart of making everything run smoothly. You might help set up, welcome guests, support activities, or lend a hand with fundraising on the day.

It’s a flexible way to get involved – whether you can spare a few hours at one event or want to join us at several throughout the year, every bit of help makes a difference.

Find out more about volunteering at our events

See upcoming events where you can volunteer

We ask that people who have recently experienced a bereavement wait for twelve months, until after the first anniversary of the death before applying for a role that is patient facing on the ward or in our Supportive Care team.  We have had feedback that suggests the reality of being in a hospice setting can be particularly emotive and challenging for those who are recently bereaved.

As a hospice we also understand that volunteering can be very helpful in coming to terms with grief. We therefore have a number of different roles that are not patient facing which we would encourage potential volunteers to consider as an alternative.