Volunteer at Havens Hospices

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and ages and achieve extraordinary things for our hospices. If you’ve ever thought of giving a little of your time to help others, we could have what you’re looking for.

Volunteering is an ideal way to share the skills you have or learn new ones! Not only is it diverse and rewarding, but by playing a role in your local community, volunteering can become a fulfilling part of your life and lead to new opportunities and friendships.

For the latest updates and volunteer opportunities follow @HavensVolunteer on Twitter.

Receptionist answering phone

Volunteering opportunities

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and achieve extraordinary things for our hospices. If you’ve ever thought of giving a little of your time to help others, we could have what you’re looking for.

Contact us

We benefit greatly by having volunteers, but volunteers themselves get lots out of it too! If you've not found what you’re looking for please contact us or call 01702 886 399.

Frequently Asked Questions

Thinking of volunteering? For more information about becoming a Havens Hospices volunteer, see below for the answers to some frequently asked questions.

What can I get out of volunteering?

We benefit greatly by having volunteers, but volunteers themselves get lots out of it too! 
Volunteering is a great way of:

  • Trying something new
  • Making a difference in your local community
  • Meeting new people
  • Learning a new skill or gaining experience
  • Increasing confidence, self esteem and boosting your wellbeing
  • Improving employment prospect
Volunteer Georgia

Meet our volunteers

Georgia

“My volunteering experience is definitely the most rewarding thing I have ever done and I would recommend it to everyone, not only does it feel good knowing I’m helping towards making a difference to people’s lives."

Meet our volunteers

Jan

"Volunteering makes me feel fulfilled, and I really enjoy the social side. I live on my own so coming into the shop, speaking with and helping so many different people is really rewarding for me.”

Volunteering FAQs

Thinking of volunteering? For more information about becoming a Havens Hospices volunteer, see below for the answers to some frequently asked questions.

Not found what you’re looking for? Contact us or call 01702 886 399

We take volunteers from aged 13 (if they are completing the Duke of Edinburgh Award) within our charity shops, you can volunteer in our charity shops aged 14-16 but we will be required to gain a work permit from the local council on your behalf. 

Volunteers must be over 18 to volunteer anywhere else within the charity, there is no upper age limit to join us as a volunteer. 

For certain roles, we do require certain qualifications and experience, this information is included with the role description.

As a charity we have a duty of care to ensure our patients, families, staff and volunteers are safeguarded, we therefore have a robust recruitment process in place. We undertake references for volunteers and for certain roles, undertake a DBS (police check). Volunteering with us is subject to satisfactory recruitment checks, having a criminal record is not necessarily a bar to volunteering with us, it is assessed on an individual basis.

Volunteers will also be asked to complete some additional paperwork including a Volunteer Agreement that includes information about confidentiality.

Our volunteers are provided with a named Volunteer Coordinator/Shop Manager who will be their main point of communication and on-going support. A local induction is provided to prepare and equip volunteers in their role, as well as ongoing support and training relevant to the volunteer role. For volunteers within care, facilities and administration, they are required to attend an induction session and complete mandatory training.

Each volunteer role has a role description in place, which details what the time commitment is. Some roles require a set time commitment such as in our hospices and charity shops which have a four hour shift each week, and other roles like volunteer drivers are more flexible.

If you are unable to give a set time commitment, perhaps Occasional Volunteering may be suitable for you where you can choose the amount of time you volunteer. 

Due to the sensitive work we carry out at Havens Hospices and our duty of care to our patients and volunteers, we do have a policy around people expressing an interest in volunteering at one of our hospices if they have experienced a recent bereavement. This is looked at and assessed on an individual basis and something that would be discussed at the informal interview.