Join Our Volunteer Team
The excellent care at Priscilla Bacon Lodge is provided by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust. The Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity provides equipment and services which further enhance this care.
Whilst we work in harmony together, there are different volunteer roles available within each organisation. Click on the logos below to see the available roles for each one:
Making a difference together
With your help, we can continue to provide essential support to patients and their families receiving palliative care. Whether you’re passionate about supporting our retail operation, fundraising efforts, contributing your time at Priscilla Bacon Lodge, or in the gardens, there’s a role for you to play in our dedicated team of volunteers.
Why volunteer with us?
Becoming a volunteer isn’t just about giving back; it’s also an opportunity for personal growth and can help with career development.
Here are just a few of the potential benefits:
- Increase confidence: Step out of your comfort zone and discover new found confidence in your abilities.
- Join a supportive team: Become an essential part of our team, where your unique skills and talents are valued and appreciated.
- Expand your social circle: Forge new connections and make friends who share your passion for helping others.
We offer a diverse range of volunteer roles to suit different interests and schedules.
Testimonials
Some of our volunteers have kindly shared what it’s like to volunteer with us, and their reasons for doing so:
As a Volunteer Ambassador, I give talks to different groups of people, to help increase awareness of the Charity and encourage people to donate. I am also an Events Volunteer, and a Collector.
I often volunteer with my wife, Alexandra. She and I were incredibly proud to be invited to Buckingham Palace in 2018, to attend one of the Queen’s Garden Parties in honour of our voluntary work.
The reason I got involved with volunteering for the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity is that Alexandra is a retired Registered Nurse, and she spent the final years of her career as a Specialist Palliative Care Nurse. I learnt of the incredible work that takes place, and how the care does not just focus on the patient, but supports the whole family. I knew my wife was able to make a positive difference to people’s lives, so I wanted to help make a difference too. Supporting hospice care for the people of Norfolk seemed the obvious choice.
In 2020, I was thrilled to win ‘Charity Hero of the Year’ at the EDP’s Stars of Norfolk and Waveney Awards, for dedication and services to end-of-life care as an Ambassador for the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity. You can read the EDP article about it here.
Volunteering is an amazing way of spending a few free hours, knowing that what you are doing is going to make an incredible difference. I would recommend anyone interested should give it a go. Aside from the knowing I am making a difference, I love meeting and chatting to new people, hearing about the difference Priscilla Bacon Lodge has made to their loved ones, and also eating cake at events!
I was first introduced to Priscilla Bacon Lodge in 2010, when my husband Andy was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He attended weekly sessions at the Day Unit, and spent his final days an an inpatient, dying at the Lodge in March 2014.
After receiving bereavement counselling, I started volunteering in 2015 and helped in a variety of roles, including on reception and in the Day Unit. I also fundraise for the Charity and have placed over 200 collection tins in establishments around the county. I continue to volunteer on reception and at various events.
Volunteering has been the happiest, most rewarding thing I have ever done. Priscilla Bacon Lodge is a very special place, where we all help in our own way to improve the lives of the patients and their loved ones. I urge anyone with a few spare hours to get in touch.
Enjoy gardening? Got a few spare hours per week? Want to give something back to the community? I answered yes, yes and yes – and that’s how I became a garden volunteer at Priscilla Bacon Lodge.
It all started when my wife met up with her volunteer friends for a coffee. She had volunteered at Priscilla Bacon Lodge pre-Covid and she decided to go back. One of the opportunities arising when the new building opened was in the wonderful gardens that were being developed on the 8-acre site. As we are both keen amateur gardeners, it was a chance for us to be involved and to work on something together now that we are semi-retired.
We started in August 2023, a few weeks before anyone moved into the new Lodge. The first phase of planting had been completed and our immediate challenge was to remove the flourishing collection of weeds, edge the lawned areas and generally make sure that the gardens were ready for patients, visitors and staff who arrived in September. Our team of two was soon expanded with more volunteers plus, of course, Head Gardener Jack, and we have since helped with the second phase of general planting, planted hundreds of bulbs, pruned and tidied ready for the winter months. There is much to look forward to in the future, as more of the outside area is developed.
We both enjoy giving something back, (I have worked in and around the NHS for over 35 years), and it is always heartening when patients and visitors comment on enjoying looking at and spending time in the gardens. Volunteering is such a rewarding experience – so much that my wife Adele also has a stint on reception once a week!
My reasons for volunteering for the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity are personal and close to my heart. My Dad attended Priscilla Bacon Lodge after his cancer diagnosis and subsequent deterioration in heath. He attended the day centre, and latterly, stayed for longer periods. The level of care and support offered to him and the immediately family was second to none. Thinking back to that difficult time, I don’t know how we would have managed without having the kindness and love that was provided.
When I had the opportunity to offer my time, I knew I wanted to give back and help in some small way to say thank you. Unfortunately, most people will be affected by cancer, and the people of Norfolk are very fortunate to have Priscilla Bacon Lodge. It is vital to support the long term future of this special hospice. I feel honoured and proud to devote my time to this very special cause.
I love volunteering because I know I am supporting the future of an amazing hospice. I feel appreciated for the contribution I make, and I come away with a great feeling of satisfaction to know that I have made, albeit in a small way, a difference to someone’s life. The vibe is always positive and relaxed, with friendly like-minded volunteers which, for me, has opened up a new circle of friends. And of course, there’s always a supply of coffee and cake!
Volunteering could be a positive way to improve mental health. For anyone feeling daunted by the prospect of retirement and life beyond the 9 to 5, volunteering is a perfect way to bridge that gap. Similarly, anyone living alone may enjoy the social interactions whilst supporting a worthwhile cause.
I call volunteering my ‘job’, and I absolutely love it. I’ve learned so much about antiques, silver marks, designer labels, and spotting hidden treasures. I’ve made so many lovely, caring friends; and the team enjoy my cakes and scones too!
As volunteers, we choose to be here because we enjoy it; we don’t have to do it, and that’s what makes it special. I always say I’m ‘going to work’ on a Friday, because that’s how I see it. We chat, we laugh, and we support each other through life’s ups and downs. I even make sure there’s a spare scone for one of our volunteers who’s lost his wife. I think any company would be proud to have a team as enthusiastic as ours.