Celebrating the incredible contributions of Nottingham hospitals’ long-serving volunteers
In the year we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service, 100 volunteers who provide invaluable support for patients, their families and staffs across Nottingham’s hospitals were recognised for their outstanding dedication.
One volunteer – Bow Heath, who supports the stoma clinic at Nottingham City Hospital – was recognised for an amazing four decades of service after being diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease at the age of 10.
The special event was to thank the volunteers from Nottingham’s hospitals, who are aged between 16 and 90, for their long service.100 of the Trust’s 1,600 volunteers were recognised at today’s awards ceremony for between 5 and 35 years’ service. The event was held during National Volunteers’ Week and was sponsored by the QMC League of Friends and Nottingham City Hospital League of Friends charities.
Tracy Taylor, NUH Chief Executive, said: “It is a pleasure to be here at my first volunteer long service awards at NUH to celebrate your dedication and loyalty to the Trust. We have people here today who have volunteered at Nottingham’s hospitals for five years and up to an incredible thirty five years. Volunteers are vital members of Team NUH and I feel very privileged to have been invited to be part of these celebrations with you.”
Jo Oliver who has volunteered at QMC’s front desk for over 15 years said: “I find volunteering at the hospital so rewarding as I really enjoy helping people. Today’s event was lovely and a great opportunity to celebrate with other volunteers.”
Rajiv Hasan, volunteer for Nottingham Hospitals’ Radio, today celebrated 18 years of long service. He said: “I’ve always had a passion for radio and volunteering somewhere where you can make a difference is motivating and has helped me develop new skills as a radio host, build confidence and has made me feel part of the local community. Radio is a pleasurable distraction for patients on our hospital wards. I feel privileged to be part of a team who are able to deliver that distraction to our patients.”
See more of our photos from the afternoons celebrations here
If you are interested in volunteering at our hospitals, visit our volunteers pages here