St Nicholas Hospice Care has beaten stiff competition from over across England to win a prestigious award. The organisation’s retail volunteer placement scheme which helps disadvantaged young people was recognised above 200 other entrants by the Directory of Social Change.
The scheme offers volunteer placements to adults with learning disabilities, as well as to underprivileged people from the local community. Volunteers have been doing essential work helping to sort and process donated goods at the Retail and Fundraising Centre on the Moreton Hall Industrial Estate, Bury St Edmunds, which opened earlier this year. The Hospice worked in partnership with staff from Adult Community Services, the YMCA and the Probation service.
Barbara Gale, Chief Executive, who accepted the award says: “This award caps an amazing year for St Nicholas Hospice Care. Our Retail and Fundraising Centre is now fully operational and has been a great success story. As the central sorting base for all donated goods, it is key to all eight Hospice shop across the region.We couldn’t operate it without the volunteers from this amazing placement programme”. She added, “We always urgently need good quality donations for it, so please continue to support us.”
Voluntary Services manager Vivien Anderson says: “I’m so proud of everyone involved in this scheme. The people we’ve been working with have gained work experience and valuable life skills, and are now in a much better position to take control of their own lives. That’s down to the Hospice – an organisation funded by the community, for the community.”
The Retail and Fundraising Centre constantly requires donations of high quality furniture, clothes, books, toys and bric-a-brac. It offers a collection service for large items of furniture, as well as undertaking house clearances. For further details on these services please call 01284 747610.
