St Vincent’s Hospice has been awarded the prestigious Volunteer Friendly Award.

Local Councillor Iain McMillan presented the award today to delighted Hospice staff and volunteers in a brief ceremony at the Hospice in Howwood.

Photo1 vol friendly

“The real stars,” he said, “are the volunteers themselves.  It’s so easy to sit at home and not bother, but it’s terrific that so many people do turn out to help St Vincent’s in so many different ways.”

Photo2 vol friendly

The Volunteer Friendly Award is an important quality standard which recognises charities and community groups who are excellent at involving volunteers, lead best practice in volunteering offer good volunteering opportunities and experiences.

It recognises and supports volunteers in making a fantastic, essential and valuable contribution to people both in the hospice and wider community.

Elaine Grealey, Volunteer Services Manager at St Vincent’s said “I’m extremely proud of the achievements of the volunteer team to date. This award demonstrates a real commitment from St Vincent’s Hospice to recognise how valuable our volunteer team is.  We could not function without them, their dedication and support is unquestionable and I look forward to working alongside our volunteers in the future developing new opportunities”

St Vincent’s currently has a team of 241 exceptional volunteers, who work tirelessly across the organisation to support all areas of its work, from our retail teams in the Hospice shops across Renfrewshire to kitchen support, admin and housekeeping within the hospice itself –  to name just a few.  This award is a credit to them, as without them we could not offer the services we do.”

The presentation was also attended by Jacqueline Carroll, Head of Finance at Engage Renfrewshire, who said “It is wonderful to see volunteers being recognised for the work they do.  Engage Renfrewshire is proud to support the Hospice in the next stage of developing its volunteers.”

If you would like to find out more about becoming a volunteer at St Vincent’s Hospice please get in touch with Elaine Grealey or Christine Haddock on 01505 705635 or email volunteering@svh.co.uk