The Nettlebed Hospice is urging local people to step forward and find their Perfect Fit — a volunteering opportunity to suit them. Since its launch 18 months ago, the Perfect Fit campaign has been reminding people of the many different roles they can play to support their local hospice. From helping on reception, to assisting in Nettlebed’s Day Therapy with fundraising events, including the popular Saturday sales events, there is an opportunity to suit everybody.

The hospice, run by Sue Ryder Care, provides specialist palliative care for people in Oxfordshire. The hospice reaches hundreds of people every year, helping them to get the best from life, whatever their condition.

A total of 11 million people in the UK are affected by the conditions that Sue Ryder Care Hospices care for.

Tracey Mealing, Sue Ryder Care’s volunteering manager, said: “Volunteering used to be something that people did when they retired. Over the years, though, volunteering has become more diverse and professional. In today’s increasingly socially responsible environment, volunteering is viewed in a positive way by prospective employers too.

"Whether you want to be a researcher with our Health Informatics Service, a befriender in one of our care centres, or a volunteer at one of our charity shops, we are committed to finding the opportunity that matches your skills and interests.”

Nora Haycock, 69, from Wallingford, found her Perfect Fit and has been volunteering more than three years. Nora volunteers one afternoon a week on the reception desk, welcoming relatives of patients and other visitors, answering the telephone, and looking after the shop.

“I really enjoy volunteering," said Nora. "The staff and volunteers are all very friendly, put me at ease straightaway and made me feel part of the team. It’s so rewarding as I see first-hand the difference the excellent care provided at the hospice makes to the lives of patients and their families. I’d recommend it to everybody.” Heather Aldridge, palliative care services manager at Sue Ryder Care, said: “We are very lucky to have a committed core of volunteers who make an enormous contribution and help reduce our costs but we urgently need more local people to donate a few hours of their time.

"With the support of volunteers, we can focus on delivering expert and compassionate palliative care to people living with progressive, far advanced life-limiting diseases, including cancer. Whether people want to give something back because they have been touched by the charity, or simply to add essential experience to their CV, there is a role to suit everybody.”

To find out more about volunteering at Sue Ryder Care — Nettlebed, call 01491 641384 (ext 233). For more information about Sue Ryder Care visit www.suerydercare.org