“When a friend called me in 2018 to tell me that St Wilfrid’s Hospice was looking for new Trustees for their Board, I leapt at the chance to apply!  St Wilfrid’s is a well loved and respected local hospice in West Sussex and one which I had heard so many wonderful stories about. 

I went for an interview and was successful in my application.  I was delighted, honoured and perhaps a little surprised as I have no healthcare experience at all but that was not what they were looking for at the time.  My background is marketing and communications.  Before joining the Board formally, I spent about a year on one of the Sub-Committees, Voluntary Income Generation (VIG).  I found this was a good way for me to get to know some of the Hospice team, and they me, as well as several Board members and to gain an understanding of the wide range of work the Hospice does.  To provide our services, we need about £8 million a year.  We only receive a small percentage of NHS funding, the rest comes from legacies, our retail shops and fundraising and the VIG Sub-Committee has oversight of this.  I have been on the Board now for about three years and sit on two Sub-Committees as well – Board Development and Resources.  

I have found working on the Board, the Hospice environment, staff and volunteers a very caring, supportive and nurturing one which reflects the values of St Wilfrid’s – everyone really cares and loves to be part of it.  I love being part of St Wilfrid’s and would thoroughly recommend anyone thinking of joining as a volunteer, to do it.  I have learnt so much from my colleagues on the Board, senior management team, volunteers and the work of the hospice movement – a subject I knew nothing about at the time I applied to be a Trustee but one which I now feel passionate about.”