Meet Yvonne – Reception Volunteer

Yvonne joined the Cornwall Hospice Care team in 2015, giving her time as a Reception Volunteer at our Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell. 

She took some time out of her volunteer shift to tell us more about her background, why she decided to give the gift of her time and what she gets from her volunteer role with us.

What were you doing before you became a volunteer?

I was a practice manager at a GP surgery, consisting of 4 GPs, a team of admin staff, practice nurses and phlebotomists. I was working there for 42 years, the last 22 years as a practice manager.

What inspired you to become a volunteer?

Retirement made me think of volunteering opportunities.  I looked at the Volunteer Cornwall website and decided to volunteer at the hospice as my mum had her end of life care there and I realised what an amazing place it was and this gave me the means to give something back.

What do you get out of being a volunteer?

Volunteering brings structure to my week and is a win/win for both the hospice and myself. I have known several people who just give up when they retire and it was always my aim to do something worthwhile with my spare time.  I have worked all my life and the prospect of doing nothing was a little daunting.

Want to find out more about our Hospice Reception volunteer role?  Click here to see a full role description.