Garden House Hospice Care

After 9.5 hours our lovely group have arrived safely at the Premier Inn in Dumbarton for dinner and an overnight stay. Ready for bed now before the big day tomorrow...

Feeling inspired to volunteer?
Join us on Wednesday 12th June 6.30pm - 8.30pm for tea, biscuits and a good old chat about flexible volunteering opportunities at the Hospice.

‪We’re proud to introduce our 3 peak challenge trekkers. This weekend they’ll be climbing Ben Nevis, Scarfell Pike and Snowdon, all in 24hours! Stay tuned for updates from the team...

Next Monday marks the start of Carers Week.
Are you a carer in the local community? Join us on Monday 10th June at the Community Arts Centre, Roaring Meg, Stevenage to receive your free Carers’ Passport Discount Card from Carers in Hertfordshire

Having a clear out?
We're looking for donations of the following items to sell in our charity shops. Every item donated, help us to continue to care for families in need in our community.
Please drop off any donations to our charity shops or Distribution Centre.
... Click here for opening times and shop locations http://bit.ly/GHHCShops
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As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to improve volunteers' wellbeing too.
A simple hour a week can make a real difference to the lives of those in our community. Want to find out more? Watch this great video from the team at Hitchin TV.

Volunteering opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. From volunteer gardeners and van driver mates to compassionate neighbours and eBay researchers we have a role for everyone. As little as an hour a week can make a real difference to the community. We’re currently urgently seeking:
• Shop Assistants for our new Biggleswade store • Administrators at our Distribution Centre • Volunteers to help with sorting and preparing donations at the Distribution Centre... • Van Driver mates • Compassionate Neighbours • Volunteer book scanners at the Distribution Centre • Weekend volunteers for our charity shops
If you’d like to find out more or know someone who can spare an hour or two a week, we’d love to hear from you! Contact 01462 679540 or email volunteers@ghhospicecare.org.uk.
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Join Home-Start Royston & South Cambridgeshire for a lunch with author Philip Birtles, who wrote 'The Past, Present and Future’ in memory of his late wife Martha, who spent time at the Garden House Hospice Care.
Philip wanted to commemorate the 25th year of the Hospice by capturing its history to share with the community, as well as looking forward into the future of the hospice.
The event will take place next Tuesday 11th June - 12.15pm at The Old Bull Inn, Royston.
... For tickets, £15 which includes a buffet lunch, or for further information please call the Home-Start office on 01763 262262, email admin@hsrsc.org.uk or book online through www.ticketsource.co.uk/hsrsc
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Mum and Daughter, Sacha and Chantelle, both volunteer for the Hospice in different areas and believe that it has made a real difference to their own lives.
Sacha is mum to four children between the ages of 17 and 4 years old. She signed up to become a Compassionate Neighbour last summer and was matched with community member, Derek, who has a chronic lung condition and reduced mobility. Sacha takes Derek out for a bacon sandwich in Hitchin one morning a week and they spend th...e morning together catching up when Derek’s wife Sue does her shopping.
Sacha said: “My youngest child started at nursery in September and I had some time on my hands and wanted to make a difference. My neighbour, who works at the Hospice suggested I become a Compassionate Neighbour.
“I’m inspired by Derek, as it’s such a struggle for him to get out, but, he’s still so positive and doesn’t let anything get him down. I genuinely enjoy spending time with Sue and Derek and see them more as friends.
“I really respect the work the Hospice does and I would like to do more. I’ve gained a lot from it and never think of volunteering as a chore – even my youngest daughter, Bella aged 9 knows about Compassionate Neighbours!”
Sacha’s daughter Chantelle (17) became a volunteer in the Garden House Hospice Care Shop at Fairfield in Stotfold when it opened last December. When her start date at the Air Force was deferred last September, Chantelle decided she’d like to do some volunteering work as well as working two other part-time jobs.
Chantelle who volunteers 4 hours every week said: “I think it’s great to do something productive for a good cause. I could really see how my volunteering work was helping when I attended my induction morning at the Hospice.
“ I look forward to doing my shifts and the great thing is I am meeting people I would never have crossed paths with in my own life and I feel inspired by them.”
If you’d like to find out more about Compassionate Neighbours and volunteering opportunities, we’d love to hear from you! Contact 01462 679540 or email volunteers@ghhospicecare.org.uk.
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If you think your dad is a superhero, why not reward him with a ticket for a truly spectacular event this Father’s Day?
Watch him fly through the sky and soar above the London skyline from over two hundred feet at our spectacular abseil challenge!
Gift your Superdad something different this year! ... Click here to join us on 30th June for this epic challenge: http://bit.ly/GHHCAbseil
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Local Hitchin and Harpenden MP, Bim Afolami recently visited the Hospice to find out more about the work of our staff and volunteers in the Hospice and out in our community.
Bim said “What I have seen here is amazing, I would encourage everybody to come and be part of it by working as a volunteer here or in one of the shops that the Hospice has.”
If you’d like to find out more about volunteering opportunities this Volunteers’ Week, contact the team on 01462 679540 or visit www.ghhospicecare.org.uk

Highlights from the day courtesy of Hitchin Camera Club, Jeremy Lintott, Martin Wootton, Alan Close, Des Waterfall and our Hospice Photographer. More photos coming soon!

Did you know that we have over 600 volunteers at the Hospice? Each and every volunteer is a vital member of our Hospice family, and they make such a difference to the community we serve.
We asked some of our volunteers why they volunteer…

What an amazing day! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the first Great Hertfordshire AONB Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and kiddies course at the stunning Offley Place. With sunshine, smiles and a lot of determination to get up those hills, it was a fantastic event and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Huge thanks to everyone involved with the event and a special shout out to all of our volunteers and Marshall’s for cheering on the hundreds today! Please continue to help us reach our fundraising target by sharing your sponsorship pages, after today’s challenge you certainly deserve the support 🏆
Here’s a few highlights from today. Stay tuned for event photos this week 📸

Fancy some Sunday shopping? Our Fairfield shop is now open every Sunday! Join us tomorrow to pick up a summer bargain from 10-4 at 3 Beeton Court, Dickens Boulevard, Stotfold, SG5 4GW 🛍

Today marks the start of Volunteers’ Week. We’ve been speaking to our Director of HR and Volunteering, Laura Burt, about the importance of volunteering at Garden House Hospice Care. Laura said:
“Our volunteers are absolutely vital to continue the work we do at the Hospice. What astonishes me is the number of volunteers we have that give up their time, come rain or shine to work in our shops, Distribution Centre, at the Hospice, in the Community or supporting at events.
“Our... strap line as a Hospice is 'Started by the Community, Serving the Community, Sustained by the Community' and none more so is that the case in our volunteering team. From one hour per week to hours on end, these volunteers make a huge difference and save us over £500,000 a year in staffing costs which we wouldn't be able to sustain. Our patients, carers, family members and friends may not get to meet all our volunteers but on behalf of everyone that accesses our services, a HUGE thank you to our valiant volunteers that help our Hospice to continue to support our community, now and in the future.”
Here are some special messages from our Hospice staff wishing all our volunteers a happy Volunteers’ Week!
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