1 minute read
I feel like I’m doing my bit for my local community
Fran Clark has been volunteering for Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice for the past 11 years – ever since she retired from a career as a messenger for the Cabinet Office. Fran volunteers three mornings a week at the hospice’s main donation centre in Welling, and says the lovely people she’s met through her role have made a big difference to her life.
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“When retired early at the age of 62 back in February 2011 it was quite scary,” Fran says. “I like being busy. That’s why I walked into my local Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice shop and filled out a volunteer application before I’d even given up work.”
“I didn’t have any personal experience of the amazing work they do, but since then I’ve been lucky to meet some of the nurses and have visited the hospice. It’s nice to feel that as a volunteer I’m doing my bit for my local community.”
Fran started by sorting through donated clothes and items in the Welling hospice shop but then moved to the hospice warehouse just down the road. At this main donation centre a dedicated volunteer team carefully sort items donated by the public.
“It’s amazing the things people give,” Fran reveals. “We’ve had Victoria Beckham jeans come in before and recently a brand-new Versace children’s dress.”
“Even if items aren’t good enough quality to sell we add them to the ‘rag bags.’ It’s all money for the hospice.”
Fran says that she gains a great deal from volunteering, including meeting friends from a wide range of backgrounds.
“I’ve met some lovely people through the hospice,” she says. “Currently I volunteer with a lady who used to work for the jobs and benefits office and another who was a primary school teacher. We share stories and chat about everything.”
“It’s the people who make the experience for me – that and knowing we make a difference. I’ll carry on volunteering for as long as I can and I’d recommend it to anyone.”
