Have you ever considered volunteering? asks the volunteers services manager of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

With the start of a new year are you looking for a resolution? Have you ever considered volunteering?, writes Andy Tysoe, voluntary services manager at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Across our hospitals in Lincoln, Boston and Grantham we have an amazing team of around 200 volunteers who provide valuable support to our patients and staff. During 2023 they dedicated more than 37,000 hours of their time and helped 150,000 people. The really are amazing.

The Trust has a wide range of volunteering opportunities, from patient facing to office based administrative roles. We can work around you and your availability. There really is something for everyone. The longest serving volunteer has been with the Trust for 28 years which is truly awesome.

Our volunteers talk about the immense satisfaction they get from helping others, as well as the friendship and the sense of pride and knowing at the end of the day that they have made a real difference. They can be identified with their bright yellow tops and as far as I am concerned they are worth their weight in gold.

This year has been hugely successful for our volunteers and the continued support they provide is truly inspiring. We are now recruiting two new voluntary services supervisors to help increase our recruitment even further and to support our amazing volunteers.

I want to offer a massive thank you to all our volunteers, their work not only supports our patients and their families, but also staff too. I personally look forward to seeing what 2024 brings.

To find out more about volunteering for ULHT please contact Voluntary.Services@ulh.nhs.uk or visit www.ulh.nhs.uk/jobs/working-for-us/volunteering/.