Meet the husband-and-wife teams volunteering for Dougie Mac

“It makes me proud to be able to give something back to the hospice.”

Karen Smith’s dad, John Pickston, was cared for by Dougie Mac palliative nurses before he passed away in 2020.

Eager to show her appreciation for the care and support her dad and the family received; Karen took part in various events to raise funds for our services before deciding to become a volunteer.

She now volunteers at some of our events throughout the year, is a collection box agent and volunteers alongside her husband, Hadrian, in our Service Centre where she sorts and scans through books to sell on World of Books with some going to our eBay shop.

She said: “My dad had pulmonary fibrosis, stage 4 kidney failure and vasculitis and passed away in February 2020 just a few days before his 85th birthday.

“He received the most outstanding care from the Hospice at Home team, and I don’t know how we would’ve got through it all without the support of the wonderful nurses.

“I used to take part in various Dougie Mac events – such as the Moonlight Walk and the Dougie Mac 5k walk – and over the years have managed to raise around £2,500.

“I have been volunteering for two years, and I absolutely love it. I currently care for my mum and work part-time as an administrator to a financial adviser, so I have the time to do a few hours a week. It’s nice to think I am helping Dougie Mac in some way.

“I feel volunteering is an important role because we can do the job that staff can do freeing them up to do other things.

“I would encourage other people to become a volunteer if they can. You can do as much or as little as you want. It’s such a positive thing to do and it’s lovely to work with others who are appreciative, helpful and friendly.

“Since volunteering, Hadrian and I have made good friends so there is a social side to it too. I’m more outgoing than Hadrian so volunteering has brought him out of himself. It’s such a pleasant place to be and we absolutely love volunteering together.”

Dougie Mac has more than 700 volunteers who give their time in departments across the hospice including retail, finance, fundraising, gardening, catering and wellbeing services.

Val and Steve Cook volunteer alongside Karen and Hadrian in the Service Centre and the four have become friends. Val also volunteers in the Inpatient Unit one morning a week where she helps serve refreshments. The couple also volunteer at events throughout the year and are happy to step in to help Dougie Mac whenever needed.

Val said: “We both started volunteering for Dougie Mac about 18 months ago after we retired and we love it. When you have been working for so long and retire you lose that routine, so we thought volunteering would bring that routine back for us.

“We volunteer in the Service Centre on a Monday morning where I sort and scan the CDs and DVDs and Steve sorts through items that have come back from the shops. Some of the items are sent for recycling and some of them are moved on to sell on our eBay shop.

“Steve volunteers in the Service Centre each Thursday morning and I volunteer in IPU where I go round with the water and tea trolley and collect the dinner list. I also help serve the lunches and I thoroughly enjoy it.”

Steve continued: “It’s nice to volunteer as it gives us both a change of scenery. It also keeps me young and fit! My dad was in the Dougie Mac and I have lived in the area all my life so have seen the Hospice built and progress to what it is today – so we certainly feel like we are giving something back.”

For more information about volunteering at Dougie Mac, please visit dougiemac.org.uk/volunteering