A spare three hours a week is all it takes to develop a new social circle and spend time doing something fun while developing new skills - while making a huge difference in Bolton.
Just ask the Bolton Hospice volunteers.
The hospice is urgently seeking volunteers to help run their charity shops.
Bolton Hospice has 10 charity shops across Bolton, as well as The Old Bank Café in Astley Bridge, a gift shop located at Bolton Hospice in the Wellbeing Hub reception area and an online eBay store.
Bolton Wanderers legend John McGinlay helps Bolton Hospice
There are various roles available from shop floor volunteers, to PAT testers, café volunteers and van drivers.
Bolton Hospice relies on donations to provide the care so need to patients and their families.
Senior shop manager at Bolton Hospice's shop in Astley Bridge, Amanda Kendall, from Horwich, said: “Some shops are struggling to open on some days. Here at this shop we’re quite lucky, but I know the Tonge Moor shop is struggling, as is the Bury Road on
“But all the shops need more volunteers.”
She added: “We do have a lot of ages coming into the shop. People come through the doors and like to see what can be had.
Read more: 30 ways you can help to raise some cheer and help Bolton Hospice
“I heard a lady come in today and say ‘ooh that’s designer’ about a piece of clothing.”
Lorraine Naylor, aged 62, from Bromley Cross, said it was a great way to make friends and be social.
Alison Crossley,from Bromley Cross, said: “We were saying earlier, it is a nice social.”
Lorraine added: “We’ve been out for a coffee, got to meet up.
“If you’ve got spare time, and the girls here are lovely.
Read more: Bolton Hospice receives large donation which will help its in-patients
“Everybody is friendly here. If you can just spare three hours a week, that’s all I do, that’s perfect.
“We’ve got a Whatsapp group, if someone needs us to look out for a certain thing then we can. Her (Alison) granddaughter’s nursery wants prams, although of course we haven’t had any today!”
Alison said: “You’re helping people - I really like books, so I can go on the floor and help people find what they want.
“If somebody’s on their own, widowed, divorced, and need company, this is the perfect place.”
Lorraine added: “It’s a lovely shop. You can go to the café and then have a browse...the quiche!”
Liz Atty, from Sharples, said: “I volunteered at another shop for 30 years and then it closed. I love it, I love coming out, and we have a great time on the Tuesday.
Hilary Ainsworth,from Bromley Cross, said: “It’s rewarding, it’s fulfilling, and it’s good to feel useful.
“You meet lovely people from all walks of life, we’ve got a headmistress, a bank manager for example.
“What makes me come back is the camaraderie between the team of people.”
Julie Paradine, from Bromley Cross, said: “It’s the friends that you make and the relationship between the people that you’re working with on the day.
“I started here when it was just coming out of lockdown, it was all you could do.”
Read more: The wife of a terminally ill man to do a charity wing walk to thank hospice
Alice Atkinson, Director of Income Generation and Communications, said: “Bolton Hospice’s charity shops are the single biggest source of income to the hospice, set to contribute around £1.6 million this year.
The last quarter of 2022 saw the busiest trading period in our 30 year history, with demand from customers higher than ever before.
We believe that, as well as generating much needed income to fund the hospice’s services, our charity shops have an important role in helping members of our local community cope with the impact of the cost of living crisis, by providing affordable clothing, furniture, homewares and more.
Our plans for 2023 focus on making improvements to our retail operation to build on our previous success, ensuring each of our shops deliver an excellent customer experience. We will also be concentrating on sustaining the volume of generous donations of stock we receive from our supporters, and on recruiting and retaining our wonderful volunteers.
Thank you to each and every volunteer who kindly gifts their time to help raise vital funds for Bolton Hospice – we couldn’t do it without your valuable help!”
Adrian Vickers, Head of Retail at Bolton Hospice joined the hospice in September 2022.
“There’s never been a better time to volunteer with the Bolton Hospice retail team as we develop our retail operations in 2023. We’re always looking for people to volunteer in our retail shops across Bolton but we’re also looking for people to volunteer in areas that you may not have thought of!
Perhaps you can spare some time to drive one of our cars or vans. Maybe you’re experienced in maintenance and electrical testing, or perhaps you’d like to help out in our café, preparing parcels for our eBay store or in an admin role at head office?
Our volunteers really are the lifeblood of the retail team at Bolton Hospice and we pride ourselves on our friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Around a quarter of the revenue required to run Bolton Hospice comes from our shops, café and online area so volunteering really does make a difference!”
When you become a Bolton Hospice volunteer, you're not only helping Bolton Hospice to continue caring for local people living with life-limiting illnesses, and their families, you're giving yourself the opportunity to learn new skills, grow in confidence, and make life-long friends. You'll receive lots of training and support to help you thrive in your new role, and be immediately welcomed into the wonderful community of existing volunteers.
If you'd like to volunteer with Bolton Hospice but are unsure which role would be the best fit, please get in touch to discuss the different opportunities in more detail. For shop volunteering opportunities contact our shops team at shopsco-ordinator@boltonhospice.org or on 01204 663063.
You can apply online to become a volunteer here: https://www.boltonhospice.org.uk/shop-volunteer-enquiry-form
If you’re unable to gift your time to help the hospice, you can help by donating pre-loved items to sell in their charity shops. You can book a free home collection on 01204 663 063 or fill in the online form: https://www.boltonhospice.org.uk/book-free-home-collection
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article