This Volunteer’s Week, we’re saying thank you by highlighting some of the amazing volunteers who have made a real difference to patients and their families at Salisbury Hospice.
In 2022, a chance encounter left Michele with a strong desire to make a positive difference. Having spent the last four years fundraising and volunteering for Salisbury Hospice, she has become an integral part of the hospice community.
While walking through Salisbury city centre, Michele saw a young girl sitting on a bench. “She was crying, she looked so upset,” says Michele. “It can be hard to know what to do in that situation, but I couldn’t just walk past and leave her.”
Michele approached the girl and asked if she could do anything to help. The girl was happy for Michele to sit with her for a while, and the two got talking. “She told me she’d just come from the hospice with her family,” says Michele. “Her sister had just died; she was only 26.”
The conversation lingered in Michele’s thoughts as she headed home later that day; she decided she had to do something, anything, to make a difference. Not long afterwards, she got in touch with the hospice, and began volunteering in the Inpatient Unit supporting patients. She was often in the company of her beloved dog Henry, who excelled as a Pets as Therapy dog, visiting patients at their bedside.
Michele and Jeannie washing up at Hatch House Open Gardens.
“He was brilliant,” says Michele. “He would be there among the families, with the patients. He seemed to know when they were nearing the end. He’d lie on their chest, comforting them, and give them a little lick before getting down.”
Michele visited the same patients frequently, forming lasting relationships with them. “You’re not volunteering in sadness,” she says. “The patients’ illness does not define them. You get to know who they are, what their lives were like.”
Not content to stop there, Michele began fundraising for Salisbury Hospice Charity. She took part in Rotary Club of Romsey’s Walk the Test Way, braved the Fire and Glass Walk, and – perhaps her most exciting fundraising experience – completed a Wing Walk, taking to the skies on top of a biplane despite having a fear of heights! At the time, Michele commented, “I can and I shall stand on that plane with pride in my heart. It’s both an honour and privilege to volunteer at the hospice.”
Michele and Henry getting ready for Michele’s Wing Walk.
Michele has become an essential part of so many fundraising events at the hospice, including Hatch House Open Gardens and the Fabulous Family Fun Day. Often taking care of responsibilities behind-the-scenes – her washing up skills are legendary! – she demonstrates her selfless desire to give back, even in more unseen roles.
At our annual Light Up A Life service, a celebration of those we have loved and lost at Salisbury Hospice, Michele reconnected with the girl she met in Salisbury. “The family were so happy to see that I was now involved with the charity,” says Michele. Her advice to anyone thinking about volunteering? “Do it,” she says. “The help you offer is sometimes the last thing you can do for someone. It’s incredible just how grateful people are. When you have the chance to make a difference, however small, you go home feeling good.”
Thank you Michele, for your dedication and kindness – you are brilliant!
