We would like to take this opportunity to share some words from our current volunteers, and a message from our CEO Nicola Myers on the difference volunteering makes to St Teresa’s Hospice.

John, Volunteer Host:

“After having recently retired, I found myself with time on my hands – time that I wanted to use for the benefit of others. I’d previously been aware of the wonderful service provided by St Teresa’s so wanted to explore the possibility of helping in some small way. The exploration was successful! I have been given the opportunity to volunteer here as a Reception Host and I’m delighted!”

“For me, the enjoyment of volunteering at St Teresa’s comes from trying to help as many people as possible (patients, visitors, staff and other volunteers) in any way that I can.”

“Everyone has different experiences and different things to offer others, it’s a privilege to volunteer here. One of the most satisfying experiences is when you are able to welcome visitors who’ve never been here before. They’re sometimes a little nervous and apprehensive, so it’s quite rewarding to try and make them feel at ease, and especially rewarding when you see them leave looking a lot more relaxed than when they arrived!”

Alice*, Retail Volunteer:

“I have always been interested in charity work and giving back to the community.”

“Following retirement, I decided to undertake volunteering work and reached out to Emma, who manages my local St Teresa’s Hospice shop, six years ago to see if she needed any help. She provided me with the relevant information and welcomed me with open arms. Emma has always been kind, polite and supportive, going out of her way to help. I quickly became embedded in the team. Through my work and her I met a number of lovely people and I look forward attending every Monday to help out. My time here gives my week structure and purpose.”

*Name changed at volunteer’s request.

Linda Smith, Finance Volunteer:

“I enjoy the flexibility of volunteering in the finance department. I currently come in for a couple of hours twice a week and it’s easy to fit around my schedule. I like that I’m keeping up with the skills I used when I used to run the till and balance books when working in a bank.” 

“You can’t put a price on the friendships you’ve made here. I feel like I’m not just a volunteer, I’m part of the team.”

Nicola Myers, CEO, says, ”Volunteers play a vital role in all aspects of our hospice. Their time, compassion, skills and commitment make a real difference to patients, families and everyone we support across our community.”

“Over the past year, with their support, we have been able to care for nearly 1,200 people across our community. Behind every one of those moments of care and support is the commitment of our volunteers – whether in our shops and warehouse, out and about fundraising, welcoming people on reception, on our Board, supporting our non-clinical teams or working alongside our clinical services. Across every part of the hospice, their time and dedication make a real and lasting difference.”

“The impact of their contribution is clear:

• 100% of our service users would recommend our hospice to their friends and family
• 97% of patients achieved their preferred place of care

These outcomes simply would not be possible without them.”

Find out more about volunteering at St Teresa’s Hospice.

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It all started in 1987, when Eileen decided to take on the Great North Run for the first time. Realising she would be able to raise money for charity in the process, Eileen settled on St Teresa’s Hospice after her sister-in-law, who was a trustee of the hospice, told her about the new hospice movement that had just started in Darlington. After taking part in her first Great North Run, Eileen went on to complete the race an incredible 16 times – 15 in aid of St Teresa’s! Working at a butcher’s in Haughton at the time, Eileen would keep a sponsorship form in her pocket in the months leading up to her next race and was amazed by the generous support of her regular customers.

“I did my last Great North Run in 2005. You just can’t beat the day. The atmosphere, the people, it’s like nothing else.”

Over the years, Eileen has continued to fundraise through car boot sales, raffles, sponsored walks, bucket collections and all sorts of fundraising events. Since our digital records began in 1996, Eileen has raised over £17,000 for St Teresa’s Hospice!

Alongside her fundraising efforts, Eileen began volunteering for our Hospice at Home service. Eileen would visit patients, chatting with them and playing board games to keep them company on an afternoon. She often offered carers much-needed respite – on occasion, Eileen still sees some of the family members of patients she used to visit, as they have since become keen fundraisers themselves. When St Teresa’s opened a day hospice, Eileen would pick up patients from their homes in the morning so they could attend craft groups and enjoy a midday meal at the hospice, before taking them home again.

For the past few years, Eileen has been volunteering as a Volunteer Host on our Inpatient Unit.

“I love knowing I can make people feel more relaxed when coming to visit, and I love being able to help comfort people when they have lost a loved one.”

“I absolutely adore volunteering, I would recommend anyone to do it, because it’s very rewarding.”

Find out more about volunteering at St Teresa’s Hospice.

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Through doing this, Linda met the hospice CEO at the time, Jane Bradshaw MBE. At Jane’s invitation, Linda joined the hospice ball committee in 1996 and helped organise the first St Teresa’s Hospice ball, held in 1997. The first ball, which was James Bond themed, was just the start for Linda, who then got involved in every ball up until 2020.  

During her time at St Teresa’s Hospice, Linda has been involved with nearly every aspect of fundraising. Working closely with the previous Fundraising Manager, David Jones, Linda recalls particularly enjoying the RAF Dinners, where she would travel to Leeming and help sell raffle tickets during the night. Linda has also been a massive part of the Giving To Life Tree each December, hosted by the Cornmill Centre, Darlington, and will be part of it again this year, it’s 25th year running. 

As a member of Darlington Operatic Society (DOS), long-time supporters of the hospice, Linda has been involved in fundraising efforts that have helped raise over £141,000 for St Teresa’s since records began in 1996! Serving as Treasurer for DOS, Linda was involved with a fundraising campaign for one of the first inpatient rooms in 1998. She still holds bucket collections at the theatre, at DOS shows, and the current DOS committee has recently launched a campaign to raise £10, 000 to fund a day of care at St Teresa’s Hospice this year.

As well as taking part in all sorts of fundraising activities, Linda has been volunteering in the hospice Finance Department since she began her journey with St Teresa’s in 1996.  

“I enjoy the flexibility of volunteering in the Finance Department. I currently come in for a couple of hours twice a week and it’s easy to fit around my schedule. I like that I’m keeping up with the skills I used when I used to run the till and balance books at the bank.” 

“You can’t put a price on the friendships you’ve made here. I feel like I’m not just a volunteer, I’m part of the team.” 

Throughout the years, Linda has been an incredible asset to the hospice. Hospice Finance Manager, Kirsty Woods, says, “Linda is a star! She has been a valued member of the Finance team, faithfully supporting the hospice for over 30 years. Every week, Linda dedicates a couple of hours to processing the cash donations we receive.  Her previous experience in the banking sector is invaluable, and she approaches every task with great care and attention to detail. We would be lost without her bubbly personality, positive attitude and kind nature. Thank you, Linda, for everything you do.”

Reflecting on her time with the hospice, Linda encourages others to consider volunteering and experience it for themselves. 

“If you’re thinking of volunteering at the hospice – just do it! You’ll be pleasantly surprised, you’ll be very welcomed, and there is something for everybody.” 

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Margaret, a twin, has lived in Cockerton her whole life, since she was born in 1946. She has been part of St Teresa’s Hospice for over 37 years now, nearly from the very beginning. Margaret started with the Hospice at Home Sitting Service, doing the overnight shift. Margaret recalled that “I would be picked up by a driver a 6 pm and taken home at 6 am. The neighbours started asking me about this guy I would get into a car with every night, so I had to have some fun and called him ‘darling’ after this.”

“I have so many memories of my time working with the Hospice at Home Team. Going into people’s homes was so humbling.”

“One patient I remember well is Michael. He was only 42, a massive Manchester United fan. He had an aggressive brain tumour. I knew he loved the team, so I wanted to do something for him. I wrote to the team, and a few weeks later, I got a pre-recorded tape back. It had obviously been sitting on a shelf waiting to be posted out. I didn’t think this was good enough, so I called them back, again and again, until I got through to Alex Ferguson’s secretary eventually. I told her that the tape hadn’t mentioned Michael’s name at all. I asked them to send something addressed to him. They then sent him signatures and other stuff back, with his actual name.”

“I just felt that it was important to acknowledge Michael personally, as an individual. That’s all I had wanted. He has a name; he is important. To see Michael’s face when we gave it to him made all the hassle worthwhile. Michael died 3 weeks later.”

After she stopped working, Margaret continued to volunteer for St Teresa’s Hospice and has been a staple each year at our Giving To Life Tree. Margaret recalls meeting Micheals wife again, many years later at our tree.

“The most important thing you have to give is time.”

Thank you, Margaret, for the difference you have made to so many over the years.

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We took some time to speak to one long-standing volunteer, Aileen, about her time here with St Teresa’s Hospice.

Aileen began her journey as volunteer coordinator in 1996 and has witnessed the hospice’s evolution from its early days at Harewood House to the development of the state-of-the-art Woodlands facility.

“I first came to the hospice looking for a worthwhile project while completing a college course,” Aileen recalls. “I had to write 10,000 words and needed a job but didn’t have one. I wanted to do a job that was worthwhile and wanted to work for a charity. I asked the hospice if they had anything I could do as a project, and I ended up helping the hospice at home team and the recruitment team.”

“After the project, I was asked to continue and was given the opportunity to help with volunteer recruitment. Because I still had children at home, I only had 12 hours a week to give, but they were happy with that and allowed me to be flexible. Over the years, my role grew alongside the hospice, and it’s been a privilege to support so many people in different ways.”

Aileen has been instrumental in shaping the hospice’s volunteer services. From day hospice and inpatient care to community outreach, gardening, retail, and even recruiting volunteer drivers, she has ensured that every aspect of patient and family care is supported.

Since 2000, Aileen has been volunteering with our Family Support and Bereavement Team. She completed some training with a counsellor at the hospice and helped with drop-in sessions and seeing people at home, running groups and one-to-one sessions, helping people navigate life after loss. More recently, Aileen has also been helping the MS group each week.

“The care in the hospice is hugely different compared to the care provided in a hospital setting or even a care home, as they often don’t have the time to sit with people and listen. I think it is a big benefit of having volunteers here who have the capability and time. I think they really make a huge difference in terms of support you get at the hospice, in so many ways.”

Aileen’s contributions extend behind the scenes as well. With a background in NHS catering, she introduced systems to ensure patients were well-fed and comfortable, from the bedside meal service to table settings at the day hospice. Her efforts highlight the hospice’s ethos of personalised care.

 “Volunteers make a huge difference in supporting the hospice and our patients,” Aileen explains. “They provide the extra time and care that staff might not always be able to give. It’s about listening, being alongside someone, and understanding that every visit matters.”

As the hospice celebrates four decades of service, the focus remains on the people who make it possible – the volunteers, staff, and community who have contributed to its mission of compassionate care.

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Volunteers’ Week returns this year for the 42^nd year. From Monday 1 to Sunday 7 June 2026, St Teresa’s Hospice will join thousands of charities and voluntary organisations recognising the contribution volunteers make across the UK.

Running every year since 1984, the week provides a crucial opportunity to thank volunteers and recognise the value of their time, passion and skills. The campaign highlights the diversity and unity of volunteer work across the UK.

Many will take part in awards ceremonies, coffee mornings and days out during the week. The celebrations aim to foster connections between national organisations and grassroots groups, celebrating the spirit of volunteering that enriches communities each year.

This Volunteers’ Week St Teresa’s Hospice will be celebrating by sharing stories highlighting the contribution of their volunteers across social media.

Beccy Myles, Marketing Lead at St Teresa’s Hospice, said, “Volunteering at St Teresa’s Hospice is a meaningful way to try something new, develop skills, and connect with others. The hospice turns 40 this year, and it couldn’t have run for all those years without the incredible support we’ve received from volunteers. 

Just one hour of your time can make a lasting impact, helping us provide expert care and support when it’s needed most. Whether you’re preparing lunches for patients, organising donations in our shops, offering specialist skills in counselling or complementary therapies, or supporting a fundraising event, every contribution counts.

We simply couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers.”

Volunteers’ Week is led by the UK Volunteering Forum, a partnership between Volunteer Scotland, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and Volunteer Now in Northern Ireland. The UK Volunteering Forum said: “Volunteers bring a richness to organisations across the country. There is no better time to recognise the diversity of our volunteers and celebrate the difference that volunteering makes than during Volunteers’ Week. Without volunteers many charities just simply could not function, with so many people giving up their time and going above and beyond. The week is a chance for all of us to show just how vital they are to charities and communities everywhere.”

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Every year, people around the UK use Dying Matters Awareness Week, led by Hospice UK, as a moment to encourage all communities to get talking in whatever way, shape or form works for them. The theme this year is: Talking about Dying Matters.

Death, dying and bereavement affect us all. Yet 27% of people find it hard to talk about death with family or friends, and 30% bottle their feelings up.* If we don’t talk about death and dying and bereavement, it can be harder to cope when we experience it.

The mission of Dying Matters is to break down the stigma and taboo of talking about death and dying. But sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start.

This Dying Matters Awareness Week is focusing on the importance of conversations about death and dying – with family, friends, employers, anyone in your life – helping people to get the conversation started.

Dying Matters is Hospice UK’s flagship campaign. It aims to create an open culture that talks about death and where people feel able to listen and support people who are planning for end of life, those who are dying and bereaved people.

Hospice UK and Dying Matters believe that everyone, no matter who they are, where they are or why they are ill, should receive the best possible care at the end of their life.

* Research from polling commissioned by Celebration Day in 2025

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‘Cuddle beds’ are specialist beds which widen to allow patients to lie next to and embrace their loved ones or pets as they wish. For Emma* this gift is deeply personal. When her husband died after a long illness, she accessed counselling through the hospice.

Emma had seen a news story on TV about a hospice getting the funding for a cuddle bed. She had been churning this idea over when one evening she had been reading a novel, “My Last Words Will Be For You” by Sabrina Philippe. In this book, a particular paragraph stood out to her about a couple who had been accessing hospice care.

Emma said: “I decided that I wanted to donate one of these beds. I talked the idea through with my stepson, who was completely supportive, so I called up the hospice. It so happened that the clinical team had been discussing cuddle beds too, the day before, at the same time I would have been reading my novel. It felt like fate.”

“This idea where you could lay beside your loved one was so important to me. It was something my husband and I hadn’t been able to do for a number of years due to his illness.”

Toni, Clinical Services Manager on the Inpatient Unit, added: “We are delighted to have this new bed available for patients and their loved ones. This specialist equipment will help families to be more connected, without the physical barriers of a normal medical bed. It will allow people to spend more precious time together.”

My Last Words Will Be For You” by Sabrina Philippe

I knocked on the door. A lady responded. When I entered, she wasn’t alone, her partner was lying on a camp bed next to her. He was dozing whilst holding her hand. The night must have been difficult. She was having trouble breathing, but nevertheless, she smiled at me, then turned her face towards him.

“My husband is sleeping “, she whispered. I nodded and withdrew.

Through the gap in the door, their two hands joined were to me like a painting. In this, I saw a rare scene of beauty; this tactile union of skin, of fingers, of mutual gentleness. In spite of her condition, she was still watching over him, in his sleep, as he had done for her during the previous hours.

Translated by Emma

*Name changed for anonymity.

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On a cold day a month before Christmas, Yvonne Rowe sat down to write a letter.

Yvonne, who worked as a gardener, made three copies and popped them in a post box – little realising she was planting the seeds of a fund-raising miracle.

Now, those three postage stamps and more than three years later, it has blossomed into a £160,000 phenomenon.

Yvonne, of Thornbury Rise, Darlington, had written to her local papers about the need for a hospice for the terminally ill in the town.

She had a friend suffering from cancer and was inspired by other hospices in England. Previous attempts to launch one in Darlington had come to nothing.

Appalling

Following publication she was swamped by more than 30 letters of support and a public meeting was held in February 1986, organised by the Council for Voluntary Services and chaired by Pam Exelby of the town’s community health council.

The weather conditions were appalling and many people abandoned their cars to walk to the meeting at the Dolphin Centre.

But the determination which got them there has continued to this day. A steering committee was organised and the concept of Darlington and District Hospice Movement was born.

Today the appeal has raised around £160,000, thanks to the generosity of all sections of the community.

Organisers, currently negotiating over council-owned land for a site to house the hospice, estimate the capital costs will add up to £350,000 with annual running costs of about £120,000.

The idea is to build a day-care centre, which will hopefully be open in a year’s time, with the eventual goal of converting it into a 10-bed residential hospice.

But the movement has an important third thrust – a sitting service with 25 volunteers offering relief to carers of the terminally ill in the home.

At present it just operates in the Darlington district but it is hoped to extend soon into Northallerton and Richmond.

In addition the appeal has bought four electronic ‘syringe drivers’, costing £400 each, which administer pain-killing drugs without the patient having to go into hospital.

Milestone

The movement has captured the imagination of Darlington people since its launch and was adopted as this year’s Mayor’s charity.

Half-way through 1987 an important psychological milestone was reached when a contest to design an appeal logo was won by art student Beverley Dowson.

The design, showing flowers at a church-style window, had a particular significance for hospice movement chairman Tony Morris.

Tony had attended the first public meeting at the Dolphin Centre as chairman of the North East branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

His wife Joy was regional care adviser for the association but sadly developed cancer and died on New Year’s Day 1987.

Tony, 66, an art tutor and portrait painter living in Stapleton, remembers Joy when she was very ill asking to visit the Bristol Cancer Help Centre, which looks at holistic care: physical, spiritual and mental.

She went into the chapel and was asked whether she wanted to face the altar or the window.

Tony said: “Joy looked at this vase of flowers that was sat in the window and she said ‘Look at those. The window please’ and she sat down and it was the first time in weeks and weeks and weeks that we’d experienced sunshine.

“And that day the sun streamed through the windows of the centre and it was certainly coming into that chapel and illuminating the flowers showing these brilliant colours. And it was an impression that was fixed very firmly in my mind. I just went to the other side and just watched Joy just sitting there.”

“Then when I got together eventually all the logos, this one made me gasp and so I left it to the other two artists, who I’d asked to help me judge it, to make their decision first and unanimously they went for this one”

In Autumn 1987 the hospice appointed professional fundraiser Charles Dallas as a paid development officer. A secretary was employed and the office base shifted to Woodland Road.

A month later a major boost came in the shape of an £80,000 donation from the Carmelite Community in Nunnery Lane, which sold some surplus land giving part of the proceeds to the charity.

The hospice building appeal became the St Teresa’s Hospice Project and in February 1988 reached the half-way mark towards its original £250,000 target. In the same month Mother Teresa sent a message of support.

Last May a secret sponsor offered to provide the last £10,000 if organisers reach £240,000 by the end of this year.

More and more money was pouring in from everything from snooker marathons to flower festivals and sponsored parachute jumps.

Last October a giant fundraising “thermometer” was fixed outside the Dolphin Centre to guage the progress of the appeal.

The following month organisers took the major step of deciding to build its own hospice after months of searching in vain for suitable premises to convert.

An architect has been appointed and within the next few weeks Tony hopes to be able to reveal the hoped for site and display a model.

He said: “The public have been tremendously generous up to now. And I think the point is, now they’re saying to us ‘What is happening? Where’s our hospice?’. We want to be able to say ‘Here it is. This is the very beginnings of it.’’’

Mayor Heather Scott, who was on the original steering committee, said: ‘’As Mayor you do have the opportunity for extra publicity – so I thought well here was an ideal opportunity for me to help promote the hospice movement.’’

Tony added: ‘’The whole philosophy of the hospice movement is that you are going to help people live until they die and you will help them not only to die peacefully but to live right up to that last moment.’

Would you like to support the hospice in our 40th Anniversary Celebrations? Find out more about the events we have going on this year, including our Ruby Ball at Hardwick Hall, using the links below:

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Sally and Glenn Pickersgill, who own Heritage Healthcare in Darlington, have announced they will be taking a break from fundraising after organising an annual charity golf day for St Teresa’s Hospice since 2002.

Nicola Myers, chief executive of St Teresa’s Hospice, led the tributes, saying: “Sally and Glenn are valued friends of our hospice, and we’ll never be able to thank them enough for everything they have done.”

“Now, after nearly 25 years of golf days, they have decided to step back and enjoy a well-deserved break from fundraising. They are handing over an incredible legacy for hospice care in our town.”

“The St Teresa’s Hospice golf day will continue, organised by our fundraising team – though I trust Sally and Glenn won’t mind us picking their brains occasionally!”

The business owners originally threw their support behind the hospice to help the charity open its bedded unit.

“We lost a close friend that year, and it made us think there should be something more in Darlington for local people facing the end of their lives,” said Sally.

“The closest end-of-life beds were in Stockton then, and we wanted to help Darlington families have a caring and loving place to go to in their own home town.”

Sally and Glenn backed the hospice’s 2002 Giving to Life bed appeal, which ultimately opened the charity’s first in-patient beds at its newly-acquired Woodland Road base.

Adrian Speir, owner of commercial property developer Landteam where Sally worked, suggested a small charity golf day in aid of the appeal and supported her to organise it.

The event quickly became a favourite with North East golfers, and in later years, Sally and Glenn took over organising it under the banner of their own company – with keen golfer Adrian always returning as a competitor and sponsor.

This year, the Heritage Healthcare Golf Day raised £17,416.50 for St Teresa’s Hospice, bringing the grand total raised since 2002 to £303,877. Jamie Cameron, from Forcett near Richmond, has played in every event since it was founded. He said: “I look forward to the hospice golf day every year. It’s a really fun event, and very well run.”

“It’s good fun, it’s good value, and the hospice makes loads of money each year!”

Sally added: “Without the continuing support from everyone that contributes – as players, sponsors, by donating prizes, or by pitching in – the event would never have grown to be so successful. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who helps make it such a special day.”

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