Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating the amazing volunteers who generously give their time to make a difference in the trust’s three hospitals and in the community, as part of National Volunteers Week.
Over 500 volunteers play a crucial part in supporting patients, staff and visitors at Hampshire Hospitals in a range of roles including lending a hand to the cardiac rehabilitation programme, ward and hospice support, and being a friendly face for patients. 
This volunteers week, which runs from 1-7 June, the trust is recognising both the army of existing volunteers, and those who have responded to the call for help during the Coronavirus crisis.
Gordon Nesbitt is one of the trust’s recent recruits, who has been supporting the busy linen department at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital during the current COVID-19 crisis.
Gordon started volunteering in the linen department at the end of April, after being furloughed from his job and wanting to help his local hospital.
Usually spending his time as an electrical engineer, Gordon has been a welcome addition to the team, where he says he’s learnt a lot: “It’s been really rewarding to play a small part in a big team effort at a time like this. Everyone has been so friendly, I’d definitely encourage others to continue to volunteer and help our local hospitals – they have shown how they are here for us, and now we can support them too!”
Alex Whitfield, chief executive of the trust which runs three hospitals in Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester, said: “We are very thankful for all the time our wonderful volunteers have given, whether it is a matter of weeks, months or years; it all makes a tremendous difference.
“All of our volunteers are so important in enabling us to provide outstanding care to our patients, and we simply couldn’t do what we do without them. Though we cannot celebrate with our volunteers with our usual annual tea parties, we are all taking the time to say a big thank you for everything they do.
“We are looking forward to welcoming back some of our familiar faces who haven’t been able to volunteer during this time when normal practice resumes, and to those who have recently joined us, I want to add my personal thanks for becoming part of our team at Hampshire Hospitals at such a critical time.”
To find out more about volunteering at Hampshire Hospitals, visit https://www.hampshirehospitals.nhs.uk/get-involved/volunteers
