Volunteering at St Oswald's Hospice

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with St Oswald’s

We update this page with our current volunteering opportunities and role descriptions. If you’d like to apply for a role, please return your completed form to volunteer@stoswaldsuk.org.

Please note, we are only able to accept application forms specifically for the available volunteering opportunities shown on this page. If you’re still interested in volunteering but can’t find a suitable role today, please keep checking back for new opportunities soon.

Get prepared!

St Oswald’s Hospice is keen to recruit volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, to ensure that everybody has a chance to contribute to the development of our organisation and get valuable personal and professional experience along the way. Every volunteer application is followed up by an informal interview, during which staff aim to understand volunteer applicants’ skills, experience, achievements and motivations. You can find our informal interview questions as well as the volunteer journey below – we are hoping that providing this form ahead of time will give future volunteers the best opportunity to feel prepared and informed and to provide a warm, inclusive welcome.

Your volunteer journey

Informal interview questions

Download the informal interview questions below.

Download

People Charter for Volunteers

Download People Charter for Volunteers below.

Download

Your Volunteer handbook

Download Volunteer handbook below.

Download

Hospice volunteering roles

Lymphoedema Volunteers outside our Outpatient Suite
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Lymphoedema Volunteer

If you’re looking to gain hands-on experience for your studies or future career, or share your skills in patient care, we’d love to hear from you. Our Lymphoedema Volunteer role is based at our Hospice but involves delivering high standards of practical, personal and emotional support out in the community and in patient’s homes. You’ll work with our Lymphoedema staff team to deliver treatment and support the running of this highly specialist service. Current slots available are:

  • Monday
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday afternoons

Please note: Our clinics run Monday – Friday, Mornings 9am – 12pm, Afternoons 12:30pm – 4pm.

Want to find out more about what the role is like?

Watch our video to find out more! Jackie, Lymphoedema Specialist, our wonderful Lymphoedema Volunteers Dawn and Rohan talk about what it’s like volunteering in the Lymphoedema Department and how St Oswald’s Hospice are trying to develop our volunteers with our joint volunteer to career opportunities project in partnership with Helpforce.

Download role description Apply now
Main reception_volunteer

Main Reception Volunteer

Main Reception Volunteer

We’re looking to expand our volunteer team and would love to hear from anyone with administrative experience and skill to share (or to develop to boost a CV) to be a Reception Volunteer on our Main Reception, providing a warm welcome and effective reception service for our patients, their families, staff, volunteers and visitors.

We’re looking to involve volunteers across the week Monday to Sunday on the following times:

  • Monday to Fridays (12:30pm – 1:30pm)
  • Saturday and Sundays (9am – 1pm / 1pm – 4.30pm)

The Main Reception Volunteer role is open to applicants aged 18 years plus

Download role description Apply now
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Graphic Design Volunteer

Are you a creative designer looking to make a real difference in the North East? Or a student looking to gain valuable experience and grow your portfolio?

We’re looking for a volunteer to support our Communications & Marketing Team with the creation and editing of graphic design artwork for St Oswald’s Hospice. This voluntary role is a brilliant opportunity to gain experience in the third sector for a leading and ambitious North East charity.

Download role description Apply now
Videography

Videography Volunteer

Support our Communications & Marketing team bring to life the stories of St Oswald’s Hospice. From documenting hospice life, celebrating fundraising achievements or highlighting our wonderful volunteers, there are so many exciting projects to support with.

This is a great volunteering position for someone looking to gain further videography experience or for anyone who wants to make a real difference within their local community.

Download role description Apply now
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Communications & Marketing Volunteer

If you’re a passionate storyteller with a flair for creativity why not join our Communications and Marketing team as a volunteer! Whether it’s researching and writing stories, generating social media content or supporting with a press release – there’s always an interesting and engaging task to get involved with.

This is a great volunteering role for someone starting off in their Marketing career who is looking to gain experience in a fast paced charity that makes a real difference to people’s lives.

Download role description Apply now
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Relaxation Support Volunteer (Focus on Living Centre)

Are you a compassionate and caring individual looking for an opportunity to support patients and their carers on their journey to improved well-being? We invite you to be a part of our warm and welcoming team at St Oswald’s Hospice Focus on Living Centre, where we provide much-needed support to patients through our weekly relaxation sessions.

If you have a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others and want to contribute positively to your community, we would love to welcome you into our Focus on Living family. Your warm and caring presence can truly brighten someone’s day and provide the support they need during challenging times.

Don’t hesitate – take the first step towards becoming a Relaxation Support Volunteer today! Together, we can create a more relaxed and caring environment for our patients.

Download role description Apply now
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Reception Volunteers (Adult Inpatient Unit)

We’re looking to expand our volunteer team. We would love to hear from anyone with administrative experience and skill to share as a Reception Volunteer in our Adult Inpatient Unit, providing a warm welcome and effective reception service. We’re looking to involve volunteers across the week and would love to hear from you!

Download role description

Apply for Reception Volunteer (Adult Inpatient Unit)
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Supporter Engagement Volunteer

Connecting with and thanking our wonderful supporters is a vital part of our Supporter Care Team – if you’re looking to develop and share your relationship building skills, this could be the volunteer role for you! You’ll spend time on the phone welcoming new supporters or chatting with existing supporters and making sure their information is up to date on our database. We’d love you to join our team!

We are currently recruiting two volunteers for this role.

Download role description Apply now
DIY tools

Facilities Volunteer (Maintenance)

Our fantastic Facilities Team is looking for helping hands to support a wide variety of tasks right across the Hospice. If you’re a dab hand at DIY and have practical maintenance skills to share or develop, we’d love to hear from you! This role supports our friendly and busy team in keeping our clinical areas, offices and other spaces in good working order as a safe and welcoming place to be.

We are currently recruiting two volunteers for this role.

Download role description Apply now

Retail volunteering roles

shop-volunteering
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Shop Volunteer

Our fabulous shops are always looking to boost their volunteer power! You’ll be part of day to day shop life – customer service, processing donations and ensuring your retail space is inviting, organised and safe for everyone to enjoy.

Whether you see yourself creatively dressing windows, sorting and preparing stock, or front and centre behind the till, retail volunteering is a fantastic way to meet new people, gain experience and skills for your CV and of course to generate income for our wonderful Hospice.

if you would like to apply or find out more information about the role, please email us below and state your preferred shop you would like to volunteer at (Find your local St Oswald’s shop here).

volunteer@stoswaldsuk.org
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Van Crew Volunteers

As our shops reopen and donations are flooding in, we’re on the lookout for Van Assistant volunteers to support our brilliant Drivers. You’ll be involved in house clearances, moving and handling of large household items and making collections and deliveries from our shops around the region.

Based either at Kingston Park or our Benfield site, this role would suit someone looking to enhance their logistics or retail CV by getting stuck into a physically demanding volunteer role in a friendly team. You’ll be based at either our Kingston Park or Benfield site and days optional Monday – Friday, 8am – 4pm.

if you would like to apply or find out more information about the role, please email us below.

volunteer@stoswaldsuk.org
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Admin Volunteer (Retail Collection Line)

Our retail collection line is based at Kingston Park and provides a friendly and efficient service for members of the public who wish to donate goods via our collection line or arrange a house clearance. We’re looking for IT confident volunteers with admin skills to share (or develop) at our busy retail hub.

Download role description volunteer@stoswaldsuk.org