Steve and Nicola’s volunteering story

This is Steve and Nicola’s volunteering story. Volunteering for a charity brings many benefits, including new skills for your CV and workplace experience. However, for Steve and Nicola, becoming volunteers for us was the start of something very special!

Ships in the night

Steve first became a volunteer after his wife died in 2006, he was looking for volunteer roles and came across our Hospice and decided to apply to work on the In-Patient Unit.

Nicola worked full time and had some time on her hands, so also decided to volunteer at the Hospice.

Nicola and Steve were both volunteers on our In-Patient Unit for many years, doing opposite shifts on a Sunday. This meant their paths never crossed.

Crossing paths

On 7 September 2013, both Steve and Nicola volunteered to help at our Midnight Walk fundraising event. Both were asked to hand out bananas and water to our fundraisers as they passed Basingstoke Rugby Club. One of the participants was finding the challenge tricky, and Steve spent some time making sure they were OK.

A few days later, after spending time with Steve at the event, Nicola decided to pass on her number and they later met for a coffee.

Steve and Nicola got engaged in Venice in 2014 and were married the following year. They’re now approaching the 10-year anniversary of when they first met.

Over the years, they’ve continued to volunteer together at the Hospice, including helping on Christmas day on the In-Patient Unit. Steve is now a volunteer at our Wote Street Shop too.

What volunteering for the Hospice means to them

When asked about what the Hospice means to them, Steve said, ‘I’ve met so many interesting people who I work alongside and have learnt from. I’ve made life-long friends and met some great patients.’

Nicola said, ‘During my time on IPU, I got more out of the volunteering than I gave. The patients were amazing and gave me huge words of wisdom about life. It’s not a clinical environment, we used to laugh so much.’

We have a range of volunteering roles available across our charity, from our retail stores, to our In-Patient Unit. Click here to find out more and apply to join our team as a volunteer today!