You never know what your volunteering role can turn in to at Ayrshire Hospice. That certainly rings true for current member of staff, Veronica Morrison who began volunteering for the hospice in May 2018.

What started out as a weekend receptionist role at Racecourse Road, Ayr, is now an employed role with the O&PD team while still continuing her volunteering role at the weekend.

Veronica explains: “I had always supported the Ayrshire Hospice helping in some fundraising events and then where I previously worked the hospice was our charity of the year and they were encouraging all staff to volunteer, so I decided to give it a try.

“I checked out the website and was really surprised on the variety of roles that they were recruiting for. As I had always worked in an office based environment, I thought I was best suited for the receptionist vacancy.”

After an interview and the required checks, Veronica was trained for the receptionist role and hasn’t looked back.

“People are at the heart of everything at the hospice, it’s great to be part of it. It’s a community. You are supporting an amazing team, you are part of something bigger and worthwhile. Everyone is so passionate about the service they provide.”

While Veronica had fears about volunteering at the hospice, they were quickly allayed. She added: “I have lived in Ayrshire all of my days and while I knew about the hospice, I thought it must be a really sad place to work.

“How wrong was I! Everyone is passionate about making today matter. I encourage anyone to volunteer, it’s so rewarding. Don’t be scared, just do it. Everyone welcomes you and supports, there’s so many roles that you can do.”

“You feel part of something bigger and worthwhile”