Beckton children’s hospice’s plea for volunteers

by Kay Atwal, Chief Reporter Thursday, July 26, 2012
1:00 PM

Richard House, London’s oldest children’s hospice, is appealing for volunteers to help it reach further into the diverse community it serves.

The Beckton-based hospice already supports almost 300 families across North East and North Central London, caring for children with life-limiting, life-threatening and complex healthcare conditions, in some of the most diverse areas in the UK.

But a recent study estimates there are nearly 3,000 under-19s in need of care who are not currently accessing children’s hospice services.

Rachel Power, who is leading the community engagement project at Richard House, said: “It is imperative the hospice continues to build stronger relationships between itself and the community – and volunteers are crucial to help build those bridges.

“We want to find more ways to strengthen our links to those communities to fully understand their needs and enable them to access our services.

“We want to recruit volunteer bridge builders to engage us with their communities. They would act as an ambassador for the hospice, spreading the word about what we do as well as well as telling us about the unique challenges that face different communities.”

Community bridge builders would be recruited on a volunteer basis by Richard House. Applicants must be over 18-years-old and all reasonable expenses will be paid and training provided. They are needed across east, north-east and north-central London, some of the most diverse areas in the UK.

Richard House offers a range of services to its users including daycare, respite care for parents, sibling and family support and end-of-life care for children and young people.

If you want to use your knowledge of the community to help us ensure that everyone who could use our services knows about them and that we know about the unique challenges that face different communities, or just want to find out more, please contact Alex South, on 0207 540 0237 or email alexso@richardhouse.org.uk.