Keeping services and activities running takes a team effort – with volunteers providing that extra mile of support, effort and care alongside staff. Volunteers support all areas of St Christopher’s, so whether your expertise is sorting donations in our shops, cheering on others at a sponsored run event or providing companionship to others in the local community, we have a volunteer role with your name on it!
Get a super warm welcome from our passionate team, use and develop your skills and make a genuine impact on people facing end of life.
We like to involve volunteers who embody our values. Are you compassionate and community-focused? Let’s talk!
Volunteering doesn’t necessarily require a huge time commitment. We have lots of ways to get involved and most require less time than you think.
From roles supporting patient care and out in the community to volunteering in our shops or helping out at a fundraising event, there are a wealth of opportunities to volunteer with us
Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organisations involving volunteers, which aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience.
Holding the Investing in Volunteers accolade means that an organisation values the enormous contribution made by their volunteers.
Read more about how we achieved this award.
We’re committed to equality and to celebrating diversity. We believe a diverse team of volunteers brings unique qualities and strengths to the important work that we do with people and their families facing end of life.
Our commitment to inclusion is about individual experience creating a positive environment in which everyone can influence, share knowledge and have their perspectives valued. We welcome applications from people from all walks of life and backgrounds.
“I am really enjoying being part of the St Christopher’s volunteering team. Volunteering has given me a tremendous sense of purpose after my bereavements and giving up full time employment.”
“I enjoy the flexibility of volunteering at St Christopher’s and making a difference to the hospice in a variety of ways.”
“I would recommend volunteering at St Christopher’s to anyone interested in doing so as it offers an outstanding experience and a way to give back to your local community.”
By volunteering your time, skills and experience you’ll know you’re helping dying people have access to care and support, whenever and wherever they need it.
You’ll also be joining an enthusiastic team of people and getting more involved in your local community with access to ongoing training and support. All of our roles will enable you to use and develop your skills and enhance your CV.
Volunteering doesn’t necessarily require a huge time commitment. We have lots of ways to get involved and most require less time than you think. Some roles are available as a one-off or for a short amount of time and others require a regular longer-term commitment. You can find information about the requirements for each role in the descriptions on the volunteering opportunities page.
This kind of depends on what you fancy helping us out with, but details of the skills we’d like you to offer are in the role descriptions on the volunteering opportunities page.
We do ask that all volunteers, no matter their role, must be able to;
The process is a little different depending on which opportunity you’d like to go for, but all roles require you to complete an application form. You can find this within the role on the volunteering opportunities page.
If you’d like to volunteer alongside patients and families, we’d ask you to attend an interview and complete a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Clearance – this is a basic police background check. On the other hand, to help out at one of our fundraising events, you’d just need to complete a simple application form. Interested in becoming a shop volunteer? We’d like for you to visit the store to meet the manager and do a short taster session.
If you need support to complete any of the forms required for the role you’d like to apply for, or if you have further questions about the application process, please contact the volunteering team on 020 8768 4669 or volunteering@stchristophers.org.uk.
If you are not sure which of our volunteer roles is right for you, or you have skills and experiences to offer which do not match any of our available roles, please get in touch: 020 8768 4669 or volunteering@stchristophers.org.uk. Our volunteering team would love to hear from you!
Some roles require you to be 18, but we have a load of opportunities available to anyone over the age of 16.
It completely depends on which benefits you receive. The best way to be sure is to chat to someone at your local authority to check. We’re happy to provide you with a copy of your role description and a covering letter confirming your volunteering role if that’s helpful.
Nope! We reimburse all reasonable expense within our agreed guidelines.
Some of our roles are emotionally challenging, so we do recommend waiting for around 12 months before joining us in a role which supports patients, their families or anyone who is bereaved. We recognise everyone is different so if you are keen to volunteer in this type of role, but have had a bereavement less than 12 months ago, give us a shout and we talk things through: 020 8768 4669 or volunteering@stchristophers.org.uk
There is no wait period required for other roles, however do be mindful of your feelings regarding your bereavement before applying.
Some of our roles (for both volunteers and staff) require a DBS check because our work sometimes involves vulnerable people and we take their safety very seriously, but having a criminal record should not stop you from applying. If you have a DBS disclosure, please ask to speak to our Strategic Volunteering Partner for further guidance.
Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard for all organisations involving volunteers, which aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience. Holding the Investing in Volunteers accolade means that an organisation values the enormous contribution made by their volunteers.
St Christopher’s was assessed in April 2021 against six quality areas and proved to excel in all aspects of working with our volunteers. We’re always looking to improve and continue to seek ways to gaining ongoing feedback from volunteers across the organisation.
We are in partnership with several local secondary schools and offer a week’s work experience placement to sixth form students in those schools only. We do not offer ad hoc school aged work experience placements.
Information on shadowing, work placement and Summer School can be found here.
