Get Involved - Volunteering

At Michael Sobell House we are lucky enough to have a fantastic team of volunteers who contribute their time and energies to enhancing the services provided by the professional staff.

Why Volunteer?

People volunteer for a number of reasons with each and every one being a great reason to want to make a difference

• Helping others
• To be part of a team
• Make new friends
• Experience of a hospital environment
• To give something back
• To make use of spare time
• To use a particular skill

What do volunteers do?

Volunteers help in a number of ways including:

• Hospitality and friendship to both In Patients and Day Patients
• Fundraising
• Receptionists
• Administration
• Gardening
• Aviary
• Driving patients
• Complementary Therapists
• Art and creative activities
• Bereavement Counsellors
• Charity shops
• Home Visitors / Befrienders

How much time is involved?

That’s up to you! We try to arrange hours to suit our volunteers. Volunteers usually help out on a weekly or bi-weekly basis being allocated a set time slot which we do expect you to adhere to. New volunteers may be asked to give between 1 and 3 hours on each volunteering occasion.

Will I be given training?

When you initially start, you’ll be asked to shadow another volunteer who will show you the routines and procedures. Once you’ve started, you’ll also be asked to attend an induction morning which tells you lots about Michael Sobell House past, present and future.  As well as that, there may be some compulsory training specific to your role which is usually organised either in the afternoon or evening. Finally there is a tailored volunteer education programme designed to enrich your volunteering experience and provide further knowledge of the environment within which you are helping.

Who can volunteer and how do I do it?

Our volunteers come from a mix of backgrounds and ages; all we ask is that you are at least 16 years of age. No previous experience is necessary but ideally you’ll be a good listener, compassionate, willing and reliable!

You’ll need to phone or email through for an information pack giving a little bit of information about why you want to help. You’ll need to complete an application form, provide two referees, complete a brief health questionnaire and anyone with patient contact will be asked to obtain a disclosure certificate from the Criminal Records Bureau.

We do ask that any A/AS level students volunteering to support their UCAS application for universities, commit to at least a six-month period of regular volunteering.

Further information or for an informal discussion, please contact Jo-Anne Edwards, Voluntary Services Manager by telephone on 01923 -844569 or be email joanne@mshouse.co.uk You may wish to visit our current vacancies page to look at our availability and requirements.