For National Volunteers Week I spent some time at the Ashgate Hospice Shop in Staveley speaking to the volunteers and staff.
If anyone is able to come along, either to give their time up volunteering or simply to buy the product, then please come along to the Ashgate Hospice shop in Staveley.
#VolunteersWeek
#VolunteersWeek2026
Transcript
Toby: So, this week is National Volunteer’s Week. I’m here in Staveley at the Ashgate Hospice Shop, with Grace, who is the Shop Manager here. Grace, thanks so much for having us here. From your perspective how important are volunteers for the Hospice shop?
Grace: Oh, they’re really important. Without volunteers we wouldn’t really be able to run and do as well as we do. So, they’re really valued.
Toby: People who wanted to volunteer, how much do time do they have to commit to be any use to you?
Grace: So, like I said, some of our volunteers, they do work, so they don’t really have to commit to like, every day a full day, they can just say ‘can I come in on Tuesday’, for example, for a couple of hours. Any help is really great.
Toby: So, do you do well for volunteers in Staveley?
Grace: We do fairly well, yes. To be fair, like I said, we have got some that come in week in week out and then, like I say, some that work and they come in when they can.
Toby: And what sort of things do you have volunteers doing?
Grace: So, they’ll do sorting, steaming, rotation, they’ll work on the till, cleaning, customer service.
Toby: So, I’m now here with Chis, who’s a volunteer at the Staveley store. Been here quite a while. Chris, how long have you been volunteering here and how did you get into it?
Chris: Well, been about 10 years now. My Dad died in 97 at Ashgate – 94 rather at Ashgate – so, when I finished work, I said, I’ll pay back. Thought I’d come for 6 months, something like that, been here 10 years. Can’t get rid of me.
Toby: Sounds like you did pay them back. What do you do? You’re here three days a week, aren’t you? What is it that you actually do here?
Chris: Well, I do the till work and sometimes look after the shop. Do what Gaffer tells me to.
Toby: Brilliant and what would you say to people who are wondering about maybe coming and volunteering?
Chris: Do it. Get you out of the house, give you something to do.
Toby: It’s been a good experience for you?
Chris: Yeah.
Toby: Well, thanks so much for what you are doing and if you want to get the opportunity to meet Chris, get yourself down to the store.
Obviously, I’m not the sort of man that just tuns up for a photo shoot and doesn’t do anything. I’m here for a long shift of a whole hour and you’re going to be showing me how we can turn this bag of goods that’s come in from donors into shop ready stuff. So, just talk us through, when people bring stuff in, how does it go from that to being on the shelves?
Grace: Ok, so when people come in, obviously we look at it. We make sure that there’s no holes, stains, marks. Make sure it’s in a sellable condition that somebody is going to want to pay money for. So, once we have done that, you would put one of our cards on and then we put a price on. It would get hung and we steam it and then that would go down onto the shop floor.
Toby: And if people want to donate to the store, what sort of things are you looking for?
Grace: Any item that’s in a good, sellable condition, that’s not marked, stained, got holes, something like Bric -a brac, not chipped. Just something that if you went into a shop that you’d think, ‘that’s good quality’, you’d buy that yourself.
Toby: Brilliant. Well, find out in an hour how I’ve gone on. Whether I have managed to keep my post. Thanks so much for what you are doing. Thanks to your volunteers and obviously, if anyone is able to come along, either to give their time up volunteering or simply to buy the product, then please come along to the Ashgate Hospice shop in Staveley.
Grace: Thank you.