Rosemary volunteers at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity for over 40 years!

Rosemary hall has been volunteering for the Charity for over 40 years! She kindly shared her experiences with us:

“My first experience of Arthur Rank Hospice was in 1983, after my Dad, Leonard, was diagnosed with stomach cancer.

I remember we all went to Addenbrookes Hospital and my Mum sent me in to talk with the doctors because she didn’t feel that she could cope with that. I was the oldest, I have a brother and a sister. I think my husband probably went in with me too. I felt extra sad as I had never known him to be ill even though he wasn’t a well child.

Of course back in that time we didn’t have Hospice at Home. I remember going with him [my Dad] and my Mum in the ambulance to the Hospice at Brookfields. As soon as we got him to the Hospice he seemed like a new person and sat up in bed. He was quite lively. The next morning he passed away and in that short time I had seen what the Hospice was like. He was 59 years old and was only diagnosed six months before he died.”

When my volunteering began
“After my Dad died I thought I would really like to help at the Hospice. I was asked to wait two years before I could apply to volunteer [to give me time to grieve]. After two years had passed and I had my interview I started to work on the Tea Bar. I could only volunteer during weekends then because my children were little. It was absolutely lovely.

At that time the Hospice didn’t have a Bistro or anything like that. As you went in the main doors, to the right was reception to check in and then opposite was a little bar, with cupboards and a sink and everything the volunteers needed. I think we did a couple of hours each and we would lay it all up with cups and saucers and biscuits. When visitors came they could have a cup of tea before or after spending time with their loved ones.

Some of them appreciated a little bit of relief and time away from the Ward. We had newspapers and magazines on the coffee tables and lovely comfy chairs. Often on a Saturday I would get a patient coming round for a little chat and a cup of tea. We did have a lounge as well but the Tea Bar was a special place. It was very homely. It’s lovely here [at the Hospice at Shelford Bottom] now too that we’ve got more space.”

Making meals for loved ones
“I also volunteered by making meals for visitors to have at the Hospice when they were visiting loved ones. I had had previous catering experience and so I used to make little individual meals which went into the visitors kitchen freezer, so when they came to visit their loved ones they could go in there and choose a meal to heat up. If ever I couldn’t bring them to the hospice (which wasn’t very often) Rosemary used to come around to my house and collect them.”

Making every moment count
“One memory I have at the old Hospice was about a gentleman who was supposed to have a special award presented by Princess Anne but he was too poorly. Then he should have had it presented by someone else but he was still not well. So, this particular Saturday they [the staff at the Hospice] got him all ready – he had a three piece suit and a lovely shirt and tie.

They got this really big horse from someone in Newmarket to come to the Hospice to present him with his award and take his photograph. When I went for my afternoon shift he had passed away but it was lovely for his family to see him getting the award.”

Volunteering on the Inpatient Unit
“When we moved to the Hospice at Shelford Bottom I volunteered serving the tea and cakes on the Inpatient Unit and became a Meet and Greet volunteer on Reception and helped the fundraising team as well.

Once I came in to talk to a lady in the Inpatient Unit because they wanted someone to sit and talk with a patient who loved chatting to people but didn’t have many visitors. So, I came in on a Monday for a couple of times. I went in to talk to her and we got talking about Scotland. She had lived in Glasgow around 1966. Her memory was marvellous and I said my son lived in Scotland and talked about streets we both knew. I thought that was such a lovely conversation.”

Supporting the community
“During Covid I made up art packs that the Life Celebration Coordinator sent out to the Living Well patients. They had everything in the kit to make a card, then Faith would show them a lesson online. They could literally sit in their living room with their packs, that we had sent to them, to make a card or painting.

I have also run sessions in Arthur’s Shed. We made hedgehogs from recycled paperback books. A lot of them came from our Charity Shop in Cottenham, I knew the manager there and she sent them over. At Easter we made bunnies out of flannels with cream eggs.

I also volunteered as a Caring Community Volunteer and phoned patients for a chat. I also visited a patient for eight weeks and did crafts with them.

One fond memory I have, at the Hospice in Shelford Bottom, is when we had a couple of donkeys visit the Inpatient Unit. I love donkeys and when a man came in with two miniature donkeys – that made my day. I’m not really a pet person but I just love donkeys.

I was chatting to him and he said that his wife had been in the Inpatient Unit at the Hospice. She was quite young and she had made him promise that if the Hospice had any events and they needed something like that to come along, that he would do it.

I thought it was so lovely that he was actually fulfilling what his wife wanted him to do. Obviously he was sad because his wife had passed away, but that was something she liked and he was carrying on with that, I thought that was great.

My late husband Steven, also volunteered for the Charity. He was a PAT tester and a Meet and Greet Volunteer and we both became Volunteer Ambassadors.”

Bistro Volunteer
“Because I’ve retired from my work and I like to be busy I’m now helping in the Bistro. I also help in the Education and Conference Centre, helping with the food, if they need people to help with an event.

I like all my volunteering roles. Working in all the different departments you get to meet lots of different people, staff, patients and visitors. I love seeing all the different people from different departments. Volunteers are all part of team Arthur – staff appreciate that too.

After my shift I feel glad, happy that I’ve been able to speak to somebody in the Bistro for five minutes or so. It makes you feel good – it’s better than sitting at home all the time watching TV. People can’t always give money but we can give our time.”

Hannah Touhey, Voluntary Services Manager added:

“We are incredibly lucky to have volunteers like Rosemary who give so much of themselves to the Charity. Rosemary’s dry sense of humour and beaming smile are the perfect welcome for visitors.”

Rosemary was celebrated at the Long Service Awards evening in November 2025, along with other volunteers. You can read all about it here.

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If you would like to volunteer for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, please visit arhc.org.uk/volunteer