Rowans Hospice calls for more volunteers for 2017

The Rowans Hospice, which offers end-of-life care for people in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas, is asking people to give a couple of hours a week to help people using the service.

They are also looking for people to consider become committee members for the volunteers group as membership has fallen from 10 to five.

If numbers continue to fall, there may not be enough to continue running in the future.

Di Cose is a member of The Rowans Hospice support group in Havant. She has been volunteering for 22 years and is the current chairwoman.

She said: ‘It would be fantastic to welcome on board younger people who can bring fresh ideas and energy to our group and to the other Rowans support groups, even if you can just spare a couple of hours a week.

‘It is fantastic to be part of the Havant support group and to be involved in making sure that The Rowans Hospice is able to continue to provide the services so vitally needed for our community.’

There are 11 support groups in the area which raise funds for the Purbrook hospice by increasing awareness of the charity and the services it provides.

They attend and organise events and have promotional stands.

Ms Cose added that taking part would provide fantastic work experience for anyone looking to get experience in business management, fundraising, marketing and business administration.

In 2015, more than 168,000 hours were donated by volunteers.

Community fundraiser for The Rowans Denise Fry said: ‘Our support groups play a vital role in supporting use and we really need new volunteers to make sure they can continue to do their amazing work throughout our area.’

For more information visit rowanshospice.co.uk.