Support and celebration at St Luke’s for volunteers
St Luke’s Hospice isn’t only caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic – the charity is also supporting the wellbeing of more than 700 volunteers.
The St Luke’s volunteers usually provide vital support in areas across the charity, from retail to fundraising event support, bereavement counselling services to flower arranging.
But during the current lockdown, those volunteers have been asked to stay at home, stay safe and follow all government guidance on social distancing.
Throughout this period, however, St Luke’s has been maintaining regular contact with the volunteers via phone, texts and email, and launched a special isolation ideas webpage on the St Luke’s main website.
And as Britain celebrated National Volunteers Week from June 1 to 7, St Luke’s was looking forward to the time when the volunteers will be back to provide their usual levels of invaluable support.
St Luke’s volunteer development manager Joy Wigfield said: “We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers during National Volunteers Week.
“Their support makes a huge contribution towards the work we do and each and every one of them is so special.
“We truly value their commitment and the time they choose to donate to St Luke’s.”
Sheffield charity offers IBS advice during lockdown
If you are feeling stressed and anxious and are struggling with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), The IBS Network, a national charity based in Sheffield, has resources and information to help.
The charity offers practical advice on how you can avoid excessive snacking during lockdown, IBS diet advice and how to stay calm and manage your IBS well during these difficult times.
More than 12 million people in the UK live with IBS, a common disorder of the gut-brain interaction leading to abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea and/or constipation.
The charity provides information to individuals on managing stress and anxiety through its online self-care programme and can also advise employers on how they can best support employees with this debilitating condition.
Alison Reid, chief executive, said: “Stress and anxiety can trigger and exacerbate IBS symptoms. As this is a particularly stressful time many people with IBS are experiencing additional challenges and more frequent flare-ups. Our self-care programme helps people to understand their symptoms and triggers and find out what works for them. With the charity’s on-going long-term support people can learn to live well with IBS.”
The charity is giving away a free Take Control of Your IBS guide when you sign up to the network’s free newsletter www.theibsnetwork.org/news/ibs-relief
For more information visit www.theibsnetwork.org
