Support Us Our Community Local Businesses Volunteer your skills Volunteering with Richard House provides you with a unique opportunity to boost staff morale and team-working through an engaging community-based experience. Our range of volunteering roles aim to take you out of your daily working practices and encourages you to participate in an activity, with the following aims; Giving you a wider sense of purpose and reinvigoration to do more in your community Developing stronger relationships or building bonds across different departments to encourage more efficient and collaborative working practises Allowing you to feel individual pride and inclusion in your involvement with your local community. Gardening at Richard House Richard House has a total of 2.7 acres of land. Our grounds fall into three distinct areas, each with its own character; The Memory Garden and Path of Life are kept neat and manicured, offering families and staff a peaceful environment for calm reflection and remembering their loved ones. The woodlands and playground are a combination of wild woods and hidden sensory play areas that offer children the chance to imagine, explore and have fun with their siblings. The entrance into the hospice includes grass verges and flower beds that offer a pleasant and welcoming setting to families each time they arrive at Richard House. Richard House has a regular volunteer gardener, but he needs help to maintain the character of each of our outdoor spaces whilst keeping them safe and accessible. The tasks you will undertake depends on the season but there is always plenty to do, and you can be assured you can make a valuable contribution whether you are green-fingered or brand new to gardening. Typically, activities you can expect to help with would include; weeding, watering, tidying and clearing, washing down the memory garden and fountain, planting or dead-heading, painting or varnishing, sweeping and clearing pathways to keep them accessible. Gardening days are available on any Wednesday and Friday from May-September, with some additional needs by request in March, April, October and November. Booking is done on a first-come, first-serve basis and dates cannot be held indefinitely without final confirmation. Helping us to keep our gardens neat and tidy means that our families can enjoy them all year round. The gardens offer a space for fresh air, reflection, play and sensory development and therefore are a vital part of Richard House life. For many of our families, even a trip to the park may not be possible with the complex care needs or scale of equipment that their child requires. Required Donation: £500 for up to 10 volunteers Maximum participants: 10 volunteers per day Timings: 10:00am – 3:30pm, which includes briefing, hospice tour and thank you/team photo to finish the day. Meet Derek! The gardens of Richard House would be nothing without Derek, despite his modesty! Derek has volunteered for Richard House for many years, creating much-appreciated views and spaces like our memorial garden which holds the names of children who have passed away at Richard House. Derek's gardening knowledge comes from having spent holidays as a young man working for his local council gardens. It's this experience which helped earn Richard House a gold medal from the London Gardens' Association, and in 2018 Derek was quite rightly awarded Hospice Gardener of the Year. The garden, and working at Richard House, hold a special place for him: "I really enjoy the gardening and I love to be out in the open air. People usually say nice things and that's great." The stories and history that Derek can share with your team will make your day all the more special, but don't be fooled - he will also work you all hard to make sure you (and the gardens) get the most out of your day! Book your day in our garden! Volunteering in our STaR Team Our STaR (Social, Therapeutic and Resource) Team take care of the social and emotional needs of our children, young adults and their siblings and other family members. These needs are met through multiple creative therapies, support groups, psychotherapies and transition services – all of which your team will hear more about when they visit Richard House. One key aspect of the STaR Team’s work is to create opportunities for families to come together and enjoy new experiences, without having to worry about the care needs of their child as this is covered by our specialist nursing team on site. We hold regular activity days across each of the school holidays which are very popular among our families. These events are often themed and may include film afternoons, arts and crafts workshops or larger parties with multiple entertainers and activity stations. For these events, our STaR team always need enthusiastic volunteers who are happy to get stuck in and who would like more direct interaction with our service users. The tasks for volunteers will vary from event to event but typically would include; running an activity table, setting up and tidying away, manning a tea and coffee station or offering refreshments to families, or even taking a more active role in the entertainment! Past volunteers have contributed by funding costumes and dressing up as Toy Story characters or the Easter Bunny, and even acted as the Judges for our “Richard House Has Talent” show. We welcome suggestions for how your volunteering could further add to the fun of the day, particularly if you have skills such as face painting, crafting, magic or anything else which could bring further joy to the event for our families. We also sporadically need volunteers who can undertake more manual tasks, like cleaning out our cupboards, rearranging our Day Care room, helping decorate the hospice for Christmas or other celebrations such as our annual show. Required Donation: £250 unless otherwise specified. Maximum participants: 4 per session unless otherwise specified at time of booking Typical Timings: 10:00am – 3:30pm, which includes briefing, hospice tour and thank you/team photo to finish the day. These timings are subject to the event details. Book your day! Event Volunteers (1+ days) Our Events Volunteers help at a wide range of fundraising events such as the London Marathon and our summer party. Responsibilities vary depending on the event and may include cheering on runners, serving refreshments, bucket collecting, marshalling, running a stand or helping with logistics and set up. It’s essential that our Events Volunteers are happy to interact with the public and a wide variety of people. You should also be friendly, enthusiastic and proactive. This is a great role for those who want to get involved and are unable to make a regular commitment. Requirements will vary depending on the events which usually take place on weekdays (and some weekends or evenings). Our events are great fun to be part of and you will get to meet new people with a shared passion for the work of Richard House. volunteering is great way to broaden your own network too! Inquire today! Community Volunteering & Street Collectors (1+ days) Richard House Children’s Hospice is based in one of the most diverse continuously changing communities in the UK. It is vital that we are continually reaching out to these communities in east London, to raise awareness of Richard House and to raise funds community volunteers play a vital role in bolstering the fundraising team at local events and functions. Ideally you will have a passion for volunteering in a culturally diverse environment, and be willing to travel. The time commitment is flexible. Ideally you will volunteer with us for a day or 2. You will have the opportunity to grow your own network and communication skills. You will gain experience working in a local community with a diverse range of people and learn about working in the charity sector and fundraising. Inquire today! Collection Tin Coordinators (longer term) We are looking for more volunteers to collect and replace our Richard House collection tins from shops, restaurants and other businesses in the local area and further afield within London. Each year we raise around £20,000 from our collection tins so it’s a vital source of income for the hospice. As a coordinator you will be issued with a monthly list of addresses with full tins ready for collection and to be dropped off at Richard House. We are looking for volunteers who are friendly, proactive and able to work independently, as well as being confident communicators. A good knowledge of the community and area allocated to you is beneficial. Approximately a maximum of four hours once a month. This is a great opportunity to get out and about, meeting new people and developing a network of relationships in a local area. You will also gain an insight into the charity sector and fundraising operations. Apply today! Skills Sharing with Richard House We are now working on developing specific activities or projects, bespoke to each corporate partner, that utilises your company skill and expertise to assist our support teams (HR, Finance, Legal, IT, Marketing). These projects will be designed to engage your employees talents and play a valuable support role to Richard House by mentoring and training our staff, or directly taking responsibility for the completion of a project. If you have an additional key skill within your business where you think Richard House could benefit from your training and expertise, please let us know. We are keen to work strategically with our corporate partners to find areas of common interest, particularly where we can fill knowledge gaps both ways to make a mutually beneficial volunteering experience. Offer your skills Next Steps Once you have decided what is right for you or your team, get in touch with your designated Community & Events contact and they can confirm available dates to get your team booked in. They will also answer any queries you have that aren’t covered by the FAQ sheet you will have received alongside this pack. Prior to your team’s visit you will also receive a Risk Assessment, and a map and directions to the hospice. Contact Us Whatever your capacity to give, support or raise awareness, we'd love for you to get involved! Contact us to learn more.