For most roles what you bring is yourself and your own personality.  For some roles you would need specific skills e.g. artist, gardener.  Some would require both qualifications and experience e.g. hairdresser, complementary therapist.

To volunteer with St Francis Hospice, you must be a minimum of 18 years old. We are unable to accept transition year student placements. If you have had a recent bereavement we would require you to wait a minimum of one year before volunteering. To be a volunteer you must commit to attend the required orientation and health & safety training.

No.  Many roles do have patient contact, but there are also roles with very little or without patient contact e.g. office administration, reception, gardening, cash office, fundraising and the coffee shop.

For new volunteers, there is a requirement to do role specific training, Orientation training and Health & Safety training.  On an on-going basis, volunteers can choose to avail of on-going development workshops and study days and conferences.

For most roles, the commitment is 3-4 hours at the same time each week for a minimum of one year.  We do look for volunteers to be reliable and consistent.

This is a big commitment so it’s not for everybody.  We ask for around 3 hours a week or, if driving, one day a week for a minimum of one year with a three part orientation and mandatory training taking place within this first year. It is, however, possible to support St Francis Hospice in other ways too.  For example you could hold fundraising events or become a collector at our annual collection days – see the Fundraising section of our website for more ways you could help or get involved.