Meet our Volunteering Team

In my role as Head of Volunteering, I’m responsible for developing and implementing our national volunteering strategy. I offer leadership and guidance to our wonderful Volunteering Team, making sure they have the tools and support they need to make volunteering with Sue Ryder safe, inclusive and rewarding.

I love my job and am motivated by the passion and kindness that our volunteers bring to Sue Ryder. My background is in volunteering and fundraising, and in my spare time, I volunteer for a community group and LGBTQ+ organisation in my local area.

bluebell.valentine@sueryder.org

Hi all, my name is Eddie, and I am the Volunteer Manager for Healthcare and Fundraising. I have been with Sue Ryder for 8 years, starting as a volunteer at the age of 15 in retail, moving up to a store manager in West Yorkshire and Nottingham, then upon graduating from my degree in Law with French, joined the central volunteering team.

I have the privilege of working with the incredible volunteers from our hospices and fundraising teams. My role consists of supporting the healthcare and befriending volunteer co-ordinators to ensure they have the tools and resources to make the volunteering journey in their centres a success as well as implementing our national volunteering strategy. Our fantastic volunteers motivate me every day and my favourite part of this role is getting out and meeting those fantastic people who choose to volunteer for Sue Ryder!

eddie.hartley@sueryder.org

In my role, I oversee Retail Volunteering and manage the team that supports our 6000+ retail volunteers. My aim is to make Sue Ryder the best place to volunteer, so I develop procedures, processes and supporting materials to make retail volunteering work in the very best way possible.

I’ve been a volunteer manager for more than 20 years at different charities and in the Civil Service, and I volunteer myself as a Magistrate and with the NHS.

lucy.swann@sueryder.org

My role at Sue Ryder enables me to work with an amazing team who are as passionate as I am about Grief Kind Spaces. I am responsible for the national delivery of Grief Kind Spaces, managing and developing a service in local communities.

Our volunteers give their time and commitment to ensure we can offer a safe space where members of the community can meet and talk to others who has been bereaved. I love being part of this project and I am so proud to be able offer a space where people can come to share their experiences and feelings together.

tina.parkinson@sueryder.org

The Volunteer Helpline is your direct line to the Volunteering team. Get in touch with the Volunteer Helpline if you are a volunteer with any questions comments, compliments or complaints about your role. The Helpline can also help if you are supporting a volunteer and have a question, or if you need support with anything to do with volunteering.

The Helpline can direct any volunteering query or concern, including signposting you to extra support if you need it.

volunteering@sueryder.org

In my role, I work closely with all the Probation Services to get people into Sue Ryder establishments where they can undertake their Community Payback (CP) in a structured and supportive environment. I also deliver training in how to supervise people on Community Payback and deal with any questions or issues as they arise.

julia.spargo@sueryder.org

Each of the Retail regions has its own dedicated Retail Volunteer Coordinator (RVC). The RVC’s role is to actively support each shop team to recruit, induct, train and retain their volunteers. They also help with celebrating the fantastic support our volunteers give to our shops, and with recruitment on the ground or online.

A big part of our RVC’s role is to guide our new managers through training and to support them in developing their volunteer teams. Each RVC looks after around 130 shops- and so while you may not see them too regularly, they are busily working in the background to keep their regions and our volunteers well supported.

The Retail Regional Volunteer Co-ordinators are:

• Region 1 – Leah Rubin-Birchall (she/her)
• Region 2 – Claire Tupling (she/her)
• Region 3 – Gemma Rose (she/her)

At each of our centres, we have dedicated Volunteer Coordinators who ensure that every volunteer receives the support and guidance they need for a brilliant experience. These Coordinators recruit new volunteers, ensuring that our hospices remain vibrant hubs of activity and are the first line of support for our remarkable volunteers across our hospices.

They are instrumental in helping volunteers navigate their training, facilitating a smooth onboarding process, and fostering a welcoming environment. They also keep our volunteers informed by sharing monthly newsletters and organising regular meetups.

Grief Kind Spaces have a team of amazing, committed Area Coordinators who give regular contact to their volunteers along with being offering ongoing support and training to ensure that each and every volunteer have a positive experience and feel part of our wider Sue Ryder team.

They recruit volunteers to ensure their experience from day one runs smoothly and are committed to keeping our volunteers regularly informed by providing reflections, newsletters, volunteer evaluations and information on the volunteer hub to ensure our volunteers feel appreciated and valued.

Our Senior Administrators play a significant key part in Grief Kind Spaces, they are the first contact with a volunteer. They ensure that every volunteer receives information on the onboarding process which includes all aspects of administration needed for the role and are there to support with any questions which may arise.

With their care and guidance, we are able to provide a positive experience throughout their whole volunteer experience.

If you have any general volunteering questions or enquiries, please call the Volunteering team on 0808 164 4572 or email volunteering@sueryder.org