After retiring, Demelza volunteer Hugh wanted to do good with his spare time and after hearing about Demelza from his wife, who is a part of our team, knew there was only one option for where he wanted to sign up! 

Since joining in 2020, Hugh has supported our Demelza families by decorating rooms for children to stay in, assisting with transport to hospital appointments, delivering shopping, and even gardening, taking the pressure off families whilst giving them an outdoor space to use. At Christmas, he even donned a festive elf hat and delivered gifts far and wide! 

He said “It makes it so worthwhile to see how much of a difference it makes to the families, they have so much that they are dealing with. You also get to meet other volunteers and like-minded people which is nice.” 

Kanij, mum to Kaleem who has been supported by Demelza for eight years, has received support from Hugh in the form of gardening. She said “Having this support is very beneficial as I am a single mum with little time and back problems, so this helps so much. One time I cut the grass and couldn’t sleep that night so having Hugh in to do this job is very amazing.” 

Kaleem, is non-verbal and requires 24-hour constant care so for Kanij, having the support of volunteers like Hugh takes the pressure off these jobs being done. Thanks to Hugh giving up time to mow their lawn, the whole family were able to enjoy sitting outside and being in the garden.  

Giving just an hour of your time really can make such a difference and we are so grateful to volunteers like Hugh who help to transform the lives of those we support. 

Volunteer