Charlie Coomer, Volunteer
The Hospice shops are vital to the charity, providing vital funding. The volunteers in the Retail Team all help to ensure this can continue.
"Charlie is a fantastic member of the Team with a great sense of humour!"
Karen Witherley, Senior Manager Retail
Charlie Coomer has volunteered for the Hospice in a variety of roles for over 18 years and now works in one of the Hospice shops, this is his story.
After a family bereavement Charlie, unemployed at the time, was at a loose end. One of his friends happened to mention volunteering. Charlie was unsure about the prospect initially but eventually visited Hartlepool Voluntary Development Agency (HVDA) and offered to volunteer as a driver.
Offered a place at the Hospice for one day a week, Charlie was soon a valued member of the Team. One day turned to two, then three and eventually he was volunteering 5 days a week.
Charlie said, “I love volunteering for the Hospice, I feel like one of the team and no different from the employed staff. I get called on to do all sorts of different things, helping our at events, driving the van and manning the phones in the Warehouse. I love meeting people and always feel looked after, I am always included in meetings and social nights. I have a huge amount of pride in the shop, I get very competitive with the other shops.”