The first of June marks the start of National Volunteers Week, a great opportunity for us to highlight all the amazing work our volunteers do for us. We’re only a small charity but we have a big job to do supporting the Pharmacists of Great Britain and we couldn’t do it without the help of our volunteers. This week is a great chance for us to thank them for the truly invaluable work they do.

Who are our volunteers?

• Our Ambassadors are our newest and largest team of volunteers. They attend events up and down the country and speak to people across their local areas about the free and confidential services available. This may be staffing an information stand or delivering a presentation to help raise awareness of our work, to recruiting fundraisers and organising fundraising events.
• Our Listening Friends are our most established group of volunteers. This telephone support helpline was established over 20 years ago in 1996. These volunteers are all current or retired pharmacists with experience of the issues those in the pharmacy profession face. They give up their time to speak to callers who have personal or work related issues that are causing them stress, to enable them to offload and hopefully find a way forward.
• Our Home Visitor volunteers visit our annual beneficiaries (these may be; people who are retired, or isolated, or living with a medical condition) in their homes. These volunteers are our eyes and ears on the ground. They provide assistance completing forms as well as provide a friendly face and perhaps a connection to the profession these individuals may have lost.
• Our Trustees are the people who share ultimate responsibility for governing the charity and directing how it is managed and run. They meet for quarterly board meetings and sub committee meetings to ensure that we comply with the charity’s governing document and the law and that the charity’s resources are managed responsibly.

Throughout the first week of June we will be profiling some of the amazing people we work with behind the scenes – who give their time for free to support our work as a charity as well as those in the profession facing a variety of challenges. So be sure to check our website & social media channels for updates!