A volunteer at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has turned to poetry to mark the beginning of Volunteers’ Week, and to celebrate all those who give up their time to help others.
Every month, around 200people aged 17-92 devote thousands of hours to a range of roles across NHSGGC, and Volunteers’ Week is a chance to recognise, celebrate and thank the army in red T-shirts and what they do.
And when the call went out for ideas to make the celebrations extra-special, David Henry volunteered – again – to help.
“I’ve never written a poem for public use like this,” said the 68-year-old former music teacher who lives in Bearsden with his wife Wilma, “but we were looking for something to mark the week, and I thought I could contribute.
“When I was a music teacher I’d compose simple tunes and lyrics so my young students could play and sing along, but nothing like this.
“I just hoped it would do all my fellow volunteers justice.”
In fact, colleagues at NHSGGC thought the poem was so special that David was recorded reciting it to camera, and a video was created showing just some of the hundreds of people who help out every week, with David’s verse as a backdrop.
And the finished article was described as “beautiful” by Mary Nolan, Volunteer Manager, South Sector, at NHSGGC.
She said: “David’s words are lovely in their own right, but to portray them like this is a fitting tribute to everyone who gives up their time at our hospitals.
“We have only been able to feature a few on the video, but I would like to say thank you and a very happy Volunteers’ Week to every one of our volunteers.
“In the past 12 months, our fantastic volunteers have clocked up an incredible 45,605 hours across our sites, and your work, your good humour and your commitment are appreciated by patients, visitors and staff alike.”
David was been a volunteer at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital since it opened in 2015 – and it was his experience during a hospital appointment that inspired him to get involved.
“I had a problem with my heart and came to the old Southern General to get it investigated. When I arrived I was told I wasn’t to go straight to my appointment, but instead I had to use one of the self sign-in machines.
“I had real problems with this and, while the care I received that day was wonderful, the one thing that blotted my visit was that experience signing in.
“A couple of weeks later, I came across an appeal for volunteers at the new hospital – they were looking for people to help with that very machine so I felt I had to get involved.”
David was one of the new hospital’s first volunteers, and every Tuesday morning since then he has been at his post in the entrance to the QEUH, greeting people as they arrive and helping them with directions, answers to questions or perhaps just a kind word of support.
“Volunteering here is so rewarding and I’d heartily recommend it,” he said.
“The QEUH is a huge hospital and people who arrive here can sometimes find it a bit overwhelming or confusing. If we can make their experience a little easier and take some of the confusion out of coming here, then we’ve done our job.
“People are often very grateful, and I find it’s often the small things that they really appreciate. We don’t expect their thanks, but it makes everything worthwhile.”
Harry Balch, Volunteer Manager, Clyde Sector, at NHSGGC, said: “Volunteers’ Week gives us the opportunity to say a huge thank you to our volunteers and celebrate their contribution.
“Volunteers such as David, and other all others who feature in this video, bring with them a whole range of experience and skills, and that’s what makes volunteering such an important service. Not only do the volunteers provide support to patients, it can be a hugely rewarding – and sometimes surprising – experience for those who volunteer.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is always keen to attract more volunteers to help in a range of services, so if you think you have something to offer our patients, visitors and staff, we’d love to hear from you.
Many sites across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are actively seeking to recruit volunteers, so to find out more about volunteering, and to see our current opportunities, go to our website: Become a Volunteer – NHSGGC
David’s poem
Hello! It’s nice to meet you,
How can we help you today?
In red we’re here to greet you.
We’re waiting to show you the way.
Some guide, others visit our patients on the ward.
We help make long stays bearable,
Their thanks our just reward.
We come from every branch of life,
Some working, some retired.
From refugees improving life to students yet unhired.
We pool our skills in hospitals wherever we reside,
Supporting local NHS in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
From bedside chats to cups of tea,
We give empathic aid.
Compassion and experience,
NHS well displayed.
For visitors, patients and staff we’re here
To welcome, to visit, wheelchairs seek.
To those who so generously give of their time we say
Have a great Volunteers’ Week!
:: To watch the video in full, click here: NHSGGC – Volunteers Week 2024 (youtube.com).