A HOSPICE'S tea party saw a number of vital volunteers come forward to help out.

St Mary's Hospice, in Ulverston, hosted a drop-in Volunteer Showcase Tea Party as part of National Volunteers Week.

St Mary's invited would-be volunteers to the centre to look around, meet the team and find out more about helping out at the hospice, all with plenty of tea, cakes and biscuits.

Anne Atkinson, St Mary's volunteer lead, said: "Our volunteers make a huge contribution to St Mary's and we value their commitment and motivation.

"Their time makes a difference to all the patients and the families we help and support through some difficult and emotional stages of their lives."

The successful tea party saw a number of visitors get a taste for volunteering at St Mary's.

The hospice hopes that by growing their team, they are able to provide services to more people in more places.

Their current team includes a mixture of volunteers from a range of backgrounds.

Helen Braithwaite, who has been volunteering at the centre for six months, said: "Suddenly, my grandchildren were growing up and did not need me as much and my mum was taken into a care home.

"Although I was still working two days every week, I found I had more spare time on my hands and, having overcome breast cancer three years ago, I felt I wanted to give something back. That's when I applied to become a volunteer."

The week has seen a number of events planned to get more volunteers helping out at charities across the country.

Marks and Spencer was also involved as it took part in its Make Every Moment Matter in the Community.

Across the UK, more than 50,000 Marks and Spencer staff supported more than 500 community projects aimed at making a difference.

A team of 20 volunteers from the Barrow store helped out over three days to transform the gardens at the hospice.

Simon Craig, store manager, said: "Across the business we want to support local charities and we try to do something that we hope will make a lasting difference in the community.

"Our chosen charity this year is the hospice and hopefully we've helped transform their garden for the better.

"We all got thoroughly soaked through as we pressure washed, weeded and cleaned the entire garden, but it's important to help the community we live in.

"It's great to have the opportunity to make a difference and it's something we want to do as a company."

Anyone interested in volunteering at the centre can ring St Mary's Hospice on 01229 580305, or email volunteers@stmaryshospice.org.uk.

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