17 Nov 2025 Volunteer News

Jo Gledhill’s The Kirkwood volunteering story

When you walk into The Kirkwood’s retail operation on a Friday morning, you’re likely to hear laughter before you see the clothes. That’s probably because of Jo Gledhill.

Jo lives just a few hundred yards away and spends three hours every Friday volunteering, sorting clothing donations that are then sold online to raise vital funds for patient care. 

On volunteering she said: “I volunteer on a Friday and spend about three hours sorting through clothes that are then listed on eBay for sale. Most of them have been returned from charity shops because they didn’t sell the first time around, so it gives them a second chance to raise money for The Kirkwood. It’s such a simple thing, but it makes a real difference every item sold helps fund patient care, support, and equipment.”

For Jo, opening each new donations bag can have the excitement of finding some real treasures: “You’d honestly be amazed at some of the things that come through. One minute it’s a flamingo costume or a rara skirt that makes us all laugh, and the next it’s a beautiful dress. We also get some really lovely vintage pieces, things that remind you of another era. When something special comes in, we set it aside to list the high value items on the main eBay site. I love spotting those finds.

“We get mostly ladies’ clothes, tops, dresses, trousers, but we do get all sorts. It’s like Christmas every Friday when you open a new bag and wonder what you’ll find. We all have a giggle about it. It’s honestly one of the highlights of my week.”

Jo didn’t come to The Kirkwood by accident. Her connection is deeply personal: “I first got involved because The Kirkwood cared for my mum Lynn when she became poorly. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer and needed some personal care equipment at home. We’d contacted the council and were told there was a backlog, but when we rang The Kirkwood, everything arrived within 24 hours. I’ll never forget that, it was incredible. You don’t realise how much that kind of help means until you’re the one who needs it.”

The help her mum received went far beyond equipment, Jo contined: “The support went beyond equipment. Mum was linked up with counselling, emotional support, and had her own coordinator. It was seamless, they thought of everything. Having someone independent to talk to helped her so much, because she didn’t want to burden the family with her feelings. That emotional support gave her space to just be honest about what she was going through. It made such a difference to all of us. Even though she didn’t actually make it to the hospice, just knowing there was a bed waiting for her was a huge comfort. It gave us peace of mind at such a difficult time.”

Jo’s mum, Lynn, remains at the heart of why she volunteers: “Mum was 74 when she passed away in February 2023. She’d been living with bladder cancer for about 14 months. It was tough because she was such a proud and dignified woman, and her illness took a lot of that away from her. The equipment The Kirkwood gave her helped her to feel more like herself again,  it gave her some dignity back in her own home. She was also protecting my dad, who has myeloma and very little immunity, so she’d barely left the house since COVID-19. The Kirkwood helped her reconnect a bit, through phone calls, counselling, and emotional support. She used to say it made her feel less alone. I think my dad shielded us a bit from how ill she really was, but after she passed, he told us how much comfort she’d found knowing The Kirkwood were there if she needed them, that meant the world.”

Jo’s first taste of volunteering came through her employer, Lloyds bank: “I actually came to The Kirkwood through my job with Lloyds. We get one day a year to volunteer in the community, so I decided to use mine here. I came for the day in January and absolutely loved it, I went home and said, ‘I want to do this every week.’ And that’s what I’ve done ever since.”

Now, she champions volunteering to her colleagues too: “At work, I’m the volunteer champion now, so I’ve put The Kirkwood on our volunteer hub to encourage more people to get involved. It’s so important that businesses give staff the chance to volunteer. Eight people giving a day of their time, that’s 80 hours of help for a charity, that’s huge. People don’t always realise that charity work isn’t free. Every items have to be sorted, listed, stored, and posted. When businesses send volunteers, it saves so much time and money, it’s a real way to give back.”

As much as Jo gives to The Kirkwood, she’s very clear about what she gets back: “It’s such a brilliant atmosphere here, we have such a laugh, but we also know we’re doing something that matters.”

Behind the laughter, Jo never loses sight of the bigger picture: “People sometimes think, ‘It’s only a £5 pair of jeans, does that really help?’ But it does. Every pound adds up. When you think that one sale can pay for a patient’s meal or a piece of medical equipment, you realise how powerful it is. Multiply that by hundreds or thousands, and you’re helping to fund nurses, beds, and care for local families. I even raise money at home, I take bedding and curtains that can’t be sold in shops and sell them on eBay for The Kirkwood. My husband jokes that our house looks like a warehouse sometimes, but I don’t mind. It’s my little way of giving back.”

Jo believes that people in Kirklees feel a strong connection to The Kirkwood, even if they don’t always see just how much is involved: “I think people in this community have a real place in their heart for The Kirkwood. They might not understand all the costs and work that go into running it, but they do value that it’s there. It’s one of those things you don’t think about until it touches your life. You see the name, you go to the fairs, you donate the odd bag of clothes, but when you or your loved one actually needs that care, you suddenly see how vital it is. It’s not just a hospice; it’s a network of people that is involved within it. I’ll always be grateful for what they did for Mum. That’s why I keep coming back every week, it’s my way of saying thank you.”

Asked what she would say to someone thinking about volunteering, Jo doesn’t hesitate: “Honestly, just give it a go. Send an email, come for a few hours, you’ll have fun, meet some brilliant people, and make a real difference. It’s so rewarding, and it’s easier than you think. You walk out feeling like you’ve done something that matters. Every time I finish my shift, I feel good knowing that even a small bit of my time has helped someone else. That’s what it’s all about.”

If you'd like to volunteer like Jo then please click the link HERE to find out more.