2 Jun 2023 Volunteer News

Two teenagers volunteer for The Kirkwood whilst on work experience

Two teenagers from Heckmondwike Grammar School have recently spent a week on work experience at The Kirkwood. Mashal, 17 and Sofeeya 16 have been volunteering across the organisation in different departments learning about everything it takes to keep our fantastic charity running. 

Both came to The Kirkwood with little knowledge of what we do, however in their own words have gone away and learned a great deal about how we support hundreds of families across Kirklees. 

Both volunteers helped out in a variety of ways and we're happy to speak about their experiences whilst working with our teams. 

Firstly Sofeeya commented: “I've always thought volunteering wouldn’t be too bad, I had the opportunity to do work experience. and I'm quite a people person. I like socializing. 

"I thought this would be the kind of environment that I could really get into. I didn’t know what to expect but I really enjoyed it. What I feel now about it compared to what I expected are completely different, but I came with an open mind.

“I didn’t know much at all about the hospice at first I just knew about the charity shops. I've been in quite a few places volunteering for The Kirkwood learning the different areas of the hospice and I've learned what goes on in this building at Dalton and how the charity operates. 

"I've been with the facilities, reception, gardening, IT, finance, and fundraising teams. It's been really eye opening to see how much is involved behind the scenes. 

“If I didn't have this work experience I wouldn't have known about the hospice or what The Kirkwood does in the community on a day to day basis. I learned that there are over 800 volunteers working for The Kirkwood and that there are many roles needed to keep The Kirkwood running. 

"After visiting the In-Patient Unit and seeing what it's like having to deal with end of life care, I realized the importance of volunteers and the charity overall. 

"I feel a lot of people my age should do this type of volunteering as I have got to see things in a very different light. It's good to know how important and valued volunteers are. I would definitely like to come back here and volunteer some more." 

Mashal had very similar thoughts on her time at The Kirkwood she said: "I think similar to Sofeeya, I realised it's not a hospital, it's a hospice and that there is so much more for people here to access in terms of the different services. 

"I enjoyed being on the In-Patient Unit and being able to deliver the food and drink to the patients. It was really interesting seeing what kind of things needed to be done to care for people."