Wendy – Volunteer Administrator

Wendy Goult is a Volunteer Administrator for St Nicholas Hospice Care’s Facility Team.

“I started volunteering at the Hospice about two-years-ago I think, the time passes so quickly to be honest. I volunteer for two mornings a week, and I also attend the Hospice’s writing group which takes place on a Friday morning.

“Volunteering at the Hospice for me really is all about giving something back. Following the death of my husband David in 2011, the Hospice really dug me out of a great big hole. They introduced me to the writing group and after that I suppose I just wanted to give something back, and I really enjoy it.

“I didn’t really volunteer for this role in particular, but when I told them about my experience, which is in construction I was a CDM (construction design management) Co-ordinator, they asked if I would consider being part of the Facilities Team. I think what is probably the most important thing for people to be know is that the Facilities Team is not just responsible for the main Hospice site. It looks after all of our buildings, the Haverhill Hub in Haverhill and all of the retail shops.

“One of my main responsibilities is being the Hospice’s car parking guru. It is my job to keep the database which records staff and their cars up-to-date. You wouldn’t believe how often things change – new starters, leavers and registration numbers all have to be kept up-to-date.

“Currently the Facilities Team is in the process of streamlining – we are going paperless, which means we are getting rid of all the unnecessary paper documents we have and transferring them onto the computer. This should make things a lot easier and when somebody wants to check something about the Hospice or one of the shops, everything will have its own computer file and if needed we will be able to print out the information they need. In a similar way I also keep our asset register up to date, so we know what equipment we have, when it has been tested, and importantly when it is next due for testing.

“When needed I can also act as an interpreter, often staff or volunteers will come into the cabin to ask a question or ask for something to be done and they might get a very technical answer so I have been able to help them understand some of the technical terms a little bit better.”