A volunteer at the Countess has received a national award from Macmillan Cancer Support in recognition of her dedication to supporting people affected by cancer.
Sue Yates received the Deborah Hutton Award at the charity’s Volunteers’ Award Conference in Hinckley, Leicestershire, at the weekend. The award is given in recognition of individuals or groups who provide practical care and support to people affected by cancer, beyond the expectations of their role.
The 65-year-old, who is a retired admin assistant, has dedicated herself to her role of Macmillan Support and Information Centre volunteer for five years and is an invaluable member of the team.
Her monitoring and evaluation skills are paramount to the smooth running of this busy centre. Whether she’s supporting clients, helping to run the Look Good Feel Better programme or ensuring the wellbeing of other volunteers, she always goes the extra mile.
Sue’s empathy and compassion shines through in everything she does. She has an outstanding ability to recognise and respond to the varied needs of people affected by cancer, and she always knows how to put people at ease. Sue is an excellent role model for other volunteers at the centre and is always the first to assist with any community outreach events.
On hearing she had won the award, Sue, who has two children and two grandchildren, said: “It was a total shock and very flattering.”
Sue added: “It is rewarding to delve a little bit deeper and help someone feel comfortable to talk to you. I leave the Macmillan information and support centre feeling like I have done something to help someone and that is enjoyable.
“I offer someone a listening ear and I explain I am a volunteer. I can provide support to people. You need to be able to speak to others easily, listen to their story and make them feel welcome.”
Jane Melvin, Head of Service for North West England, says: “Macmillan was set up by a volunteer over 100 years ago, and our volunteers are crucial in helping us to ensure that no one has to face cancer alone.
“We wanted to use Volunteers’ Week to say a well-deserved ‘thank you’ to all the people who give their time to help us. We also wanted to thank Sue for her incredible compassion and empathy and for providing invaluable practical care and support to help people affected by cancer.
“At Macmillan, we have a variety of volunteering roles and we always like to hear from people that might be interested in helping us out, because whether it’s minutes or months, hours or days, whatever time you can give really will matter.”
More information:
:: The Macmillan Support and Information Centre is based in the Countess of Chester Hospital and is available to anyone who has been affected by cancer. The centre is staffed by an experienced cancer nurse, a centre assistant and a number of highly skilled volunteers. If you have any questions, concerns or need support regarding a cancer diagnosis please contact the centre on 01244 364948 / cancer.support@nhs.net.
:: If you want to know more about other volunteer opportunities available at the Countess visit http://bit.ly/1rF0b6r or email sue.cornick@nhs.net
:: If you’re interested in finding out about how to volunteer for Macmillan please visit www.macmillan.org.uk/volunteer, email volunteering@macmillan.org.uk or call 0300 1000 200.