As a teenager in the 1970’s Tina’s parents had a money box for their local hospice and she was encouraged to put her loose change in, even putting in a five-pound note she found on the floor of our local nightclub. In the 1990’s Tina was asked if she would like to assist the hospice by emptying such boxes in the local area and bank the money which she did until 2012 when she moved to the Taunton area.
Last year, after a lifetime in the Sales and Marketing department of a national housebuilder and her partner newly diagnosed with cancer, redundancies were announced Tina considered it as early retirement. As life started settling down to her new normal, she found that she had time on her hands that she wanted to put to good use, volunteering at St Margaret's Hospice seemed the natural choice for her.
Tina soon had a conversation with the Head of Retail and discussed options available and ebaying jumped out. Tina now volunteers on Mondays in the head office at Walford Cross adding unique donations to ebay, but there are options to work in their many shops throughout Somerset or work from home. Whilst Tina likes the regularity of working Mondays, she encourages people who want flexibility to still offer to help at St Margaret’s as she knows they can accommodate this. Tina said, “The charity wants donated items to reach their optimum price, which is not always possible in the retail environment. That’s where ebay can help. Some items need a little research to reach their true potential. I find it very satisfying finding out a little more about items before describing and photographing them for sale. I get a real buzz when an item I listed sells for more than I expected, and St Margaret’s Hospice gets all the sale price as ebay have zero fees for charities.”
She continued, “It's great to pack and post items off to their new owners and very satisfying to know that you are helping the environment by assisting others to reuse items which may never have found a new home without your help.”
When talking about volunteering Tina said, “Don’t think you have to be retired. Ebaying for St Margaret’s could be equally beneficial to those at different stages of their life, a young person wanting some work experience, anyone finding themselves between jobs and wanting to keep or add to their skills.”
Tina explains one of the reasons she volunteers for the hospice, “In 2015 my brother spent his final weeks at his local hospice whilst battling Motor Neurone Disease and now my younger brother, who has stage 4 throat cancer is being helped in the community by the same hospice. The hospice care for them and the wider family was and is invaluable. It is a great pleasure to me to give a little back to the hospice movement which gives families practical advice and comfort when they most need it.”
Please don’t wait or hesitate if you find you have a little spare time. Contact St Margaret’s volunteer team on 01823 333822 or email volunteering@st-margarets-hospice.org.uk. Like me you will be glad you did.