A HELPER at St Clare Hospice in Hastingwood has told The Guardian why she finds her role so rewarding and why others should get involved, as it prepares for its first fundraising walk in Loughton.

Barbara Macdonald, 71, of The Spinney, Ongar, is one of the 450 volunteers who keep the hospice running.

Her role involves talking to patients and their families, helping the nurses with non-clinical jobs, arranging flowers in patients' rooms and keeping the unit tidy.

“I like to meet the patients and sometimes it's good for them to talk to an independent person, outside of their families.

“These are people just like you or me and we could all end up being in this situation.

“The other side I like is speaking to people's relatives, because they need a lot of support at the end of someone's life.

“The nursing staff are excellent and they're very good with volunteers because they include us.”

She said that although she often finds it tough working with people who are often near the end of their lives, what she does is very rewarding.

“Emotionally, it's hard,” she added. “People do become very distressed and ill and it's very hard to try to be positive when you're talking to them, because deep down, we know these people aren't going to be around much longer.

“I often come home with a lump in my throat and sometimes a few tears.

“But it's not a daunting place to be, it's a lovely place to be. It's very bright and cheerful and the nurses laugh and I laugh.”

Mrs Macdonald started volunteering for the hospice as a fundraising collector, before getting involved in the running of the hospice about eight years ago.

She has also collected for Marie Curie Cancer Care, as her husband, Robert, has suffered from cancer.

“I volunteered to do gardening at the hospice at first, but they needed volunteers in the in-patient unit,” she said.

“People say they could never do what I do, but I think most people could. You just need to have a listening ear and try to be positive. The hospice needs more volunteers all the time.”

The hospice's next big fundraising event, the Starlight Walk, starts from Loughton Library on September 18 at Loughton Leisure Centre in Trap's Hill.

Anyone over 14 can register for the walk via the website www.stclare-hospice.co.uk, calling 01279 773 750 or in writing, by sending their name, address, phone number and email address to: Freepost RRLY-EZLX-YJLK, St Clare Hospice, Stone Barton, Hastingwood Road, Hastingwood, Harlow, CM17 9JX