Julia's House

Our volunteers are so important to us here at Julia’s House. You can make a real difference to the children and families that we support. Volunteering is fun and rewarding and however much time you have, we really value your contribution.

We need volunteers to help in a number of ways:

• Fundraising – helping at events, stalls and shows
• Working in one of our shops
• Public speaking about Julia’s House
• Joining or setting up a supporter group
• Helping at our warehouse and with van driving and collections
• Office administration
• Gardening at the hospice

How to get involved

To volunteer, please fill out the application form below and send it to June Maidment at june.maidment@juliashouse.org or post it to June Maidment, Julia's House, Unit F1 Arena Business Centre, Holyrood Close, Poole, Dorset, BH17 7FP. Once we have received your form, we will meet and chat with you to see how we can best make use of your time.

We may, in some cases, need to carry out a full Criminal Records Bureau check.

June Maidment, Volunteer Co-ordinator, 01202 607400 june.maidment@juliashouse.org

Meet Maria

Maria is one of our volunteers and recently accompanied some of our siblings on an adventure weekend in Wales. Here, she answers some questions about why she volunteers for Julia's House.

Who are you? Maria Carroll, 37, Operations Manager for a local telecoms software company. I live with my boyfriend in Poole and I'm part time step mum to his two little girls.

Why did you volunteer for Julia's House? Because I could! Although I have a busy life with friends and family and work, I was fully aware that I could make time available for people that really need support. I'm young, fit, very sociable and lucky to have my own transport. My family are very supportive and my 7-year-old step daughter can't wait until she is old enough to get involved!

What do you do at Julia's House? My involvement covers two areas: Sibling Days – these are days out for the brothers and sisters of the children who attend Julia's House. These are carefully scheduled depending on age and gender and range from tea parties with a magician for the younger children to a day out in London for the older girls. This time spent with like-minded children is so very important as not only do they get to talk and share experiences but they can have a lots of fun outside of their day-to-day life of caring for their sibling.

Fundraising – this often involves standing in fields at organised events, come wind, rain or shine and persuading people to part with their cash. I could be running a tombola or selling Julia's House merchandise to raise much-needed funds to help keep the hospice running and to pay for such things as the Sibling Days. As we are only 3% government funded we need all the support we can get and people are generally happy to help. We also spend time talking to people to spread the word about the essential care provided by Julia's House thus raising awareness that will hopefully lead to donations!

What do you get out of volunteering? Where do I start?! It's so humbling spending time with these remarkable children whose lives are so heavily affected by illness and it's so rewarding being part of a hard working, passionate team. Every event or activity I have volunteered at is different, whether it's having a giggle with a group of girls on a minibus in London or watching the pennies roll in during the Bournemouth Airshow.

Why would you recommend others to get involved? There is nothing negative about volunteering - it makes the people you help feel good and that makes you feel good. My only regret is that I didn't get involved sooner.