When our volunteer Shirley Dinsmore was set to be recognised for her long service she had to miss out on the special ceremony in Shrewsbury due to illness.

But to ensure our dedicated volunteer of two decades still received her award, colleagues took the party to her to say thank you at our site in Newtown, Mid Wales.

She was recognised for her work alongside friend and fellow volunteer Barbara Norbury, who celebrated a milestone of 10 years working with us.

Lead consultant Claire Stockdale, who together with administrator Ali Edwards-Lewis and Barbara went the extra mile, presented the pair with long-service pin badges and a bouquet of flowers.

Around 10 colleagues turned out and enjoyed a tea, cake and a buffet prepared by our catering team based at Shrewsbury.

Our voluntary and support services manager, Phil Brannon, said: “We held our long service award tea party with our chairman in Bicton but Shirley had been ill and it was too far to travel from Newtown.

“To recognise her commitment and dedication to us over the years we all agreed to take the award to her so she wasn’t left out. It went really well and a fabulous afternoon was had by all.

“Volunteers like Shirley and Barbara are so important to Severn Hospice and what we do. We have an army of well over a thousand and their hard work means we provide so many extra families with vital care every year.”

Shirley and Barbara, who have worked primarily at the Newtown hospice during their time with us, volunteer to support office and admin and patient home visits respectively.

In October, 43 of our hospice-based volunteers came together for Long Service Awards in Bicton to mark five, 10, 15 and 20 years of service.

Earlier this year, 65 retail volunteers came together at our Telford site to receive Long Service Awards – celebrating more than 150 years between them.

We have more than 1,400 hardworking volunteers who help the charity with everything from keeping the award-winning hospice gardens in shape, working in one of our charity shops to giving visitors a warm welcome when they arrive in reception.

To find out more information about volunteering with us click here.