As part of National Volunteers Week, St Catherine's Hospice is sharing the difference more than 800 volunteers make to local people and their families at the end of life.

Here, Caterham resident Helen Pointer, who volunteers at the hospice drawing caricatures for people to keep and treasure, explains what she gains from her unusual volunteering role.

Most Wednesday afternoons, Helen can be found in the lounge area or on the wards at St Catherine's capturing someone's likeness in a beautiful caricature. "It's a wonderful experience - I receive as much as I give" explains Helen. "It's a privilege to be let into someone's life. They tell me their story and I try and capture that through illustration. For that moment, it's all about them."

Helen originally trained as a nurse before following her passion for art full time. When she's not volunteering at the hospice she creates caricatures and colour portraits at weddings, events and on cruise ships - drawing up to 15 an hour. She's even captured Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace!

Often, people are surprised to find St Catherine's offers services like caricature drawings to patients and their families, but Helen's drawings become really special to those being cared for. She's even been contacted by families of patients asking if they can use her drawing of their relative for order of services. "Any picture is theirs to use" Helen says. "One family said they'd looked through photos but my drawing had caught something in their relative's face; their story. It's an absolute honour to know they used it for such an important occasion."

When asked how she works, Helen explains: "I always draw someone's eyes first - they're the first thing you look at. It's not about anatomy, there's a softness, a sparkle, personality.

The shape of people's eyes changes as they tell a story and I wait for the moment they want represented. It helps that I've drawn many of the nursing staff at St Catherine's too as they understand what I do when I draw and can reassure patients that my style is fun. For me, it's a genuine privilege to know that through volunteering my time and skills, I can lift people's spirits and leave them with a lovely memory."

If you have a unique skill that you could use to help support St Catherine's or are interested in volunteering please get in touch with the hospice's Volunteering Team on 01293 447351 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.