Do you want to gain free experience in customer service, window dressing and retail or are you simply looking for a rewarding way to meet people and help a local charity?

St Catherine's Hospice is currently looking to take on more volunteers in their shop in Caterham. In return you will get valuable experience, flexible working hours and training.

Samantha Phillips has been volunteering at the St Catherine shop in Haywards Heath for four years. She said: "I specifically chose to volunteer for St Catherine's simply because it's a local cause rather than a 'national business' and so there is a very tangible link between the efforts of its volunteers (and staff of course!) and the local community. This is brought home to me frequently when customers donating goods tell us that they are relatives of patients who were cared for at the hospice.

"I love it that every shift is different. You never know who is going to come into the shop or what 'treasures' might be lurking in a bag of otherwise ordinary donated items. I like meeting a wide cross section of people of all different ages and enjoy dealing with requests for help putting together an outfit for anything from weddings to funerals or from job interviews to fancy dress parties!

"Volunteering has given me retail and customer service experience and I have also learned about window dressing and merchandising, all of which have been useful in my other role of helping to run a local art gallery (The Green Tree Gallery at Borde Hill Garden).

"As a volunteer, I feel valued by the hospice and was particularly struck by the Orientation Day when new volunteers were addressed by members of staff including the Chief Executive and a nurse. The hospice also runs occasional volunteer trips which are a lovely example of how St Catherine's recognises the efforts of its volunteers and helps us feel part of the hospice team."

For more information about volunteering in your local St Catherine's Hospice shop, please contact Liz Cook on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.