Meet Tricia Gordon, a dedicated volunteer who has been actively involved in County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust charity for the past year.
Tricia is a retired nurse who has dedicated more than 40 years of her life to County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust and is now a valued volunteer at County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust Charity. Tricia's passion for helping people and giving back to the community has been the driving force behind her continued involvement with trust charity.
Working as a nurse, Tricia fully understood the importance and direct impact of charity work on patients' experiences, she told us: "I've been involved in making applications to the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust Charity as a nurse, and so I had a good understanding of the brilliant work that the charity did. When I retired, it felt like the natural thing to do. Also, from the perspective of a patient, I wanted to give back to the NHS services since both myself and my close family members have used them."
Many weeks, Tricia's volunteering sees her doing a variety of things, from home-based desk work: sending emails to schools and event attendees, getting involved with face-to-face events the charity often runs, accepting delivery of donations for raffles or delivering donations to the wards and departments for patient comfort. As a keen caravanner in the summer, most of her volunteering time is saved for 1 or 2 days a week in the autumn and winter months.
"It's an extremely varied role," explains Tricia. "In 2021/22 I emailed schools all over County Durham and Darlington and arranged, as part of the NHS's 75th birthday celebrations, for the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust Charity team to visit and help children understand the work the NHS does.
"We were invited to assemblies - I attended some of the events and we talked about the breadth of career options within the NHS. It was inspirational. The schools got involved with the fundraising and the team were able to really engage with the wider community, it was a great success.
"Currently I am contacting schools to ask if the children would make positivity cards - sending good wishes to the elderly patients in particular, many who may not receive visitors. We receive these cards at Christmas and Easter and they really help to lift spirits and send a hug showing that together we care. Every day is different, it's very rewarding."
At County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust Charity, there is a lot of flexibility, Tricia always has the option to work remotely and can choose the number of days she works per week. Aside from the rewarding aspect of being a volunteer, Tricia has found it's a very social thing to do.
She adds: "It's a great way to meet people. After many years of being a nurse, I missed the interaction with people. Volunteering is a great way to build up a new network of friends. It's great fun, I love giving something back."
County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust Charity are grateful for every hour of time we receive from every one of our amazing team of volunteers. If you'd like to find out more about joining them to help support the work we do, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at cddft.charity@nhs.net or call us on 01325 74 3781.
Volunteering - find what's right for you
We know that commitments and free time are different for everyone - whatever your idea of volunteering looks like, we have something to suit you. Our voluntary roles cover a range of experiences, skills and talents, with each contribution making a huge difference allowing the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust Charity to continue to help your local NHS.
