Bobby Ball presents volunteering award in Lincoln

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice is celebrating after triumphing at the third annual Help the Hospices Awards, supported by the National Gardens Scheme.

Of the three awards categories, St Barnabas scooped the Innovation in Volunteering Award for its Real Time Reporting Project, the aim of which is to capture up-to-date and reliable data from patients and their carers using handheld devices.

To celebrate the award with volunteers and organisers, St Barnabas hosted an official celebration at The Old Palace in Lincoln on December 4.

Bobby Ball (of Cannon & Ball) attended and presented the volunteers with the Help the Hospices award.

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The project was funded by National End of Life Care programme, Marie Curie Cancer Care and Help the Hospices. Volunteers from St Barnabas Hospice were selected and trained to use handheld tablet devices to sensitively survey patients.

St Barnabas Hospice in Lincoln has over 1,000 volunteers.

Lisa Gibson, Volunteer Services Manager said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to receive this award. We simply wouldn’t be the organisation we are without the fantastic support of our volunteers.

“This award recognises the growing importance and diversity of roles available within the hospice, along with the willingness of our volunteers to train into new and challenging roles.”

Voluntary Services Manager Lisa Gibson was presented with the award by Lord Howard of Lympne, Chairman of Help the Hospices and George Plumptre, Chief Executive of the National Gardens Scheme.

The awards were announced in October and presented by David Praill, Chief Executive of Help the Hospices, Lord Howard of Lympne, Chairman of Help the Hospices and George Plumptre, Chief Executive of the National Gardens Scheme.

David Praill said: “The Help the Hospices Awards celebrate the remarkable achievements of some inspirational hospices and individuals.

“Innovation is deeply embedded in the history of hospices and is something at which they excel. Hospices are operating in a challenging environment on many fronts and it’s wonderful to see how they continue to come up with creative ideas and strive for excellence.”