Volunteers Week - Bob's Story

Bob Sheppard is a hospice volunteer and a Compassionate Neighbour.  In this story, he describes how his life has been enriched by those experiences.  

“I was the first Systems Technical Architect assigned to the Hinkley C nuclear power station project, but when the company relocated everybody to Bristol, it wasn’t practical for us to move.  I was lucky to be able to take early retirement. 

I threw myself into DIY and my wife and I had also become foster carers to a young man who was eight at the time.  I was keeping busy but after a couple of years I needed something else to focus on.  I didn’t miss my job, but I missed the people. 

My wife heard that the hospice was looking for volunteers. I remember thinking it wouldn’t be easy, working in a place like that. 

But I attended an open day, sent in my CV and was invited to come in and have a chat with Dharm, the Facilities Manager.  Immediately, the vibe I got was that the hospice wasn’t at all what I was expecting - by a long way.  

“If you are thinking about becoming a volunteer, please get in touch with the hospice.  It’s probably not the place you think it is.  

At the end of the day, I feel happy to have done what I’ve done – to know I’ve achieved something worthwhile and I’m giving something back.  It’s great to know that my skills are valued.” 

Bob Sheppard Volunteer

I look forward to Mondays which is my day for volunteering.  I never know what I’m going to be doing that day, and that’s one of the things I love about it.   

I’ve helped with office relocations, painted rooms and fixed doors. I’ve laid loads of carpet tiles and my foster son has helped occasionally, too. Yesterday it was a run to the tip and then we went to the shop in Coxheath to paint a window.   

It’s a great team and the camaraderie is brilliant - we all seem to gel well.  Every one of the guys bring their own skills to the table, and there are always new skills to be learnt.  

When I tell people I volunteer at the hospice, they usually say they don’t understand how I could work in an environment like that.  I always tell them it’s a happy place. It’s full of people chatting and smiling and laughing because that’s what life is about - it’s about communication and helping each other.   

The hospice has now paid me back completely for all the time I’ve given… 

Karen, a long-term friend of ours, was admitted to the hospice on Boxing Day. (Where would you find another place that would admit you on Boxing Day?)  She and her husband could not speak highly enough of the care and support they received.  

Karen was in Room 3 on the Inpatient Unit.  My colleague and I had decorated that room three weeks earlier.  It made me feel so proud.” 

Bob is also Malcolm’s Compassionate Neighbour  

“When I heard about the Hospice’s Compassionate Neighbours programme, I thought I could do that, if I found the right match.    

I did the training and was soon matched with a chap who I happened to know.  Years ago, I helped him fit a handmade wooden staircase in an oast house and I always remember what a beautiful piece of work it was.   

Malcolm is now in his mid-80s and is a full-time carer for his wife, Doreen.  It’s hard for him and the whole idea of being his Compassionate Neighbour is to give him a bit of a break once a week.  

We get on like a house on fire. We are both interested in woodworking and we like matchbox cars and model trains and Scalextric - we reminisce about our old cars and that sort of thing.   

I look forward to seeing Malcolm because I enjoy a chat too, and we’ve become good friends.  We usually spend a couple of hours together every week, having a coffee somewhere and I always make sure I say hello to Doreen too. 

Once I took him to Rochester Cathedral to see the huge wooden table made from 5000 year-old Fenland Black Oak that was found preserved in peat. Malcolm’s face lit up when he saw it and he was fascinated by the story and how they made it.  Of course, we had a coffee in the cathedral café afterwards.  

I don’t think you need any special skills to be a Compassionate Neighbour.  If you can talk, you’ll be able to do it.  I also think it’s important to be able to listen - to hear what somebody’s saying even though they may be skirting around a subject.   

I feel completely supported by the Compassionate Neighbours team. John and Marie are great”