After completing his college studies, Jamie Clark (18) from Milton Keynes has spent the summer volunteering as a gardener at The Hospice before he heads off to study music at university in September.

Jamie told us, “I started doing my nan’s garden because she’s getting older and I’d cut the bushes and other stuff for her. That’s how I got into gardening actually. Here, I do tasks like cutting hedges and moving logs. It’s just nice to be outside, to be honest. The actual task doesn’t matter itself, it’s more about meeting people. There’s a lot of social activity here and it's a good community environment.”

“I travel quite far to get here (from Milton Keynes) and there’s a lot of other hospices nearer to me than this, but it's definitely worth coming to every time. The Hospice is so much larger and there are so many more volunteers compared to anywhere else. There’s an actual woodland and on some days, there’s not just gardening going on here, but there are even horses being led through the wooded area for children who may be dealing with bereavement.”

“The staff have really cared for all the volunteers. You can see they appreciate us. You feel you’re really part of it. You’re doing just a little bit, but it does contribute to the bigger picture at The Hospice. That’s what ties you together. Being part of the environment and the place itself, knowing you have something in common with people is a really binding experience.”

Regarding a possible return to The Hospice, Jamie commented, “I was thinking about the holidays for example. Obviously, I’ll come back to visit family from university. So, yes, I think it would be nice to come here again. I really do.”