Many of our volunteers have personal experience of cancer – either themselves or through a loved one. Lisa has been volunteering at the Centre for nearly three years.
“My first contact with Pickering was when my Dad was diagnosed with cancer,” Lisa explains. “A friend was a counsellor at the Centre and suggested we call in for some support. While Dad was a visitor, I found support here too.”
Lisa then received her own cancer diagnosis and, after treatment, she visited us for support.
“I always told Polly that I wanted to come back as a volunteer myself,” says Lisa. “She suggested I give myself a couple of years. I did that and, by then, I felt in a better place, so I got back in touch. Now I come in every week.”
She adds: “I think it’s important that visitors know there’s always somebody here to chat to. I enjoy meeting visitors and being somebody they can offload their worries on for a little while. Visitors don’t always feel they can admit how worried they are to their own loved ones. Pickering gives visitors a chance to just be themselves.”