Oona has been volunteering at the Centre for around a year and says she felt a real need to ‘give something back’, having had a cancer diagnosis herself a few years ago.
“I wish I’d known about Pickering at that time but I’m so pleased to be able to volunteer and support others,” she says.
Oona is one of our pool of volunteers, who kindly fill-in when regular volunteers can’t make it on a particular day. Her role involves chatting to visitors and greeting those who knock on our door.
“Some first-time visitors are understandably hesitant, but we settle them in and explain what support and therapies we can provide,” she explains. “There’s such a warmth here, which I noticed as soon as I first walked through the door. I think everyone – visitors and volunteers – feel part of a community. As volunteers, we are primarily here to listen and that’s often just what visitors need.”
Oona continues: “You’d imagine that a cancer drop-in centre would be a sad place – but, honestly, it’s such a heart-warming space. Yes, there are sometimes tears, but there’s plenty of laughter too. It’s truly amazing. When I volunteer here, I usually go home feeling uplifted.”