Call for more volunteers for life-saving charity

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance is urging people in Hemel Hempstead to consider volunteering with the charity this Volunteers Week (1-7 June) with many existing volunteers coming forward to join the call as new data reveals volunteers contributed over 56,000 hours last year, the equivalent of around 30 to 32 extra staff.

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance is on a mission to recruit more volunteers for its network of 12 charity shops including Hemel Hempstead. There are currently 270 volunteers across the shops, with the charity looking to increase this to 330 by the end of the summer.

Paula Burgin (58) who manages the Hemel shop and has recently been promoted to area manager across Hertfordshire, started working for the charity after her brother was saved by the air ambulance six years ago. John Champion, now 54, had a cardiac arrest and the air ambulance was called when paramedics couldn’t restart his heart. The crew bought a Lucas machine, which provides mechanical chest compressions and were able to stabilise him and get him to Harefield Hospital.

According to Paula, retail volunteers come from all walks of life. Currently the youngest volunteer is 17 and oldest is 85. No particular skills are required and a commitment from as little as 2 hours a week makes a big difference. Help in all forms is wanted with so many jobs to do from sorting stock and pricing to helping customers.

Paula describes volunteering as a brilliant way of gaining invaluable work experience especially for young people, or a chance to share skills honed over a career. For many it provides a confidence boost and access to a community:

“Volunteers are the life blood of our shops – without them it would be so challenging to keep everything running. I know John was one of the lucky ones. I’m so grateful to the air ambulance and pleased to do what I can to play my part. Working in the shop is rewarding and just good fun. For a charity that gets no government funding and relies 100% on donations to keep its helicopters flying, I’m mindful we all need to do what we can – we never know when we’ll need them”.

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance is a charity delivering life-saving pre-hospital care to critically ill or injured patients across Essex and Hertfordshire. Anyone interested in volunteering in Hemel Hempstead or in any way for the charity should visit ehaat.org/volunteer or phone the charity office and ask to speak to a member of the volunteering team.