Volunteering

Our volunteers support patients and their families in so many wonderful ways. Our volunteers help around the Beatson hospital; supporting patients in the Wards, in the Day Case Unit, the Beatson Café, in our Volunteer Hub and in our Wellbeing Centre.  Our wonderful tea trolley reaches all of the day patients here at the Beatson as well as at Clinic P at the New Victoria Hospital and the Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

We have a team of incredible volunteers here at Beatson Cancer Charity. Some of the roles we have are Beatson in Bloom gardening volunteers who keep all the gardens at the Beatson looking lovely, Volunteer Drivers who are supporting a research project and wonderful Telephone Befrienders who provide weekly calls to patients and carers.

We also have event and fundraising volunteers who help out at Beatson Cancer Charity Annual events such as our Burns Support, Ladies, Lunch, Sporting Dinner and Off the Beatson Track, when we turn Glasgow yellow with our wonderful family and dog-friendly sponsored walk. Volunteers also help out at lots of different events in the local community as well as distributing our Beatson Charity Collection Cans to local businesses.

We also benefit from tremendous support in our main Beatson Cancer Charity offices. This varies from our Reception Volunteers, T-shirt collections for our large events such as Off The Beatson Track and The Paw Walk, as well as Cash Counting and Data Entry.

Volunteers really are at the heart of everything we do. We simply couldn’t do what we do without the help of our incredible volunteers.

Whether you are looking for a regular volunteering opportunity or just want to help out now and again, there are many ways you can support us by gifting some of your time.

Ways to Get Involved

We will support you by providing all the training required to carry out your role with confidence. This varies from role to role but we will support you along the way. You will have regular contact with our Volunteer Team who will keep in touch with you to keep you up to date with news from across Beatson Cancer Charity. We want to make sure you have an enjoyable and rewarding volunteering experience with us and we really value the contribution you make and the time that you give.

We'll also make sure you've got any materials that you need for your role and can reimburse any reasonable travel expenses too.

Once you've completed six months of volunteering with us, we will also be happy to provide a reference for you to any future employers. In return, we just ask that you are committed to your role and are a great ambassador for the charity.

We currently have a number of roles where we are looking for additional volunteer support. Could you give a few hours, a few days or even sign up for a regular volunteering opportunity? We would love to hear from you.

Current Vacancies 

A variety of roles are currently available please see below for more information and how to apply.

Ward Volunteers

Ward Volunteers give their time to visit patients in the wards, offering companionship and someone for patients to talk to. This helps to reduce loneliness and isolation for patients. We are looking for new Ward volunteers to help us improve the patient's stay in hospital.

This role requires a PVG Membership, Occupation Health check and a full induction but we will support you through this process.

Volunteer Receptionists 

Our Volunteer Receptionists play a key role in assisting with the smooth running of the charity reception area. Volunteers will be fully supported by our office team.

As a volunteer receptionist, you would be welcoming all visitors and supporters, helping them to sign in and offering refreshments. 

Volunteers help out by answering the phone and directing calls to the appropriate person or taking a message. 

Volunteers also sign for any deliveries and assist visitors and supporters to make donations and help with some admin tasks.

We have availability most mornings and afternoons if you have some free time and would be interested in helping out please get in touch.

Tea Trolley Volunteer

As part of our support for patients and their families attending The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, we provide a tea trolley service in various locations throughout the hospital. 

Our tea trolley volunteers provide tea, coffee and biscuits to patients in clinics and waiting rooms. This is a free service for patients and our volunteers really make a difference to people with their warm and friendly approach and a welcome cuppa. 

Volunteers carry out a morning or afternoon shift with the refreshment trolley.  In parts of the hospital, we also offer a lunchtime service with sandwiches, yoghurts and fruit. 

This role involves the use of a hot water urn, making tea and coffee as well as some physical effort pushing the trolley around the hospital. Comfortable shoes are a must as there is some walking around and you are on your feet for your full shift which is around 2 / 3 hours. As well as tea, our volunteers provide patients with a chat and a warm, friendly environment. 

No cash handling experience is required as this is a free service for the patients. We also have Tea Trolley Services at Inverclyde Royal Hospital and the New Victoria Hospital.
If you are interested in helping with any of our wonderful tea trolley services, please get in touch.

Beatson in Bloom - Garden Volunteers 

Within the Beatson, there are a number of courtyards and balconies which provide a pleasant outlook from clinical areas and calming outdoor spaces in which to relax.  

For many years we have been fortunate to have such a dedicated team of volunteer gardeners who help us develop and maintain the gardens.

Beatson in Bloom work hard to keep the gardens looking lovely and we are really grateful for their help. We are really fortunate to have such wonderful support from The Glasgow Tree Lovers Society and Alstom who support us too.

We're always looking for green-fingered gardeners to help look after these areas, keeping them tidy and in good condition, and letting us know where necessary if help is needed with re-planting.  We have regular tidy-up days and planting parties here at the Beatson.

This role can be done flexibly in your own free time, and we'll support volunteers to take ownership of a garden area.

Telephone Befriending Volunteers

Our Telephone Befriending is a friendship service for people affected by cancer. The aim of the role is to help reduce anxiety, feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Our Telephone Befrienders make weekly telephone calls to their befriending clients to provide conversation and companionship as well as signposting to other sources of support; financial, mental health, practical, COVID-19 related.

Our volunteers provide one-to-one companionship with patients and individuals. We are looking for friendly volunteers who are good listeners. If you are confident and able to initiate conversation, this could be the perfect role for you.