Volunteer news

We had a fantastic weekend of fun at The Elephants' Big Day Out and we hope that all of our visitors did too! The Elephants definitely got a good send off as we said farewell to them after 10 weeks of summer fun.

A huge thank you to everyone who visited over the weekend of fun and activities, the weather wasn’t great but despite that we had over 1000 visitors on each day!

An additional thanks goes to all of our volunteers and stall holders who gave up their time this weekend to support our event. We had so many volunteers helping everywhere from catering, reception, lotteries, enterprises, on our stalls and helping to set up and close our event. We love the kindness, passion and positivity you bought with you to the event. With your support we raised over £15,000!

We had local support from Ausden Clark, providing free buses over the weekend. A special thank you also goes out to Specialist Crafts for sponsoring the event.

Our 40 giant elephants and 2 Baby Elephants from our Stomp Round Leicester art trail were auctioned off — raising an incredible £286,800 to support hospice care at LOROS.

The highest winning bids included £14,000 for Ellie, a life-like representation of a young African elephant by artist Amy Bourbon and £12,000 for XL, which was designed by international artist Alex Echo. The bidders online and in the room showed amazing generosity and love for these beautiful works of art!

A special moment came when Remember Me — an elephant covered in the names of loved ones no longer with us — was gifted back to LOROS, after supporters joined forces to raise an incredible £29,000. If you're based in the Hospice you may have seen it in our Reception area!

A special thank you to all the volunteers who supported us throughout the Stomp Round Leicester trail, speaking to people out in your communities about hospice care and helping us to keep the elephants clean whilst they were placed out in the city.

The auction came at a fortunate time as we face a £2million shortfall, caused by a perfect storm of falling income and rising costs and after being forced to cut some of the services offered to patients.

Camilla Barrow, Acting CEO at LOROS, said: “We are absolutely blown away by the total raised – it’s a staggering amount and that’s all thanks to the incredible generosity of these supporters. I’d like to thank them all so much. ”Stomp Round Leicester has been an incredible journey and it’s done so much more than bring art to our city — it’s helped shine a light on hospice care at a time when we need it most. This magnificent total is a step towards securing our future but we still have mammoth hill to climb."

We’ve also been active during Hospice Care Week, raising awareness about the need for government funding towards hospice care. Our patron and BBC East Midlands news reporter, Anne Davies and her crew spent the day filming and talking to staff about the services we provide. A big thank you to our volunteers based in the hospice who helped the day run as smoothly as possible.

How you make a difference

At LOROS, hospice care isn't just about the medical care — it’s about creating moments of joy. Our hospice is a peaceful place where everyone looks out for each other, where laughter is shared, and where people feel truly loved and cared for. Wherever you volunteer- you are part of making those moments of joy, for our customers in the shops, those smiles you help create out in the community and here at the hospice.

Joy can be found in the little things: a chat with a friend, the comfort of being understood, or simply knowing you’re not alone. Hospice care is joy — and it shines through every corner of LOROS.

There are so many of you that don’t realise the difference you make- no one is ever ‘just’ a volunteer- whether you are based in the hospice, shop or helped out at an event. Your time is precious and you form part of the goodness that flows into the care and support our patients and their families receive.

We would love to hear more about what you do and if you are fairly new to volunteering at LOROS. What motivated you to start volunteering? We'd love to hear from you at volunteers@loros.co.uk.

Recent public discussions around immigration have highlighted how deeply personal and complex these topics can be. At LOROS, we understand that people may hold a range of views based on our unique experiences, and we respect everyone’s right to their own perspective.

However, because these conversations can sometimes lead to misunderstanding or discomfort, we ask all colleagues to be mindful of where and how such topics are discussed. Conversations involving national identity, personal political views, or immigration should be approached with care and sensitivity, and may not always be appropriate in shared workspaces or group settings.

We want to reaffirm our commitment to an environment grounded in compassion, kindness, and mutual respect. Our goal is to ensure that everybody who works at, or comes to LOROS feels safe, valued, and included.

If you’re ever unsure whether a conversation is appropriate for the workplace, or if you experience or witness something that makes you feel uncomfortable, please don’t hesitate to speak with your manager or the Volunteering Team or our Human Resource Team.

Thank you for helping us build a respectful and inclusive culture at LOROS.

Picture of Qarisma Osman, Enterprises Area Manager, and Louise Wright, Volunteer for over 30 years with LOROS.

Our Oadby shop has officially re-opened after 8 months – and what a fantastic day it was!

The shop first opened its doors in 1990, and Louise who has been volunteering for 30 years, had the honour of cutting the ribbon at the re-opening.

Louise said: “My mum died at the Hospice 35 years ago so LOROS is very important to me. This is my way of saying thank you to LOROS for the care they gave to my Mum. I want LOROS to thrive and for that care to be there for other people.

It was an honour and a privilege to cut the ribbon. The people here are very special. They've all got LOROS in their hearts and that is an amazing thing. Everyone is very kind, generous and caring. It's such a special place. When I’m here, hanging clothes and doing my four hours, I feel like I’ve made a difference. I absolutely love it.”

Come and browse our new transformed shop on The Oadby Parade filled with pre-loved treasures, from stylish clothing to bric-a-brac starting at £1.

And of course, if you would like to volunteer- just pop into the shop or speak to our volunteering team.

We are calling out for volunteers to help marshal our Run Leicester Festival taking place on Sunday 26th October. Starting and finishing at Victoria Park, both routes will guide you through Leicester's vibrant city streets and scenic parks. With live entertainment and enthusiastic crowds cheering you on, you’ll be inspired by the festival atmosphere every step of the way. 

Please get in touch with the fundraising team if you would like to volunteer for the day at fundraising@loros.co.uk.

Could you spare a few hours bag packing?

What is bag packing and collections? Exactly what it says on the tin! We meet the public, collect money at stores and assist people with their bag packing where we can, all whilst accepting donations for LOROS.

Last December we raised well over £20,000 Bag Packing in December alone but we can't make it happen without volunteers! We are always grateful to you for volunteering your time to support us, with friends, family, colleagues and neighbours all helping.

Thank you to every single one of you that bought a ticket, sold a ticket and maybe even won! The Raffle raised an incredible £73,651!

One of our proud Volunteer Ambassadors, Ishvar Rohit said: “A truly great achievement. I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who sold tickets for LOROS. With the help from my family and friends we managed to sell £2,940 worth of tickets and then my nephew Dipak added the extra £60 to make it £3,000! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your continued support for the last 21 years."

We’ve seen many changes to LOROS in recent months and it’s no secret that the charity is still in need of financial support. Many of you have asked for an opportunity to ask questions and find out more information. Our Senior Leadership Team will always try to meet with you individually to answer any questions you have. Our interim CEO, Camilla Barrow, would like to re-open discussions and wider engagement with our volunters and we have the upcoming date available to join a Q&A session:

Tuesday 21st October 2pm to 3pm 

Please contact Rebecca Stevens at RebeccaStevens@loros.co.uk to book onto the session.

A message from Jacky McBlain, Infection Prevention Lead Nurse

As we enter flu season, please can we ask that if you have any coryzal symptoms and are well enough to work that you wear a facemask. Also, please ensure that handwashing remains a priority.

Visitors exhibiting symptoms should also be encouraged to wear a mask. Facemasks are available at reception, day therapy and the ward.

The roving healthcare unit will also be visiting LOROS on Wednesday October 22nd, to administer a variety of vaccinations to those eligible. Posters will be displayed around the hospice with the full details.

Please come and speak to the Volunteering team, Jacky or the Matron on the ward if you have any questions.

If you have any comments or would like to share your story of volunteering or would like to apply for any of the roles in our newsletter, please contact: volunteers@loros.co.uk or Rayhana Brydson at rayhanabrydson@loros.co.uk.