BLOG: A special Christmas thank you to St Luke’s staff and volunteers

At St Luke’s we appreciate our wonderful staff and volunteers every single day of the year, and always aim to support their health and wellbeing.

But this Christmas we thought they deserved a very special thank you on behalf of all the patients and families who have benefited from their compassionate care and hard work in 2023.

Our CEO George Lillie and his senior management colleagues Sue Cannon, Mike Dukes, Adrienne Murphy and Tricia Davis have been out and about delivering personal gifts for each member of our superb team.

A bright and colourful Christmas card, designed and generously shared by our patron Brian Pollard, showing a wintry Plymouth Hoe full of ice skaters, was first out of the bag. Nestled in the envelope was one of our unique Christmas robin pin badges, bringing the good cheer and spirit of remembrance these hardy little birds represent.

The icing on the cake was a colourful bespoke gift pack containing three different flavours of fudge, lovingly handmade by the Devon Fudge Company. Chief executive George even popped into the company’s Plymouth kitchen to give the copper pot a festive stir.

Our healthcare assistants, nurses and doctors are, of course, the incredible individuals on the vital frontline delivering specialist care to patients and families, but we never forget there’s also an army of special people behind them who make it possible for our services to keep running.

Our retail teams, receptionists, patient and family support team, fundraising and event organisers, maintenance workers, finance wizards, educators, cooks and domestics, and many more, all make an essential contribution that deserves to be celebrated.

After stopping by our shops on Plymouth’s Barbican to deliver gifts, George said: “It’s really nice for me to get out and meet the shop staff and volunteers, and it’s important for them to be recognised for all the fantastic work they do.”

One thing is certain – that acknowledgement won’t stop when the New Year turns. All through 2024, we’ll be demonstrating how much our staff and volunteers are valued with an ongoing package of benefits that includes Simply Health cashback, wellbeing initiatives, mental health support, free independent financial advice, and yoga sessions.

If you think you’d like to join the St Luke’s team, check out the current vacancies or visit our volunteering page.