Cultivating care: The volunteers who keep our hospice gardens blooming

8th January 2026

If you ever visit our specialist unit at Turnchapel one of the first things you will notice are the carefully cultivated gardens surrounding the hospice building.

Every Wednesday a group of 6 volunteers have been giving up their time to dedicate some care and love to our gardens, keeping them pruned, de-weeded and full of life. Their hard work creates a peaceful, welcoming space for patients, families and staff to enjoy – a place where nature offers comfort and calm during difficult times.

Meet Claire

Claire Hodgson works for The Department for Work and Pensions and volunteers every other Wednesday after first coming with a team from work as part of our corporate volunteering days.

“We did a day with my team from work and then I enquired about coming back to volunteer on my own,” she said. “I changed my working days to four days so that I could come on a Wednesday. I have had two close relatives that have been at St Luke’s in the past few years, so I know the good work they do.”

Having all come from different walks of life, the volunteers have not only found their Wednesday sessions rewarding, but sociable too.

“The other volunteers are all just really lovely. We’re a really good team, we know exactly what needs doing. Somebody will be cutting back all the hedges and someone else will be planting new plants. We all just work together as a team and get on really well.

“I’m the weeder so I do lots of weeding. When I first started, the gardens were all completely covered in weeds. Over the past year, there’s been a lot more volunteers join and by working together the gardens are looking really nice now compared to what they were a year ago. So we’re able to keep them looking nice now and maintain them.”

Visiting a hospice for the first time can be an extremely daunting prospect, but thanks to the volunteers, any visitors are welcomed by a well-maintained oasis of greenery.

“The outside of the hospice is just as important as the inside. You see relatives coming and walking around the gardens and it’s nice if the gardens are looking good, they can go and sit in the gardens and reflect, it’s a calm place for people to go.

“I love working outside. It’s just a lovely place to work and everyone is always so grateful, it’s nice to do something for the hospice.”

Claire encourages anyone else who has some time to spare to consider volunteering at St Luke’s and helping the team with their ongoing work.

“Come and give it a go. You don’t have to like gardening to do it, but you get a lot out of it. It doesn’t have to be every week, just whatever time somebody can spare really.”

Meet Nigel

Nigel Tucker started volunteering here after the death of his wife and has found it not only fulfilling, but it also gives him a reason to get out and engage with others.

“I lost my wife Christine three years ago and I came here with my son who donated something and they said about volunteering and I thought that might be a good idea. It gets me out the house for a day to do something different and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.”

For our patients and family members who are staying at our specialist unit, the gardens become a daily viewpoint and calming spot, so the work the team have been doing makes an invaluable difference.

“It’s nice to see them out here enjoying the gardens, especially when they see you working and they appreciate it even more,” Nigel added.

Nigel spends his time tidying up the gardens, getting rid of weeds, cutting back the plants or de-heading the flowers so that come springtime they can flourish.

“I just get pleasure out of it because I feel as though I’m doing it for the people that are coming here and in distress. There is nothing worse than coming and visiting here and seeing how messy it is as you walk into the hospice building, so it’s nice to be able to make a difference.”

Thank you to all the hard-working volunteers who give up their time for free to help keep our hospice gardens looking beautiful and keep our services running smoothly. If you have been inspired to lend us your time, we would love to hear from you. We have a variety of roles and volunteering opportunities to suit everyone. Find out more here.

Volunteer for St Luke’s

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