“When I started volunteering for Sue Ryder, I could never have imagined I’d be here 35 years later,

Shares Linda Dalton, a volunteer at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, who is celebrating 35 years of supporting the palliative, end-of-life care and bereavement support charity this Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June).

Linda, 76, from Peterborough, began her journey with the Sue Ryder hospice just months after it first opened its doors to patients and their families in 1991. A former journalist, she initially helped raise awareness and funds for the charity through media relations - a role she held for 20 years.

In the years that followed, she went on to support the fundraising team by organising and helping at events, something she still does to this day. Linda said: “As the fundraising team grew, I became more involved. I started my own annual art events, and I was also part of a volunteer team that raised more than £200,000 through a popular auction evening held over several years.”

“I have always treated my volunteering like a part-time job, giving it the same commitment as if I were employed,” she continued.

Supporting Sue Ryder runs through Linda’s family. “My husband has also volunteered for Sue Ryder from almost day one. My father was a volunteer receptionist, my mother-in-law was a bucket collector, and my sons have all done their bit too.”

“After all this time, Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice feels like a second home. It will always be a special place for me, not least because my father was cared for there in 1993.He felt very comfortable being looked after by people he knew, and I felt grateful for the care he received.”

Linda said one of the highlights - and greatest privileges - of her time volunteering was being selected to represent the charity at a Buckingham Palace garden party, soon after the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II became its patron.

“There have been many changes in every aspect of my volunteering over the past 35 years. It’s been a lot of fun, and above all, I feel a great deal of satisfaction in knowing I’ve been able to help others. We are so lucky to have Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice on our doorstep, it’s a fantastic asset for the city and the care is second to none.”

Linda adds: “When I received the call asking me to help in 1991, I asked, ‘How much time do you need from me?’ The reply was, ‘However much you can spare.” I could never have imagined I’d still be here 35 years later.”