Every year, Teesside hospice run a campaign called Light up a Life. As a very active organisation on the volun-tees platform, who create many volunteering opportunities for our students, we of course, wanted to help and give something back. The perfect Do Good, Feel Good opportunity really close to our campus.

Through donations to Light up a Life, members of the public help Teesside Hospice continue its essential work of providing specialist end-of-life care and ensuring that no one faces their final moments alone. The campaign also offers something equally important, the chance for families and friends to honour the people they have lost, especially during the festive season when emotions run high.

Working in small groups, student volunteers and the volunteering team spent two days in the Hill Street Centre in Middlesbrough, inviting shoppers to write personal messages to loved ones and place them on the hospice’s 8ft remembrance tree. The act was simple, yet meaningful. Each message represented a story, a memory, and a moment of connection which was an honour to be a part of.

Many spoke with gratitude about how the hospice had supported them during the most difficult periods of their lives. Others said that placing a star on the tree felt like the start of Christmas, a comforting tradition that allowed them to remember and reflect.

Over the two days, our student volunteers developed communication skills, built confidence, and worked collaboratively, abilities that will support them long after the event itself. Many reflected that the experience helped them step outside their comfort zones while still feeling part of a team and a wider purpose. One of the student volunteers went as far as buying a long device to help get the dedication messages even higher up the tree! This certainly made the shoppers smile.

The Light up a Life campaign was a powerful reminder that small acts of kindness, listening, supporting, showing up, can make a meaningful difference. For Teesside Hospice, the donations collected will help their team care for patients and families when they need it most. For our volunteers, the experience was a chance to learn, to grow, and to be part of something bigger.

Colin Renshaw, Volunteer Operations Manager for Teesside Hospice sent a warm thank you to the volunteers and presented them with their very own “You’re a Star” pin badge. A token gesture, which meant so much. Well done to all of our volunteers, it was wonderful to get to know you more and learn so much about you.

Teesside Hospice has lots of volunteering opportunities. To find out more, please look at their profile Teesside Hospice