Northumbria Volunteer Service (NVS)
At Northumbria Healthcare, there are a wide range of exciting opportunities to volunteer with us. One of which is to work in one of the Northumbria Volunteer Service (NVS) shops across the trust.
We have five shops across five of our locations within Northumberland and North Tyneside:
- Blyth Community Hospital
- Hexham General Hospital
- North Tyneside General Hospital
- Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital
- Wansbeck General Hospital
These shops/cafes provide a vital service to patients, visitors, and staff – selling food, refreshments, toiletries, gifts and more.
How they run
Our shops/cafes are run by a mix of volunteers and paid staff, keeping everything in order while you do the things you love.
Some responsibilities include:
- Serving customers
- Making drinks
- Serving food
- Stocking shelves
- Keeping the shop tidy
Their purpose
As well as providing a key service to customers, NVS shops / cafes make a real difference to our hospitals.
All of the profits made across our five shops / cafes come back into the charity, providing additional funds to support Northumbria Healthcare.
Staff are welcome to apply for charitable funding. If they have an idea which enhances the patient experience, or staff well-being, they can submit a bid form to spend funds which are a combination of NVS profits, general donations, and legacies that we have received.
Our shops continuously give back to the hospital and those in it.
Special events
We like to make the most of special occasions at our shops and cafes, whether it’s fundraising or getting into the spirit of national events.
We’ve raised money through our coffee sales during Macmillan Coffee Morning, sold Valentine’s themed cakes specially made by The Running Fox, provided festive treats at Christmas and much more.
Meet the team:
Claire Finn
Operational Service Manager for Volunteering
Rachel Owers
Volunteer and Charity Support Officer