“Working for a charity is not what you think it might be” said Laureen Hemming, the counselling and bereavement support services team leader at Peace Hospice Care.

Laureen is one of around 140 full and part time staff and approximately 650 volunteers covering all aspects of our work.

Her team helps people who have been diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses and their families come to terms with their illnesses, and also those who have lost loved ones.

She said: “I’ve always worked in the healthcare profession. When I was 18 I worked as a nurse in Addenbrookes Hospital and then I became a nurse teacher at the University of Hertfordshire, where I specialised in palliative and cancer care.

“I first became involved with Peace Hospice Care in 2013 when a friend and I participated in a fundraising fire walk. I then came to work at the hospice in 2015 and joined a team of five counsellors and 16 volunteers.

"The service cares for two groups of people: individuals and their families who are struggling to come to terms with their life-limiting illness and individuals who are bereaved. We provide six to eight free individual confidential sessions, as well as a monthly support group.

"Every day I take phone calls from people who would like to self-refer themselves to our service, hold phone assessments where I then match a patient with a counsellor according to their individual needs. I also support the rest of my team, liaise with other departments in the hospice and often go to schools to help teachers learn how to cope with children who are bereaved.

“I am the first point of contact for many people accessing our service, which is a big responsibility. Many of the people I talk to are very emotional and vulnerable; they all face different hardships. Some may be facing homelessness as their rent agreement was in the name of the person who died. Some of the people we help were carers, however when the person they were caring for dies it leaves a hole in their lives. It’s important to remember that death leaves a scar and each individual heals differently.

“Talking to our patients can be emotionally heavy. Hearing about their struggles and loss can also affect me. However I work with a wonderful team where we support one another and the hospice offers support through an external confidential support service.

“As a charity we are reliant on the good will of others to maintain the funding needed to run the hospice and our free specialist services. All of the staff working in the hospice don’t just work for their individual departments, we all do our best contribute to the fundraising element of the charity too. This is done by participating in events and encouraging our friends and family to sponsor us, as well as promoting other ways people can support our work; for example by dedicating a leaf to a loved on our memory tree or by leaving a gift in their wills.

“Although fund raising is always a challenge for charities, I am a big believer in collaboration. I’ve always believed that the best way to advance care is to collaborate with other organisations. At Peace Hospice Care we pioneer this in various ways. We are part of the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire bereavement alliance, which meets regularly to share professional experiences. Additionally, alongside The Hospice of St Francis, I run courses for healthcare professionals across Hertfordshire.

Dympna McCoy, director of resources at the hospice said: “Our staff and volunteers are our most valuable assets and we place great emphasis on their welfare and development.”

Current vacancies at Peace Hospice Care include: an inpatient unit staff nurse, spiritual and emotional wellbeing co-ordinator or corporate fundraising manager. For more information please visit its website or call 01923 330 330.