Volunteers who help St Giles Hospice to care for bereaved children and young people are celebrating after winning a prestigious award at the Support Staffordshire Volunteer Star Awards 2021.

The volunteers, who help families supported by the hospice’s Phoenix service, have been presented with their award following the announcement at a virtual ceremony in June.

Phoenix Clinical Lead Jodie Phillips said: "We are so proud of everyone and so thrilled to win this award, which recognises all of the vital hard work that our volunteers do. Our volunteers always make such a difference, but this was especially true through COVID-19 when their commitment did not waver for a second and they really went above and beyond to support our families.

"I think we have got the most amazing group of volunteers, who are highly skilled and bring us a real dedication and passion. Without them we could not run the Phoenix service and we are so lucky to have them."

Phoenix offers one-to-one and family group support, a peer support group, and a range of other activities from boxing to crafts. It also works with other organisations offering advice and training to schools and professionals to give them the skills to better help young people who have lost a loved one.

During the COVID-19 pandemic Phoenix adapted its service so that it could use technology to continue providing support - replacing face-to-face meetings and appointments with emails, and video and telephone calls.

Volunteers had to quickly grasp new tools, such as Zoom teleconferencing, and adapt to new ways of working so that Phoenix could maintain ongoing support for children and young people despite the national lockdowns.

The Volunteer Star Awards are presented by Support Staffordshire, a countywide organization which supports voluntary, community and social enterprise groups. More than 1,200 people attended its award ceremonies across Staffordshire in 2019, but the events had to be cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and took place online this year to maintain social distancing rules.

Support Staffordshire Locality Officer for Lichfield and District, Claire Ferris, said: “These events aim to publicly recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements and commitment of volunteers and organisations who go the extra mile to support our communities.

“Congratulations to the Phoenix volunteers at St Giles Hospice, who were voted winners of the Lichfield & District Volunteering Support for Young People Award.  You are all absolute stars and an inspiration to us all.”

Volunteers at Uttoxeter Cares, which is a community partnership between St Giles Hospice, Katharine House Hospice and the Hermitage Charitable Trust, also won the Volunteering Support for the Over 65s award in the East Staffordshire Volunteer Star Awards.

For more information about the Phoenix service at St Giles Hospice, please visit www.stgileshospice.com/how-we-can-help-you/our-care/bereavement-support/support-for-young-people