Earlier this year, Leeds Hospitals Charity rolled out a new hospital-based volunteering role at Leeds Children’s Hospital.

The new Patient Support Trolley volunteers visit wards across the hospital several times a week, providing free of charge snacks, hot drinks and a friendly face to poorly children and their tired parents or carers.

The hospital noticed an increasing number of families facing financial hardship because of spending weeks, or sometimes months at their child’s bedside in hospital.

After a successful three-month pilot which began in September 2024, the charity has committed to supporting the volunteer-led initiative going forward, thanks to donations.

Lidia Lunga is one of the trolley volunteers, she wanted to give something back after her son received specialist care at Leeds Children’s Hospital

As a single mum, caring for a son with complex medical needs, Lidia found it difficult to find a full-time job, so this voluntary role opened up an opportunity that works around her family commitments.

We spoke to Lidia about why she loves being a Trolley Volunteer, she told us:

“As someone who has been on the other side in hospital with my poorly son, I know exactly how these parents are feeling. When you’re by your child’s side worrying about them, you’re putting them first and can forget to take care of yourself and feel guilty about leaving their bedside to just grab a snack or a drink.

“It’s lovely to see how parents react when we offer them a drink, snack or even a listening ear, they are so grateful and appreciative and you can see that it just makes their day! The parents are so tired and having someone recognise them and their wellbeing is equally as important.”

The charity has now recruited eight  trolley volunteers and has ambitious plans to expand the trolley service to other sites across Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Rachel Robinson, Head of Volunteering at Leeds Hospitals Charity said:

“We are so excited that we can now offer new volunteering opportunities on hospital site. We have received overwhelming positively feedback from the children, their parents and staff, who are all incredibly grateful for the service. It’s so rewarding for our volunteers to help spread some smiles and know that they’re helping us make the hospital experience a little brighter for poorly children and their loved ones.”

Following the successful launch of the new trolley volunteers, the charity has opened up even more opportunities to volunteer at the hospital. In October they introduced a hospital based Wayfinder Volunteer role at Leeds Children’s Hospital, where volunteers help guide patients and visitors to the right place.

The Trolley and Wayfinder volunteers have collectively volunteered for over 561.5 hours and supported over 5,300 people through their roles.

Find out more about volunteering opportunities here