Blog. Volunteer's Week

Today, Wednesday 1^st June, marks the start of Volunteer’s Week. The week is about thanking our volunteers for their dedication, so thank you, from us all at Hospitality Action. As a charity, and as individuals, we value and appreciate your support more than we can express. From Trustees, Patrons, Ambassadors, committee members, regional fundraiser and all telephone befrienders who offer life lines to our Golden Friends, heartfelt thanks to you all.

Liz Smith-Mills FIH FBICSc, Independent Hotels Consultant, is just one of our amazing HA Ambassadors. We recently caught up with Liz to learn a little more about her role as a volunteer and what our Golden Friends scheme means to her.

What first motivated you to volunteer for Hospitality Action?

I was working for Forte Hotels at the Majestic Hotel Harrogate and our Area Director was Jim Stephenson who later became the Chief Executive of Hospitality Action (HA) prior to Penny Moore and Mark Lewis. He asked me if I would be interested in helping the industry charity in any way. I felt that as I had already a wonderful career in hospitality and been given great opportunities, being able to travel and work in wonderful places such as Sandy Lane Barbados, that it was time to give something back. I was honoured to become a Guardian Member of the charity donating £100 every year to what I soon realised was a very worthy cause.

How long have you volunteered for HA and how did you get involved with the Golden Friends telephone befriending service?

I have volunteered for over 15 years. Following on from becoming a Guardian Member I was asked to become a volunteer visitor. I then spent a day training in London, part of the training involved understanding that some people preferred a telephone call rather than an actual visit. One of the Golden Friends who preferred a telephone call was Rita Kirkham who lived in a very remote area of the North Yorkshire Moors.

We were so sad to hear your Golden Friend Rita had passed away, can you tell us a little about her?

When I first started the telephone befriending service with Rita, she had recently lost her husband Rick and needed someone to chat to, as she was understandably very lonely. It wasn't long before Rita requested a visit in person, those visits started in 2008 and were made regularly until sadly Rita passed away this year on Good Friday. Rita had previously worked in catering for 16 years, working at the Glen Bay Hotel in County Kerry as a cook as well as at Castle Howard in York (Castle Howard was featured in Brideshead Revisited). Rita was an amazing lady who had cared for her mother-in-law when she had dementia, then looked after her husband being a full time carer for several years until his death. During the years I visited Rita she suffered from Parkinson’s, Lupus, Chronic pulmonary failure and more recently Pancreatic cancer. Rita however remained cheerful, and looked forward to my visits. She was a great cook and always enjoyed any sweet treats /cakes that happened to find their way to her. During COVID my visits became more frequent as she was in my bubble, needed shopping and more support than ever due to her illness. It was a privilege to be able to visit and call this lady my friend and I'm so grateful for having had her in my life.

Can you let us know a little about your volunteering experiences with the Fundraising Team?

I was delighted to be part of the 2021 Chefs Dinner at Rudding Park with the inspirational Mark Birchall, Callum Bowmer, Luke French, Stephanie Moon and Shaun Rankin who I had met when working at Grantley Hall. As well as the delicious dinner the auction and prize draw raised a fantastic amount of money. It was a pleasure to attend and support the fundraising team’s wonderful efforts. I was also very privileged to be involved in the volunteer team at Back to the Floor at the Royal Lancaster London this year. The evening was absolutely amazing and such great fun to be part of. Thanks to all the efforts of the HA fundraising team and super stars from the industry, an incredible amount of money was raised to help those working in hospitality with either physical, mental, emotional or financial needs. To witness this first hand, and then to be able to tell Rita what a wonderful experience I had been part of, will always be a very special moment for me to cherish.

Would you recommend becoming a HA volunteer to others? 

I would absolutely wholeheartedly recommend becoming a HA volunteer. People who work in hospitality or have worked in hospitality are very special people and by being a HA volunteer you can assist in providing critical support. I am so very proud to be a Hospitality Action Ambassador and support the charity’s good work.

Many thanks to Liz, and all our wonderful volunteers, for their whole-hearted dedication to our work. Hospitality Action wouldn’t be the same without you. #wevegotyou