Because I'm a spiritual care adviser, I will sit with patients, make them feel safe and secure and spend time talking to them.

Some people want to just be present and just be there and just sit. Some people want to tell me their entire life story. Sometimes I talk about travelling and holidays, if people like to talk about going abroad. And some people want to talk about spiritual matters and of course, that raises all sorts of discussions.

A Buddhist perspective sees life is a journey and that journey will continue, so Buddhists don't believe death is the end, it's a continuation. Sometimes patients find that reassuring.

I was a bit apprehensive about being a chaplain at the hospice but I found it surprisingly joyful, positive and a great sense of wellbeing. Volunteering with patients could make people feel a little bit anxious about going into an environment where people quite often are end of life, and that can be quite scary. But as my experience is, I go in, I talk to a patient and actually this can be real joy, something really uplifting, really positive. 

St Helena Hospice is a great environment to be in. I feel that I'm making a real difference and I feel very well supported by the spiritual care team.

I have found it really meaningful and it gives me a real sense of purpose. I definitely would recommend volunteering; it's been a real positive part of my life and really adds to the things that I do in my life.

Something quite special can happen when you're volunteering at the hospice. It is a wonderful environment and it's a great place to volunteer.