Volunteer Impact

05 June, 2019

Volunteers are at the heart of our charity and without them we would not be able to support nearly as many people. All of our volunteers are trained and DBS checked and we try to match their skills and experience to a suitable role. Here’s just some of the ways Volunteers help Colostomy UK and the huge impact they have…

24/7 Stoma Helpline Calls

Volunteers provide invaluable peer-to-peer support when they answer calls. They help ostomates at all stages of their stoma journey and also take calls from their families, friends and carers. Our volunteers share their own personal experiences and advice with callers, and direct people to the appropriate healthcare professional when medical advice is sought.

In 2018 our volunteers helped us to answer 3229 calls on a wide range of subjects. Some calls take minutes and other hours and where the callers has a specific issue we try and ‘match’ them up to a volunteer who has had a similar experience.

Open Day Visits

Open days are organised by Hospital, Stoma Support Groups and Stoma Care companies. They vary in size and format but most often include a mixture of information, presentation, exhibitions and represent a chance to meet other ostomates. These days can be especially useful for those who have recently had surgery and may never have talked to someone else who has had stoma surgery.

In 2018 our volunteers helped us to attend 106 open days across the country, providing vital insights and information.

Quarterly Support Magazine

We have been writing, producing and delivering Tidings to ostomates’ doors for over 20 years. This 50 page magazine is absolutely essential to many of the people who recieve it and we would not have been able to produce this magazine so regularly if it wasn’t for the help we receive from Volunteers who write and proof articles as well as sitting on the editorial board.

In 2018 we distributed 88,000 copies of Tidings.

+ Much Much More!

Volunteers do so much more to help us on a day to day basis whether its campaigning in their local area for stoma-friendly toilet facilities, helping with everyday office administration or acting as consultants on the literature that we write.

Volunteers are absolutely invaluable to us and we want to thank each and every person who has helped us not just this year but the past too.