Rachel Ball, 71, from Hertford Heath, will be celebrating a milestone this festive season, having spent the last 15 years volunteering as a helpline volunteer, with the past nine months supporting Stevenage-based pre-bereavement charity, The Anne Robson Trust.

“Volunteering means so much to me. I know from my experience as a support volunteer on a helpline, how important it is to have a facility for people to call and how much it helps them,” explained Rachel.

“Having joined The Princess Alexandra Hospital as an ‘End of Life’ Volunteer in 2019 (a scheme pioneered by Anne Robson Trust CEO and Founder Liz Pryor, where volunteers support end of life patients at the bedside), I have seen first-hand how important it is to give people the opportunity to talk about their dying wishes, and what might happen when they die. This led me to join the Anne Robson Trust pre-bereavement Helpline, to support people, who are dying themselves or their loved ones.”