Volunteering

Volunteers bring time, presence, and understanding to people who are dying, and to those close to them.

Volunteering

Volunteers bring time, presence, and understanding to people who are dying, and to those close to them.

Volunteering

Volunteers bring time, presence, and understanding to people who are dying, and to those close to them.

Make a difference for people who are dying

End of life volunteers play a vital role in bringing comfort, companionship, and human connection to people who are dying. These services, supported by the Anne Robson Trust are managed directly by hospitals, hospices, and community trusts across the UK.

Every year, volunteers help thousands of people feel less alone in their final days. Through our work with healthcare partners, by the end of 2025, more than 48,000 people have been supported since the charity was established in 2018.

What end of life volunteers do

Volunteer services vary depending on the setting. It could be within hospitals, hospices or community trusts. They all share the same purpose: to offer comfort and human connection at the end of life.

Volunteers might:

Sit quietly with someone who is dying, offering companionship
Chat, read aloud, or simply be a reassuring presence
Support families by listening, signposting or helping them understand what might be happening
Be there when someone has no visitors, or when families need a break
You don’t need medical training. You just need time, compassion, and the ability to be present with someone who may be nearing the end of their life.

Learn new skills

You’ll have full access to educational training with experienced professionals prior to becoming an end of life volunteer. This includes guidance on communication, understanding the dying process, and how to support families and visitors.

No previous experience is required, just a passion for making a difference to others.

Bring time, presence, and understanding to people who are dying, and those close to them.

Volunteering with our healthcare partners

All volunteering opportunities are run and managed by our partner organisations.

If you’d like to get involved, there are two ways to express your interest:

Register your interest using our short form, and we’ll share your details with the nearest healthcare organisation running one of our supported volunteer services.
Apply directly through a partner organisation near you. You can find current active partners below, with links to their volunteering pages.

Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust – Butterfly Volunteers

London

Cornwall

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust – Butterfly Volunteers

East Anglia

"Dear Butterfly Team, we would like to please pass along a thank you to all the volunteers who helped us get through the terrible time before and after our family member's death. The kindness and thoughtfulness were more than we could ever expect. It really helped us get through our darkest days."

— Card sent to the Butterfly Team from a family supported at Milton Keynes University Hospital

"Dear Butterfly Team, we would like to please pass along a thank you to all the volunteers who helped us get through the terrible time before and after our family member's death. The kindness and thoughtfulness were more than we could ever expect. It really helped us get through our darkest days."

— Card sent to the Butterfly Team from a family supported at Milton Keynes University Hospital

"Dear Butterfly Team, we would like to please pass along a thank you to all the volunteers who helped us get through the terrible time before and after our family member's death. The kindness and thoughtfulness were more than we could ever expect. It really helped us get through our darkest days."

— Card sent to the Butterfly Team from a family supported at Milton Keynes University Hospital

What We Do

We work with hospitals, community trusts, and hospices to set up and run teams of specially trained volunteers who sit with patients as they are dying, and offer support to their families.

What We Do

We work with hospitals, community trusts, and hospices to set up and run teams of specially trained volunteers who sit with patients as they are dying, and offer support to their families.