The hospice, which provides care for families across the West Midlands, was assessed against a range of best practice standards and proved to excel in all aspects of working with its volunteers.

Investing in Volunteers is the leading UK quality standard for all organisations involving volunteers – aimed at improving the quality of their experience and acknowledging the enormous contribution made by people who give their time voluntarily.

Mark Jones, head of community engagement and volunteering at John Taylor Hospice, said: “Investing in Volunteers is a standard focusing on four areas – planning for involvement, recruitment, selecting and matching people, and supporting and retaining volunteers.

“We are delighted to receive this accreditation and will be displaying our certificate and plaque in the hospice with pride. We are incredibly grateful to people who gift their time to help local families and their support has a huge impact. Not only do volunteers provide much-needed practical support for staff, patients and their loved ones but they offer friendship and enthusiasm while contributing valuable skills and experience.”

From driving patients to and from the day hospice, working in charity shops, maintaining the gardens, meeting and greeting visitors in reception and acting as community ambassadors – volunteers are an integral part of the John Taylor Hospice team.

Mark added: “In a recent survey of hospice volunteers 100% of people said they enjoyed volunteering and 100% said they would recommend John Taylor Hospice as a place to volunteer which was wonderful to hear. We would love to grow our team even further and we have exciting plans for the future so, if you would like to be a part of this, we would love to hear from you.”