Highland Hospice names new van after long-serving volunteer

Highland Hospice’s newest retail van has been named after a volunteer who has shown incredible loyalty to the charity for 39 years.

Eighty-year-old Jessie Harrison is a volunteer in its Harbour Road shop and supported the organisation before care from the charity was even being delivered.

‘Jessie’ brings the van fleet up to three, alongside ‘Flora’ and ‘Cecilia’ - named after hospice founders Flora Mackay and the late Cecilia Bottomley.

• Latest news

• More community news

• Sign up for our free newsletters

“It was a lovely surprise when the hospice’s head of income and development Andrew Leaver came into the shop to ask my permission to name a van after me! I was shocked and also a little bit embarrassed, but it is so nice for my years of service to be appreciated and recognised.”

She recalled her first days as a hospice volunteer, back in the 1980s where she was part of the fundraising committee who were campaigning to have a hospice in the Highlands. Jessie attended a ‘Public Intentions’ meeting in Eden Court, and would travel the Highlands on roadshows with Flora and Dr Sam Marshall.

“It was very different in those days,” she said. “Fundraising and volunteering weren’t familiar concepts, the only group up here who were doing it was The Samaritans, and there was a lot of suspicion. People would comment that we already had a hospital, so why did we need a hospice? However, we persevered with leaflet drops, raffles in the supermarkets, bring and buy sales and coffee mornings - and before long we started to win people over.”

Once the hospice was up and running, Jessie, a trained nurse, would volunteer her care in Netley Lodge. She was a patient transport driver for a period, and would continue fundraising through craft sales, as well as taking on the 13-mile Great Wilderness Challenge route for many years.

When the hospice opened its shop in Inverness, Jessie became involved and has remained on board as a retail volunteer ever since.

“We started off with a drop-in pop up shop in Union Street, in the premises of the then gents store Fred Kelly,” she said. “We then moved to the Filling Station building in Academy Street. In those days it was occupied by Martin & Frost Furnishings, and Mrs Frost was a hospice volunteer who kindly let us use the premises. Following this, we had a base in Church Street alongside what is currently known as Miele’s Gelateria - before finding our home in Queensgate where we would operate for the next 25 years.”

Following her retirement, Jessie would volunteer in Queensgate for three mornings each week. She now does a weekly shift in the Harbour Road shop, having previously helped out in Falcon Square.

“Volunteering for the hospice is something I would recommend to anyone,” she added. “It gives you routine, you get to socialise and make friends with your colleagues, and get to know the public. It’s a great environment and such a good cause.”

“If anyone is thinking about becoming a hospice volunteer, I honestly wouldn’t hesitate. It has given me so much over the years, and is a big part of my life.”

A hospice spokeswoman said: “We are so grateful to Highland Cross for having us as their charity partner and generously donating this incredible van to us.”

To volunteer, visit www.highlandhospice.org/volunteer

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.