Sherwood Forest Hospitals will be honouring its volunteers during National Volunteers’ Week (1st-7th June) with a series of celebrations being held across King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community hospitals, and Ashfield Health Village.

National Volunteers’ Week is an annual event, which celebrates the contribution that millions of volunteers make across the UK. It plays a huge part in raising the profile of the millions of volunteers who regularly contribute to society, while inspiring others to get involved too.

Sean Lyons, chairman of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are continually in awe at the amount of work that the Trust’s 700 committed volunteers give to our hospitals.

“Over the past year they have worked over 70,000 hours, often going above and beyond their commitment to the patients, staff and visitors they support”.

Margaret Thompson is one of these people. She has given over 50 years of her free time and endless energy to volunteering, which has been recognised by an invitation to a Buckingham Palace garden party on 10th June.

Margaret, who initially started volunteering at the old King’s Mill Hospital site in 1963 after her husband saw an advert in the Chronicle Advertiser (now known as the Chad), said: “I was over the moon when the invitation from Buckingham Palace came. It is a real honour to be chosen to attend the Queen’s garden party.”

Margaret’s talents lie in flower arranging and she has organised and created displays for the hospital and VIP visits (including Princess Anne and the Duchess of Gloucester) over the years.

“Creating flower displays for people in hospital is like bringing a bit of the outdoors inside. It really cheers them up and seeing their smiling faces is enough reward for me,” Margaret added.

Each hospital is now geared up for the volunteer celebrations, which include a tea party and thanksgiving service.

Mr Lyons said: “We are proud to celebrate the work of our volunteers. They provide a vital contribution to the smooth running of our hospitals; from working in our cafes and tea bars, to providing clinic and wayfinding support among many other tasks. I am in constant admiration of their spirit and enthusiasm, and we would be lost without them.”