A Million Thank Yous Poem

Volunteers’ Week began with a very special poem written by Alison Walker, read by local celebrities and long-term supporters of Beatson Cancer Charity, to thank our volunteers and to celebrate the team reaching a collective million minutes of donated time.

A million thank yous

You come to us from all walks of life Perhaps because of your son or wife It might be your husband or very good friend You offer your hand and help to mend.

You might be working, might be at school Might be retired, that’s also cool Whoever you are, you’ve chosen us To do what you can, without a fuss.

You’re there in the rain with your brolly You’re there in the wards with the tea trolley Our patients love your friendly hello It puts them at ease, when they’re feeling low.

How we need you now more than ever In these challenging times, we need your endeavour We love that you want to do your bit To do what’s needed – whatever the fit.

A platoon of kindness, an army of yellow, “You’re just amazing”, we want to bellow You are the gold in our box of treasure How much you do, knows no measure. We hope you know how much you’re wanted You keep on going, all the while undaunted You might be standing for hours and hours We wonder often if you have special powers!

You have a massive impact on what we do You might not be aware, but it really is true Holding a hand to those in need Having a blether, or a story to read.

There are moments of course, when it’s just too sad But plenty of times to make us glad Those are moments that we all savour And with your support, we will not waver.

You give up your time because you care You give up your time to be able to share. A million thank yous isn’t enough For millions of minutes doing your stuff.

Things just wouldn’t happen without you all We give you a phone and you answer the call You’ve been part of us for many years.

So we salute you, our wonderful volunteers.