SIX St Clare Hospice volunteers rubbed shoulders with Royalty when they were nominated to attend the King’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 20th May.

The Royal invitation was extended to honour the invaluable contribution that the charity’s volunteers make to every aspect of Hospice life, from helping to run its 11 shops and supporting its fundraising activities, to facilitating its Café Clare coffee mornings and Bereavement Cafés, and much more.

Stacey Towler, St Clare’s volunteer development manager, said: “We have an amazing team of volunteers at St Clare Hospice and would have loved to have sent every single one of them to have tea with the King, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible.

“With over 550 volunteers supporting St Clare, selecting just six individuals was no easy task. So, to ensure fairness, we asked our volunteer supervisors to nominate those who go above and beyond in their volunteer roles and then drew names out of a hat.”

The six lucky Royal Party-goers were:

Brian Ball: A committed volunteer supporting the Volunteer Development Team, Hospice fundraisers and Community Engagement team, helping to strengthen connections within St Clare’s catchment area.

Jackee Bennett: A green-fingered volunteer gardener who helps tend to the Hospice grounds to maintain a peaceful and welcoming environment for patients, families and St Clare staff.

Maxine Brent: A valued member of the Fundraising team, providing essential administrative support.

Malcolm Domb: A driving force in Community Engagement, who has been instrumental in developing the Saffron Walden hub and supporting events.

Juliet Scantlebury: A versatile volunteer supporting Reception, Fundraising, the Hatfield Heath Bereavement Café and St Clare’s Children & Family support services.

Diane Smith: A compassionate Dementia Support volunteer, making a meaningful impact on patients and families alike.

The group were sent off to the Palace in style, with Hospice staff waving them off as they made their way into central London together in a luxury minibus.

Stacey added: “Their dedication exemplifies the spirit of St Clare Hospice and we couldn’t be prouder of them. They had a fantastic and very well-deserved afternoon at the Palace and we couldn’t have wished for better ambassadors to represent our fabulous Hospice.”