BURY Hospice has said that it is desperate for volunteers as it urgently looks to recruit more people.

In September, the hospice revealed that only a fifth of its volunteer workforce had returned since shops and other services were reopened.

Now, the hospice has appealed to the public to help, calling them the "lifeblood of the hospice."

Sam Duncan, head of retail and trading, said: “We could not function without our volunteers. They are the lifeblood of Bury Hospice.”

A spokeswoman for the hospice said: "The hospice has several shops throughout the borough, including an eBay shop, operating from the warehouse in Radcliffe.

"We are actively searching for volunteers with an interest in photography to support our e-commerce team. This role can work flexibly around your routine and other commitments as you will be able to work from home – all you will need is access to a high quality camera or smartphone.

"A member of our e-commerce team will drop off a box of items to your front door at a convenient time. You can then photograph the items and resize the images appropriately. Our team will then list items alongside your photographs on our eBay site, generating much needed income for the hospice and our services."

The Furniture Showroom is also desperate for volunteers to help the hospice as the community floods its shop after reopening.

Safety measures are in place across the store and the public have not held back on picking up some bargains.

However, as with many charity shops, a large number of the Furniture Showroom’s volunteers are elderly, and still shielding at this time.

The shop reopened its doors again after many weeks on June 15 and has welcomed back volunteers, donations, and the community happily since then.

Michael Fyles, manager at the Furniture Showroom said that it has been great to see smiling regulars again.

He said: “The volunteers we have are amazing, they love coming here it’s brilliant.

“All our volunteers are so loyal. They work so hard for no money doing very laborious work. We are asking people to drive, sort donations, label, caretaking duties (cleaning and sweeping), odd jobs (putting furniture together, building beds) and serve on the till."

Michael described how people feel an extra need to help the hospice as many have had personal connections receive its care.

This has become especially important, as most events that raise money for the hospice have had to be cancelled, with the shop now a key source of funds.

“Despite everyone struggling at this time, the Bury community have been great wanting to support us, and wanting to give something back, we are part of the same team.” he added.

Anyone who can offer help should contact volunteering@buryhospice.org.uk or 0161 725 9800 ext. 210.