Date published: 17 September 2025 by Emma Clements
Meet Bee, Charity CEO and St Thomas' Hospital volunteer.
For parents with a seriously ill baby the sibling group at St Thomas’ Hospital provides valuable support. It allows parents to spend quality time with their newborn in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), knowing that their baby’s siblings are safe and happy for a few hours with a team of Rainbow Trust volunteers.
The Drop-In Group is a volunteering success story. In the past year the Saturday group has gone from monthly to weekly sessions, thanks to an influx of new volunteers, many of them young professionals like Bee, a charity CEO from East London. Bee has worked in the charity sector for many years – in fact her very first role was as Volunteer Co-ordinator here at Rainbow Trust!
‘Although I’m now in a CEO role, what I’ve always valued most is the direct, hands-on time spent with children and families. The idea of spending Saturday afternoons doing arts and crafts especially appealed to me, it feels like a simple but meaningful way to bring a bit of joy, while also giving back in a very practical way.’
Bee and her fellow volunteers arrive at the Parent’s Room at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) about an hour before the session to set up a range of activities for children of all ages, including crafts, paints and glitter (aprons provided!).
‘We usually have about 3-6 children in at a time and as a volunteer team of 3, we spend 2 hours painting, playing hide and seek and generally offering a bit of joy and respite.’
One of Bee’s most memorable sessions featured a 5-year-old girl who wanted to demonstrate her gymnastics skills to her new friends.
‘It was truly joyful. We were all captivated and all the other children were cheering her on and clapping wildly.’
Our volunteers also build relationships with the parents, who are welcome to attend with their children when they also need a break from the ward. It’s a very special moment for parents, and for volunteers like Bee, when a baby is well enough to go home.
‘A mum [whose baby had been in the unit] for 5 months and that I had built a good relationship with came to tell me that they were finally being discharged and thanked me for making a difficult time so much easier for them.’
But it’s not just parents and children who benefit from the Drop-In Group – our volunteers get a lot out of too!
‘Volunteering is so rewarding, you know you’re making a difference while also having a lot of fun along the way. The team is wonderfully welcoming, and you’ll feel part of the group from day one.’
If you’d like to find out more about becoming a Drop-In Group volunteer at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, or to explore the many other volunteer roles we have across the UK, please visit www/rainbowtrust.org.uk/volunteering or email [email protected].