National Volunteers' Week (June 1 to 7) reminds us once again of how much St Leonard's Hospice, like so many charities, relies on the generosity of our committed teams of people who give their time to help us.

St Leonard's is dedicated to providing free care for local people and their families at times of great need.

We rely very heavily on our volunteers in all aspects of our work. They are involved in almost all our services, including nursing, assisting on the in-patient wards, catering, gardening, day care, driving patients, fundraising and assisting in our shops.

We even offer our patients that essential feel-better service, a new hairdo - and we are now looking for another qualified hairdresser to volunteer a few hours a month to help us.

All our volunteers are really committed to our work, and without them we could not offer the quality of care for which St Leonard's Hospice is famous.

Our grateful thanks to all of them.

Heather Marvin, Volunteer services manager, St Leonard's Hospice Tadcaster Road, York.