MY CUH Story - Ahana

Hi, my name is Ahana, I'm 17 years old and I am from Papworth Everard. Currently, I am doing Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Psychology for my A-Levels at Hills Road Sixth Form College.

I volunteer once a week as a comfort kit distributor. My role mainly involves going around many different wards and offering the patients comfort kits (which are small packs with an eye mask and earplugs to help them sleep better). I also spend time chatting with anyone that may be feeling bored or lonely, getting drinks for the patients and their families and just generally being ready to listen and offer a helping hand if needed.

I chose to volunteer at CUH primarily because, after the pandemic, I really wanted to give back to the NHS and put my time to good use. I also wanted to improve my social skills and confidence and through volunteering, I’m able to meet and talk to so many different people from various walks of life which has really helped with this. I’m also interested in pursuing a career in healthcare in the future so volunteering here was the perfect way for me to get an insight into what working in a hospital setting would be like.

My favourite part of volunteering as a comfort kit distributor is that I go on a variety of different wards, meaning I am able to meet a lot of new people every week. Because of this, I’ve been able to have some really long and interesting conversations with people of all different ages, experiences and medical backgrounds, which has helped build my social confidence. It’s also really gratifying getting feedback from patients about how much the comfort kits have helped them to finally sleep well at the hospital.

The whole volunteering team is also really lovely, and I've been able to make new friends through volunteering here. Because of all this, I would definitely recommend joining the team and choosing to volunteer at CUH!