Our Volunteer of the Year who gets your fitness into gear

Our Volunteer of the Year Natalie Cameron Ward gives up her time to help at Victoria Hospital in Deal.  Her personal approach and calm, gentle manner has been credited by hospital staff as ‘exemplary’.

We caught up with Natalie, to find out a bit more about her role and what makes a great volunteer.

“The first thing I remember when I started in 2016 was being told to ‘think of myself as a patient’s friend, or relative’” explains Natalie, who has recently retrained as an actress alongside her voluntary work.

“You are not a professional but you really want to help them to feel and get better.”

Natalie works two hours a week every Monday where she does the rounds of the wards and day room at the hospital, encouraging patients to take part individually or in small exercise groups.

In-patients at Victoria Hospital’s 22-bed ward receive rehabilitation and intermediate care services. The theory of ‘bed rest’ is a thing of the past and patients are encouraged to get up and move. Natalie’s exercises play a part in this.

“My mother was a physiotherapist and I watched her in action many times,” remembers Natalie.

“She put other’s wellbeing first and she made me see the power of small and regular exercise, on the body. It’s where I developed my love for physical movement and keeping fit.”

Natalie has a list of simple exercises, to be completed in the chair, that she works with the patients to do regularly.

“They are very simple exercises, for example being seated while raising your toes and then heels with feet on the floor – mimicking the walking movement, lifting up your leg bent, and then straight out, working and strengthening the muscles.

“We do arm exercises with very light weights and use other equipment – like squeezing a ball with your legs. A little bit of movement goes a long way.”

Natalie admits that there are some patients who you just can’t encourage to join in, but many come around when they see others getting involved.

“There was a gentleman recently who at first, point blank refused. I set up on one side of the ward as he looked on.

“Before long, the other two men were doing really well with it and having fun. We were all laughing along. The man who had refused soon felt like he was missing out and asked if he could join in.”

“People realise it makes them feel good but it’s also nice to have a bit of attention and a change of routine.”

That’s not to say that Natalie is only there to give exercise advice. She finds patients love to share stories and memories with her, too.

She says: “Some stories are sad, memories of lost loved ones or the trauma of being a child in the war, others are happier – grandchildren and exciting lives before they grew older and needed the hospital’s support.

“I always come off a shift with a heart-warming feeling that I’ve brought something to that person’s day just by them being able to share something with me.”

Natalie calls Victoria Hospital ‘a very special place’.

“Everyone involved in the hospital tries to make it the best place it can be. It has a great community and there are a number of activities people can get involved in.

“When we celebrated the centenary earlier this year, I sang with the NHS choir in the day room, the patients with their beaming faces having had a party with tea and cupcakes, it was a really special moment.

“I always like to think that the hospital does a great job of rehabilitating people not just physically – but holistically.”

Natalie recently picked up an internal staff award and was named KCHFT’s ‘Volunteer of the Year 2024’, she was nominated by Judith Hayhow, a physiotherapist at the hospital.

“It was humbling to actually win it. I appreciated the recognition, but volunteering in itself brings so much enrichment to my life, it is a gift in itself.”

Judith says: ‘Natalie has been a dedicated volunteer for years. She quietly collects her work for the patient she sees to support them to get active with exercises. She takes time getting to know them to find out what motivates them to be more active and encourages them to participate even when they are hesitant.

Her calm, gentle manner works wonders to help patients achieve as much as they can and her initiative to involve others in the bay or day room to join in is inspirational.

She is an ambassador for what she does and has suggested others for the role. She is an excellent role model for those joining our team. An exemplary volunteer we are proud to have on our team and grateful for all that she does.”