Hospital volunteer delighted to help

DEDICATED ... hospital and Radio Cavell volunteer Carole Royle

A VOLUNTEER who has helped cheer up hospital patients for more than three decades says she is delighted to have been nominated for a Pride in Oldham award.

Carole Royle has spent 32 years as a volunteer at the Royal Oldham Hospital’s radio station, Cavell, helping to present programmes, take requests and keep listeners on the wards entertained.

The 75-year-old, from Chadderton, also steps out from behind the radio controls and on to the ward at the hospital, helping the hardworking staff to distribute meals to patients as well as providing a friendly listening ear to anyone who wants a chat.

Carole, a great-grandmother of two, said: “I am so shocked to have been nominated — it’s not something I expected at all.

“I got started at the radio station after I saw an advert in the Oldham Chronicle in 1983 asking for volunteers and I’ve been going ever since. I really enjoy it and putting a smile on the faces of visitors and patients is the best part of it.”

She added that she was inspired to help out at the hospital after spending a lot of time in hospital herself as a child due to chest problems.

Carole continued: “I always wanted to give something back and that’s what I’ve been doing.

“I kept saying I’ll stop after a certain number of years, around 20 or 25, but here I am, still going!”

Carole was nominated by fellow Radio Cavell volunteer Nicholas Roddy, among others, who thought she deserved recognition for all her voluntary efforts.

Nicholas said: “She provides valuable assistance to staff on the hospital ward as well as friendship and a kind word to patients at a time when they need it most.

“She is an unassuming and dedicated person who continues to give committed support to both the patients and staff at the hospital.”

He added that she also welcomes fellow radio volunteers with open arms, as she did him when he started volunteering at the radio station over a year ago.

Nicholas added: “She is such a warm person and instantly put me at ease when I started volunteering, which I appreciated.”

email: lucykenderdine@oldhamchronicle.co.uk