Dorothy House Hospice Care are delighted to announce that our Young People’s Ambassador, Jess Sheridan, has won the Young Volunteer of the Year category at the Hospice UK Awards, 2023. Jess has also won the B&NES Young Volunteer of the Year in the B&NES Community Awards.

Jess’s amazing work for Dorothy House was recognised at the Hospice UK national volunteering awards ceremony at the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool on 7th November and will be swiftly followed by the B&NES award presentation in the Georgian Room, Guildhall in Bath today, Wednesday, 8th November.

After her mum’s death when she was just 19, Jess worked with Dorothy House’s Family Support Team to navigate her own bereavement journey. She now volunteers her time to support Dorothy House in a variety of crucial ways, including as our Young People’s Ambassador. Jess has also been involved in the recently re-launched Dragonfly Project; an annual community education scheme that reduces anxiety and opens up conversations about death and grief.

Last year, Jess participated as a facilitator at a pastoral training course hosted by Dorothy House at Monkton Combe School and attended by teachers and nursing staff from many schools in the local area.

Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said: “By generously sharing her personal experience of losing her mum as a teenager, Jess has offered advice to other bereaved young people, acting as a role model and helping them to connect and support each other. I am personally thrilled and moved to recognise your achievement Jess, as I was also supported by Dorothy House as a teenager, following the death of my father in 1985. I am in awe that you have become a Young Ambassador. Thank you, Jess, for you dedication and hard work.”

Wayne de Leeuw, CEO of Dorothy House Hospice Care, commented: “We are delighted that Jess’s local work has been recognised by such a prestigious national award. We hope that the ripple effects of Jess’s work will spread far and wide so that young mourners are more visible within our society and that educational institutions are better prepared to support their needs.”