Civic team volunteer with the League of Friends of the Kent and Canterbury Hospital

The Lord Mayor of Canterbury returned to her roots for a shift volunteering at the city’s hospital.

Councillor Jean Butcher, who was a healthcare assistant on the stroke unit several decades ago, was joined by the Sheriff of Canterbury Cllr Tom Mellish for a session with the hospital’s League of Friends.

Cllr Butcher visited in-patients with the ward shop trolley, serving them drinks and snacks and stopping to talk to them for a short while.

She said: “We didn’t have anything like this trolley back when I was here. It’s wonderful to see how much patients look forward to it coming, and how it helps brighten their day a little bit.

“It was a privilege to meet the patients and spend some time with them. I could have stayed and chatted to them all day.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Mellish worked on the tills in the shop, serving staff and patients a range of snacks, drinks and basic essentials.

He said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my morning here, it’s nice to see how busy this shop is and I appreciate how hard the staff and volunteers work to keep everything running smoothly.”

Shops manager Matt Tillman said: “The Lord Mayor attended our AGM, and said she would love to come and visit, when I suggested she could volunteer for a couple of hours I didn’t actually expect her to say yes!

“I’m glad they did though, it has been a fantastic morning, everyone has enjoyed it and it’s been a great opportunity to show them what we do every day.”

The Lord Mayor is the president of the League of Friends – for more information on the charity and how you can get involved, visit https://www.lofkch.org.uk/