Derek, 90, among record-breaking hospital volunteers

A 90-year-old man is among volunteers who have contributed to a record-breaking tally of hours worked at two of the county's hospitals.

A total of 82,536 hours were worked by volunteers at Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals between April 2025 and March 2026, which University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) said was the most it had ever recorded.

Volunteers contribute to a wide range of roles in hospitals, from supporting patients on arrival and in wards, to helping teams with non-clinical tasks.

Derek Warren, who has turned 90 in June, told BBC Radio Northampton he likes helping out as it keeps him "active and out of trouble".

Derek, a former BT maintenance supervisor, started volunteering at Northampton General Hospital in 2015 at the age of 79.

"When my wife was alive, she [was] very often admitted to the hospital [and] it was then I asked volunteers for help," he said.

"When my wife died in November 2014, I thought what a good job the volunteers were doing, directing and helping the public around the hospital.

"I thought that's what I wanted to do and I've been a volunteer ever since. I come in on a Monday and on Friday afternoons."

He recently celebrated his 90th birthday and was surprised by staff and fellow volunteers when he arrived to volunteer at the hospital on the 8 June.

"It was quite a surprise really, the staff turned up with a nice cake which had been made by another volunteer and we shared the cake amongst the other volunteers."

Derek says he's not thinking about stopping anytime soon, saying: "It's very good to be able to come in as and when I do."

Emma Wimpress, head of volunteer services at UHN, says about 500 people volunteer across the two hospitals and they make a huge difference to patient experience.

"When people come to hospital, they're anxious [and] they don't necessarily know where they're going," she added.

"So seeing Derek's smiley face, or one of the other volunteers, really [puts] someone's mind at ease when they come in.

"We're very lucky to work with people like Derek.

"It's a massive hats off to all our volunteers who make such a difference."

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