Clatterbridge Cancer Charity volunteer Joy on why giving back helped her after cancer treatment

Clatterbridge fundraiser Joy Ramsay is encouraging more people to give up their time to help others as we celebrate Volunteers Week 2025.

Joy, from Wallasey, described volunteering for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity as one of the best things you can do for others – and yourself.

During Volunteer Week, which runs from 2-8 June, she called for people to use some of their spare time for good deeds.

She said: “It has been proven that volunteering is one of the top things you can do for your own wellbeing. So, you can help other people at the same time as you are doing something for yourself. I would encourage everyone to volunteer if they can.”

Joy was treated for throat cancer at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Wirral after being diagnosed in 2018 when her son Carter was just 18 months old.

She said: “I went from a normal, healthy person who didn’t smoke or drink to a cancer patient. I am normally the type of person who talks about everything, but I went into shock and didn’t want to talk about what was happening.

“I had been a dancer for 20 years, worked all over the world and was used to organising events. After my treatment finished, I didn’t just want to walk away and say ‘bye’, I wanted to give something back.”

So Joy set about organising a black-tie ball which raised more than £12,000 for Clatterbridge. During the evening, she even auctioned the services of husband Nelson as a handyman and chef for a day for a lucky winner.

She went on to put on bake sales for the charity and became an active volunteer, helping with bucket collections and at events such as the Glow Green night walk.

Joy, 48, is now a regular face in The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Wirral, where she hosts a charity stall packed with self-designed and produced clothing for children made from up-cycled materials.

She said: “I am a workaholic, and I have to be busy. When I was recovering from my cancer treatment I was planning the ball, it gave me a reason, a good focus.

“I love volunteering, meeting patients and listening to them. When I chat to people in the hospital at my stall and they tell me they are having treatment I tell them I did too, and they can relate to that.”

Joy is just one of a host of volunteers for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity who play a vital role in helping raise funds for people with cancer.

From hosting fundraisers to helping with collections in supermarkets, being on hand at big events to help participants, or distributing and collecting donation tubs in local businesses, volunteers are the beating heart of the charity.

Antony Jones, Community Fundraising Manager for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, said: “I would like to say a huge thanks to Joy and all our volunteers for everything they do.

“Not only is volunteering a great way to help local people with cancer, but it is also an opportunity to make friends and become part of a team of people making a real difference.

“Volunteers are crucial to the work we do and I would encourage other people to get involved if they can. 

“We’re looking for particular help with our collection tubs at the moment, placing and servicing them in local shops and businesses, it’s a really flexible volunteering role that fits around regular work and family commitments.”

Check out the tub volunteer role, and all the volunteer opportunities available with Clatterbridge Cancer Charity to see how you can make a difference to cancer patients and their families living across Merseyside, Cheshire and beyond.

As well as building your experience and adding some brilliant skills to your CV, being a volunteer is a great way to give something back to individuals or communities.

“From supporting Clatterbridge Cancer Charity at collections to helping make events an unforgettable experience for participants, there are plenty of ways to get involved.

Whether you can spare a few minutes or a few days a month – there are lots of volunteering opportunities.

Find out more here.

Find out more about Clatterbridge’s pioneering work HERE.