FOUR young volunteers went 'hands on' to spend a summer with their sleeves rolled up at Hereford County Hospital.

All students from local schools and colleges, the volunteers worked at sharp end with nurses and patients on various wards.

With more than 200 beds and thousands of patients passing through its doors every year, students Jemima Bright, Emma Davies, Alastair Scott and Jithin Abraham got to see how busy the hospital can be.

“We are extremely fortunate to have more than 100 volunteers who help out right across the organisations in many ways,” said Jane Derry, who co-ordinates the volunteers at Wye Valley NHS Trust.

“They all do a fantastic job and really make a difference to the quality of our patients’ experiences while they’re in hospital,” she added.

“However, it was a great privilege to have these four students with us during the summer.

They’ve enjoyed it so much it looks like they could become regular faces on our wards volunteering in the future.”

During their days at the hospital, the teenagers worked alongside regular staff and got involved in a range of activities, including tidying bedside lockers and tables, assisting at meal times, chatting to patients and attending patients’ flowers.

“Each one of them brought something unique and together they contributed to teams which support the trust in providing better experiences for patients,” said Jane.