Brunelcare Celebrates Volunteers’ Week and Honours Couple with 25 Years of Service

Brunelcare, the Bristol-based charity celebrating 85 years of supporting older people in the Southwest, is marking Volunteers’ Week 2026 by recognising the invaluable contribution of its volunteers across its care homes, Extra Care Housing (ECH) schemes and community living.

Volunteers’ Week is an annual UK-wide campaign, held from the first Monday in June, dedicated to celebrating and recognising the contributions of volunteers. This year, Brunelcare is shining a spotlight on Mike and Jenny Evans, a remarkable couple who have volunteered at Deerhurst Care Home in Soundwell for 25 years.

Jenny, 82, and Mike, 84, first became involved with Deerhurst in 2001 when Mike’s mother moved into the home. What began as supporting a family member quickly grew into a long-term commitment to helping residents and staff. The couple are older than 30% of the residents that now live at Deerhurst Care Home. Over the past two and a half decades, the couple have dedicated more than 2,600 days of volunteering, equivalent to around 1,300 weeks of service.

Volunteering one to two days each week, Mike and Jenny assist with games, entertainment and mealtimes, while building meaningful relationships with residents and their families. Their dedication has positively impacted thousands of residents over the years.

Mike and Jenny, who have been married for 61 years said: “It’s a pleasure volunteering at Deerhurst. We come in one or two days each week and it keeps us young. It’s nice that we can do something together. We jokingly call ourselves the ‘RIWs’ Residents in Waiting. It’s brilliant, we absolutely love it.”

Lesley Hobbs, Manager at Deerhurst Care Home, said: “Mike and Jenny are brilliant. They’re such a huge help and are loved by the residents and their families. They always bring a smile to the home and their dedication over the past 25 years has been extraordinary. A huge thank you to Mike and Jenny for everything they do.”

The couple were recently recognised at the Brunelcare Long Service Awards for achieving 25 years of volunteering at Deerhurst Care Home.