Hospital Helpforce heroes meet the Queen: Monarch praises hard work of the nation’s army of volunteers after Mail campaign

• Ron Knight, 88, and Louise Munro, 24, met Queen at a Windsor Castle reception 
• It was to mark the centenary of the National Council for Voluntary Organisation
• Pair’s inspirational stories featured as part of the Mail’s Christmas campaign 

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The Queen paid tribute last night to the nation’s army of volunteers – including two heroes highlighted by the Mail’s Hospital Helpforce campaign.

Ron Knight, 88, and Louise Munro, 24, met the monarch at a Windsor Castle reception to mark the centenary of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

The pair’s inspirational stories were featured as part of the Mail’s Christmas campaign, which saw 33,000 readers step forward to become NHS volunteers in their free time.

Ron Knight, 88, and Louise Munro, 24, met the monarch at a Windsor Castle reception to mark the centenary of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations

The NCVO represents 14,000 member organisations – a third of the voluntary sector workforce in England – and operates closely with the Mail’s charity partner Helpforce.

Miss Munro, Helpforce Volunteer of the Year, last night described meeting the Queen as the ‘greatest moment of my life’. She said: ‘I don’t think I will ever feel like that again.’

The Queen told her: ‘It’s quite a gathering.’ She also chatted to Mr Knight, who wore his Royal Marine regimental tie.

He said afterwards: ‘She asked me about my volunteer work and I told her how I worked with patients who are having injections in their eyes.

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‘She exclaimed “That can’t be very nice!” but said what a good idea it was to have someone to comfort them.’ Miss Munro, from Morecambe, Lancashire, began volunteering at Royal Lancaster Infirmary after suffering chronic ill health that left her in hospital for long periods of time.

She said: ‘A volunteer once told me that no thanks are needed when you have managed to get someone to smile.

‘It’s true – once you start volunteering you get hooked on the “high”that comes from leaving someone in a better position than you found them.

‘We’ve had a bump of people putting their names forward as a result of the Daily Mail in Lancashire. It’s been a fantastic campaign.’

The two stars of the Helpforce campaign before meeting the Queen 

Life-long Mail reader Mr Knight, 88, became a West Suffolk Hospital volunteer after losing his wife Betty to Alzheimer’s in 2008. His grief was made worse by the death of his grandson Graeme, 23, in a climbing accident followed by the loss of his daughter Alison – Graeme’s mother. He said volunteering three days a week gave him the will to keep going.

‘After Betty died I was devastated. I just didn’t know what to do with myself. I felt lost,’ he said. ‘But I visited a friend in hospital and saw a pamphlet about volunteering and put it my pocket. When I read it at home I thought “I can do that!”

‘I don’t know what I would have done without it – it has given me a sense of purpose. Frankly, the work helps me as well as the medical staff, who often thank me after my shift, and, of course, the patients.’

Mr Knight, a Korean War veteran, said meeting the Queen was one of the most important moments in his life, adding: ‘I’m a royalist. I would have walked from Suffolk if I’d had to.’

He added: ‘I think the Daily Mail’s campaign has been marvellous. It’s been hugely successful in getting a new generation of volunteers to step forward –and hopefully they will find themselves as fulfilled as I have.

‘I can’t applaud the newspaper enough and hope I can keep going for another ten years. Why not?’ Last night’s reception celebrated the achievements of voluntary action over the last century and highlighted its contribution to millions of lives. Guests included volunteers of all ages and areas of life.

Buckingham Palace said one of the Queen’s key roles is to support and encourage voluntary service through her involvement with more than 600 patronages, including the NCVO.

Helpforce is working in partnership with NHS England to help fund and transform volunteering in and around hospitals, taking pressure off frontline staff. 

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