THEY are the backbone of the community - reliable, dedicated and ready to give up their time for free. But what exactly do volunteers do?

This week is National Volunteers Week, so Citizen reporter Stephanie Johnston decided to take a look behind the scenes and witness members of the Women's Royal Voluntary Service at work in the Royal Preston Hospital.

Five days a week, a handful of Preston's 150 WRVS members bring a ray of sunshine to the lives of hundreds of poorly people.

Led by co-ordinator Rosemary Leigh, the group set up shop at their 'advice and information' desk in the hospital's reception area.

Two or three of the unpaid workers man the desk while the rest head off to the basement, to organise their mini-shops and trolleys, ready to take them around the huge hospital.

Dedicated duo Margaret Mounsey and Hilda Whalley wheel their trolleys, laden with surprises, up to the coronary ward.

Margaret explains: "Both myself and Hilda have been doing this for years and we still enjoy it.

"We sell anything you could possibly need in hospital - from toiletries and snacks to nick-nacks of all sorts - and all the profits go back to the hospital in some way."

The annual profits can be anything up to £8,000, which helps pay for important medical equipment and specialised staff at the cash-strapped hospital.

And when the volunteers tour the wards, they never fail to raise a smile or two from the patients.

Margaret adds: "We sell goods, first and foremost, but we also act as a sort of counselling service and are always ready to chat to patients.

"Sometimes we sell very little, but the round takes a long time because patients want a bit of company."

Preston's WRVS also co-ordinate other community services, such as a tea bar at Sharoe Green Hospital and a project at Preston Prison, to be launched later this summer.

Rosemary said: "The prison project will provide a indoor waiting room, outside the gates at visiting times.

"We will be able to offer hot drinks, snacks, newspapers and children's toys in a clean, dry environment. It will also save visitors the humiliation of waiting on a main road near town."

To mark National Volunteers Week, the Citizen would like to say a big 'thank you' to all the volunteers out there in the Preston and Leyland areas.

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