AN URGENT appeal for volunteers has gone out prompted by the death of a hospital patient.

A team of volunteer Humanist carers at the Hampshire Hospitals, which runs facilities in Basingstoke, Andover and Winchester currently consists of one man who is the sole contact for people of no faith to receive pastoral care.

David Brittain, former chair of Basingstoke Humanists and current chair of the South England Humanist Network, is currently the only volunteer, with another two starting in a couple of weeks.

David said: “The reality is that there is an increase of people who are Humanists or are non-religious, and they don’t always have the option to get the pastoral care they might want.

“Some people are quite happy to see a Christian priest or vicar, and that is absolutely fair enough, but there is a significant minority who don’t want that.”

A recent death highlighted the need for more people to get involved.

A man, who was seriously ill, was in need of pastoral care from a Humanist when he was at Basingstoke hospital. Unfortunately, David was unavailable that day and made his way to the hospital the day after, to be informed that he had died overnight.

David said: “I’ve no doubt the hospital staff were caring and wonderful, and I understand they stayed with him until the end, but there was no other support available from someone else who he knew would share his feelings, and who could join him on his final journey.”

David works as a Humanist volunteer pastoral carer, who provides non-religious bedside support for patients as a part of the chaplaincy team part-time, giving up one morning or day a week.

He was initially contacted about the idea by the vicar at Basingstoke hospital 18 months ago, setting it up three months later.

He added: “It is incredibly rewarding, being able to offer people a non-judgemental ear. It can make an enormous difference to people, and it is an amazing feeling when people open up to you. We aren’t there to give them a sermon or to convert them.

“There is a crying need for people and we want to be able to offer this service to more people.”

To become a volunteer, e-mail basingstoke@humanistgroups.org.uk.