Volunteers and staff gathered for summer ‘thank-you’ drinks, hosted by Chair of Trustees Tony Toynton, at Pallant House Gallery on 10th July. It was a gorgeous, hot summer’s evening in the gallery’s beautiful courtyard, so the chilled soft drinks and rosé with light canapés were very welcome.

Lots of our volunteers work with only one or two other volunteers or staff members, so the evening was a rare opportunity to chat with the wider team and put faces to names. It was of course also a thank you to the volunteers and staff team for all their hard work, with Tony recognising in his speech that Sanctuary in Chichester couldn’t exist without our volunteers, who do the vast majority of the charity’s work.

Tony also welcomed Jen Talbot, our new Charity Manager, and thanked James Field who has coordinated all our work at the hotel and is sadly leaving us.

Finally, he spoke about the partnership between Sanctuary in Chichester and Pallant House Gallery. We have collaborated on several creative projects, including a co-curated exhibition and free workshops both at the gallery and the hotel. Some of our beneficiaries volunteer at the gallery, and our beneficiaries enjoy free entry to exhibitions. Pallant House Gallery is committed to continuing to provide such opportunities and activities, and we also have quite a number of volunteers in common. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the gallery, and to future summer drinks there, as the feedback from volunteers on the evening was as glowing as the weather.