Little did Daniel Curtis realise that when he volunteered to help St Ann’s Hospice he would end up getting a full-time job with the charity.

Daniel, from Great Moor, Stockport, was looking for work after finishing his university degree and gratefully accepted an offer from his local Job Centre of work experience with the hospice.

It was in July 2013 that he began assisting in the St Ann’s Hospice shop at Underbank in Stockport town centre and within six months he became a relief manager.

Council holding drop-in advice sessions following Stockport floods

For the last six months his role has been Online Sales Manager, responsible for the charity’s flourishing eBay account and other online product sales based at St Ann’s distribution centre in Reddish.

Daniel said: “I was struggling to get a job because I didn’t have any work experience but volunteering certainly helped me and it also looks good on my CV. I knew about St Ann’s anyway because my late grandma was a patient.”

St Ann’s want more volunteers for its 14 shops across Greater Manchester.

Shop Area Manager Amanda Brooks said: “Volunteers are the lifeblood of our charity and we’re looking for new recruits of all ages, though they must be at least 16. It’s a way of meeting people, there’s great camaraderie and a chance to learn new skills.”