THEY are the hidden heroes who give up hours of their time to good causes across the country every day in order to make a difference.

But now charity volunteers are being rewarded and given respite – thanks to a unique initiative in Dorset.

Room to Reward, which is based in Christchurch, is the first charity initiative of its kind where hotels donate their unsold rooms to provide nominated ‘hidden heroes’ a complimentary short break, giving charities the opportunity to say thank you to members of their invaluable team of volunteers.

The charity has so far donated more than £50,000 worth of breaks in 12 months thanks to 94 hotels pledging to support 66 organisations such as Julia’s House, Macmillan Caring Locally, Naomi’s House, Dorset Rape Crisis, Dorset Mind and Oakhaven Hospice.

Nicolas Roach, chairman of Nicolas James Group and Harbour Hotels, founded the charity after witnessing first-hand how the hotel industry can say thank you to those who ‘do so much to strengthen their communities and to care for those who cannot care for themselves’ and ‘who give the most and make the largest contribution to society’ yet ‘who seek the least reward for their efforts.’

Adam Terpening, charity director said: “Since I was asked by our founder Nicolas Roach to set up Room to Reward, I have been overwhelmed by the wonderful support of so many hoteliers and by the amazing work done by so many volunteers within the local community. It is so clear to me that our unique scheme is a simple and effective way of saying thank you to those who make such a difference to the lives of others.”

Adam said the complimentary short breaks give volunteers the chance to spend quality time with a loved one.

Mandy Preece, who is a specialist end of life volunteer at Macmillan Caring Locally’s palliative care unit at Christchurch Hospital, was rewarded a short break for her efforts in training volunteers to sit with strangers simply listening to them and helping them find peace in their final moments.

She said: “To have what I do recognised was incredible. Volunteering impacts the whole family, and thanks to Room to Reward we were given precious time together in a hotel we could only have dreamt of staying at. We still talk about those few days now. It was truly wonderful.”

For more information about the charity or to make a nomination go to roomtoreward.org