Despite the growth of Day Services in recent years, evidence of effectiveness is scarce. It is important to establish the value of such services so that we can make evidence-based resource allocation decisions. Day Service offers supportive care to people with advanced progressive illness who may be approaching the end of life, who are able to remain living in their own home. Interested members of the public are often involved in assisting with transport and non-clinical aspects of service delivery. Methods: Newly referred attendees to three Day Services were recruited into a pragmatic before-and-after descriptive cohort study. Data on costs were collected on health and care use in the four weeks preceding attendance using adapted versions of the Client Service Receipt Inventory. Outcomes, cost per attendee/day and volunteer contribution were estimated. Results: Thirty-eight participants were recruited and provided detailed follow-up data at both baseline and four weeks. The cost per attendee/day ranged from £121-£190 (excluding volunteer contribution) to £172-£264 (including volunteer contribution) across the three sites. Volunteering constituted between 28% and 38% of the total costs. Conclusions: This study highlights the large contribution made by volunteers in Day Services provision and so demonstrates the value of involving the public in palliative care.