Let's Give Newsletter - 19 October 2026

Welcome to the latest edition of Let's Give.  

With autumn mornings, colourful leaves and cosy evenings now upon us, October is a wonderful time to reflect on the positive impact being made across our communities. There are still plenty of volunteering opportunities available and lots of organisations looking for their next volunteer. 

Communities 1st will once again be attending the St Albans Christmas Cracker event and are looking for volunteers to help out on the day. Read below for further details about the Quiet Zone Tent and how it can support visitors.

We hope that you enjoy this edition!

Kelly Wright
Voluntary Sector and Partnerships Manager

St Saviour's Church is looking for several volunteers to help with gardening and odd jobs. This would suit someone with an interest in gardening or who could help us with odd jobs needed to develop the garden. The opportunity is fully flexible so would be flexible to your time and give you the opportunity to develop skills whilst giving back to your local community.

Herts Welcomes Refugees need drivers who can collect donated bikes (at locations across Hertfordshire), drop them off to their mechanic in Borehamwood and then collect them once they've been checked over. The drivers then deliver them to individuals in need.

Having a bike provides freedom, exercise, and the means to travel to work, college or school. We give out donated bikes to refugee children and adults across Hertfordshire.

Communities 1st will be attending the St Albans Christmas Cracker on 22 November. We will be looking after the Community Safe Zone. This is a quiet space for visitors to take a break from the festive fun and relax or warm up. We are looking for volunteers to support us at the Safe Zone and take part in other volunteering activities. 

Volunteering opportunities include: 

• helping with setting up  
• signposting people to the Community Safe Zone and letting them know where to find us 
• helping people access the stage, spotting people who would benefit from the accessible zones
• helping the public access some of the taller vendors
• handing out maps and helping with wayfinding

It's that time of year again!

Communities 1st is inviting all volunteers along to a local Volunteer Festive Get-Together.

It is a lovely opportunity at the end of each year for volunteers, members and people from behind the scenes to catch up, with a lovely hot drink and of course a mince pie!

It's also a great excuse to get your Christmas jumpers out of storage and show them off to others.

We would love the opportunity to say thank you before we head into the new year and we can't wait to see you there!

Upcoming events:

Hertsmere - 1 December 2026, 2pm to 4pm.

Broxbourne - 2 December 2026, 2pm to 4pm.

St Albans - 3 December 2026, 2pm to
4pm.

Welwyn Garden City & Hatfield - 7 December 2026, 2pm to 4pm.

Let volunteering opportunities find you by creating your own personal profile on Communities 1st’s Let’s Give website!

If you’re interested in volunteering, you can showcase your skills, experience, relevant qualifications, interests, and availability. We’ll do the rest, matching you with organisations looking for volunteers.

You won’t need to share any personal contact information, as we handle all the brokerage and put you directly in touch with organisations interested in your support.

Join Let’s Give and start making an impact today!

YMCA Chiltern Group are looking for a Community Ambassador. As a Volunteer Ambassador you will be supporting the Family Centre by attending sessions and groups for local parents and toddlers with your child. You will also be sharing information on the Family Centre Services, while maintaining the link between the Family Centre and the community. This is a flexible opportunity that can be worked around other commitments.

Help bring the HVA brand to life!

Herts Visual Arts CIC is looking for an organised and creative volunteer to take on the role of Artwork Coordinator, helping us to manage, maintain and create the artwork and marketing materials we use across our events, exhibitions and activities.

Love getting outdoors? Want to Volunteer? We need you!

Lee Valley Regional Park has a countryside management programme for volunteers which offers a wide range of practical outdoor tasks to those who would like to give
something back to their local environment

Re-engage are looking for a tea party driver. You’ll collect older guests from their homes, accompany them to the monthly tea party and drive them home again afterwards. The tea party will be at a different volunteer host’s home each month and will include older guests, other volunteer drivers and the tea party group coordinator.

Hertsmere Mencap is looking for volunteer minibus drivers to join a rota to drive their members to their Tuesday evening social club in Borehamwood and Thursday evening social club in St Albans. The key tasks will include collecting members from their homes (in Borehamwood) and driving the minibus to their club in Borehamwood, St Albans or Hatfield. Also, assisting, where necessary, to help people on and off the minibus and ensuring they are safe when going to their front door.

Herts Vision Loss is looking for friendly and empathetic volunteers with a full driving licence to support visually impaired people by providing transport to appointments, activities, and events. Opportunities are available for both regular and occasional drivers, including minibus drivers for outings and trips. Volunteers must be over 21 to drive a minibus, although no specific driving qualification is required for this volunteer role.

Communities 1st has lots of festive activities to offer including...

- Christmas calls
- Door-step visits and deliveries
- Festive Bus Buddy

Communities 1st volunteers are invited to participate by acting as members of the public involved in the simulated incident. Your participation helps emergency services test evacuation procedures, communication, coordination and the management of people during a major event. The exercise will help police, fire, ambulance and partner organisations practice responding to a major incident and they are looking for volunteer support. 

In an effort to support the local community and combat social isolation, Communities 1st offers different befriending services that allow people to connect with others in their local community, helping them to feel less lonely and more supported. Our telephone Befrienders phone individuals who might be feeling lonely. They call on a regular basis to offer a friendly chat and a listening ear. We hope that volunteers will develop a rewarding relationship with the older people they befriend by offering contact, understanding and information. A few phone calls a month can really make a difference.

If you wish to take your first steps towards volunteering, this one hour Teams session will aim to answer the how, where, when, why and what of volunteering.

The session will cover an understanding of volunteering and its roles, volunteering with benefits, researching volunteering roles and identifying skills.

This online session is for anybody who is looking to embark on their volunteering journey.

When: 27 October
Time: 10.30am-11.30am
Location: Online