We are currently partnering with the NHS in Bishops Stortford to offer support to newly arriving international NHS recruits in this area. We are looking for volunteers to help us support these new arrivals with practical help from helping them check in to their accommodation, to showing them around the local area. You can find out more below, and get in touch if you are interested!
We are still running our pilot Hospital at Home scheme. Everyone is doing a fantastic job on this new project so far. We are looking for some volunteers who would be interested in supporting recently discharged patients to stay at home while they are monitored. This is with the aim to reduce pressure on the NHS as well as keeping patients comfortable at home. Whether you can do one visit every so often, or a few visits a week, get in touch with us. You can read more about this project below.
We are currently conducting our client surveys for 2022, and are looking for volunteers who would be able to support us with this. This role would include calling our clients, checking in with them and conducting a short questionnaire. We will give you all the guidance you need so you know how to record the results.
All the best for the week ahead,
Stephen Craker
Chief Executive
Hospital at Home Project
Our New Hospital at Home project will be delivered in the Welwyn and Hatfield, Broxbourne, East Herts, North Herts and Stevenage areas of Hertfordshire, and will help individuals stay at home while monitoring their vitals, rather than attending appointments every day. This can relieve pressure on the NHS, as well as keeping clients comfortable at home.
We are looking for volunteers who can devote some time out of their day to attend home visits with individuals in the community who need some help using their Doccla kits. These kits can monitor vitals, and allow patients to be monitored from home, rather than attending time consuming medical appointments. Each client will need one or two visits a day, for up to two weeks including weekends, and this task can be shared amongst multiple volunteers to allow everyone to work this activity around their schedule.
These will be individuals who have been recently discharged from hospital or who are being closely monitored by health professionals, and need a little bit of help.
This kit is very simple to use, and we will give you full training on how to help individuals use it. Volunteers will need to be DBS checked and we can arrange this. If you might be interested in this activity please get in touch via email or give us a call on 01727 649980.
Client survey 2022
With another year passed, it is time for our annual survey for clients. This survey allows us to check in with our clients, as well as monitor feedback which we can then use to inform and improve our services.
In order to complete this survey, we need some help calling everyone. If you have some spare time, and would be happy to call some clients and conduct a short survey with them, please give us a call on 01727 649900 or email us.
We will give you all the training you need for this role. This activity would need to be completed in our main office (1st Floor, Ver House, Park Estate, Frogmore, St. Albans, AL2 2WH), and we will have a full desk set up and landline for you to use.
You will be surrounded by friendly staff members who will be more than happy to support you or answer any questions you have. Just drop us a call now if you would like to know more!
DIY volunteers needed!
We are hoping to get our handy person project back up and running in the Spring, and are looking for some volunteers to support us with this.
Can you
-Support clients with odd jobs around the house like painting, fitting light bulbs, hanging curtains, and other similar small DIY jobs?
-Help around the garden, doing things like mowing lawns, weeding, potting plants and cleaning up over grown shrubbery and other garden based tasks?
Whether your interest lies in gardening, or if you prefer interior DIY, or even both, let us know by emailing us or call us on 01727 649900, a staff member will be happy to explain this role further to you.
International Nurses Project
We have recently been supporting new international NHS arrivals in Bishops Stortford. This role comes with some new forms of support, and we are looking for volunteers who would be able to be matched with new arrivals as a one to one buddy.
Activities you could support the new arrival with could include meeting them at their accommodation and supporting them with checking in, meeting with them soon after they arrive and showing them around the town centre, helping them register with health services like a GP and dentist, guiding them on how to use public transport like buses, and supporting them in their search for long term accommodation by attending estate agents meetings with them, and generally offering them a helping hand as they settle in.
We are also looking for volunteers who would be able to support us in our search for short term accommodation for the new arrivals. We need individuals who can attend house viewings to ensure they are suitable (we will guide you through what you are looking for in these properties, do not worry).
We would cover all your expenses for these activities, such as parking when showing people around, or mileage reimbursement if you drive to a viewing.
If you would like to know more, or are interested in helping these new international arrivals, please do email us or give us a call on 01727 649900.
Bus Buddies
We are looking for volunteers who would like to support our clients to maintain their independence on our shopper bus service or day trips.
This role would see you accompany these bus journeys so you can guide clients who need a little bit of extra help to the minibus and around the shops or day trip destinations.
Come along, make some friends, and enjoy a trip out, all while helping someone else join in the fun.
Please call us on 01727 649900 or email us= to register for this activity.
Number Ninjas
The Multiply project aims to improve people's numeracy skills, to help them in their every day life, by offering maths boosting courses. These will include shopping on a budget, make do and mend and make do and cook.
We are looking for volunteers to become Number Ninjas. Number Ninjas will help us:
- Identify the learning needs of local residents
- Engage and refer suitable candidates for tailored tutoring support.
If you are interested in this opportunity, email us or telephone 01727 649950.
Office Administrators
If you have a few hours to spare, consider becoming a volunteer office administrator in one of our offices.
You will be helping us with important tasks such as volunteer recruitment and arranging shopping deliveries.
We are also looking for people with website design skills to come in to the office and help with developing websites for our member organisations. Whether this is one of your passions, or something you have experience in from your career, we would appreciate your skills to help with this.
If you're interested in this role, please email us or call 01727 649950.
Volunteering Opportunities
Activities Facilitators
We hope you are already aware of our Warm Welcome Hubs taking place in Radlett and Borehamwood. Now that these are up and running, we need friendly Activities Facilitators to help us organise some activities for the attending guests.
Activities we could offer include:
- Knitting
- Cooking
- Reading
- Movies
We are open to activity suggestions. If you have a particular hobby you can share, even better. Get in touch by email or calling 01727 649950
Neighbourly Walk Volunteers
We are looking for some volunteers who would like to support people through our Neighbourly Walks scheme.
We know how beneficial walking can be for the mind and the body, and we want to support as many people in the community as we can to maintain their independence, and get same fresh air while doing it.
Please call us on 01727 649900 or email us to register for this activity.
Mini Bus Driver Volunteers
Communities 1st has their own group of minibuses, which we use to help us conduct some of our project activities.
We are looking for some volunteers who would like to help us as minibus drivers, in order to facilitate numerous activities throughout the community, from our shopper bus service to driving on day trips for our international nurses project.
Click here to register your interest in volunteering on this activity.
Find Out About Health Support Groups
Peer to Peer Group Facilitator
We are running Ukrainian support meetings, so we are looking for volunteers to help facilitate these.
You can find out more about this opportunity here.
You can email us or call us on 01727 649900 to find out more.
Training Opportunities
Training courses are available to our volunteers all year round. You can learn about all the topics we cover and register for dated sessions by clicking here.
Deaf Awareness training
Participants coming to this session will gain the confidence and basic skills to communicate with those who are living with deafness and hearing loss. It will enable them to understand deafness, signs that someone can’t hear you, body positions and communicating.
Please note this training is via Zoom.
Date: Wednesday 22 February
Time: 10am to 12pm
Mental Health Awareness
There is an increasing acknowledgement of the importance of the role of mental health in the wellbeing of individuals and the community as a whole. Being aware of your mental health can substantially reduce long term physical and mental health conditions and the stigma around it.
This online awareness session is aimed at volunteers in Foodbanks and Warm spaces across Hertfordshire.
Please note this training is via Zoom.
Date: Thursday 23 February
Time: 10am to 1pm
Anyone can volunteer
If you wish to take your first steps towards volunteering, this one hour online 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.
Please note this session is on Zoom.
Date: Friday 24 February
Time: 11am to 12pm
How to Claim Expenses
New Volunteer Expenses Claim Form
We have a new volunteer expense request form. If you don't have it, please email us and we will send it to you.
For Shopping Delivery and Prescription Collection Expenses
- To claim expenses, please sign up to our dashboard and upload your expenses there. Click here to create a login using the same email address that you originally signed up with. You will then see a list of your completed and pending activities.
- Please submit expense claims the same week that you carried out your shop, and if appropriate, provide a photo of your receipt. If an expense is not claimed in a timely manner it can lead to a client going into arrears, which can cause them stress and confusion. We appreciate your help with this.
- If this is your first shop, you will first need to email us your bank details so you can be reimbursed.
For Drivers, Litter Pickers and Other Roles' Expenses
- You will have been sent an expense claim form when you confirmed your job. To claim your expenses, please complete this and return it to the sender.