Making A Difference Volunteer Update

I hope you all had a lovely bank holiday weekend.

The mass vaccination centres at Watford Town Hall and Letchworth old Argos building have now closed their doors, and Redgrave gardens in Luton will close from this weekend.  I would like to personally thank all the amazing volunteers who have given so much to the vaccination programme and helped to run these sites safely and successfully, it couldn’t have been done without you.  Please keep an eye on your dashboard as new sites are due to open and will be looking for volunteers to help with the autumn boosters. 

I would just like to remind you all that we have many volunteering opportunities available on our website. Whether you would like to try something new, or volunteer in an additional role to what you do now, we will be there every step of the way to support, train and guide you. We value your roles as volunteers and are pleased to be able to offer you free training sessions and webinars. Please browse our website to find about more about the roles we offer. 

We hope you have a wonderful week,

Stephen Craker

Chief Executive 

A Big Thank you to Vaccination Volunteers

Carol and Michelle would like to thank all the Watford volunteers who have been totally amazing, and to let them know they could not have run this programme without them.

‘The volunteers have always responded when we needed to step-up and they have all been professional, fun, flexible and central to our team. Michelle and I have worked alongside them throughout and we have grown so fond of each and every one of them.

Please can you pass on our heartfelt thanks to all the Watford volunteers? We wish them all the very best in whatever they do going forward, and we want them to know what a valuable contribution they have made to the Mass Vacs programme’.

 Well done everyone!

Vaccination Centre Volunteers

The Autumn booster programme will be being rolled out in September with boosters due to be given to the over 50’s and most vulnerable members of the community.  Manor View Practice will be re-starting vaccinations in 3 locations including Bushey, Watford, Borehamwood, and Allum Hall will also be running clinics, these shifts are now available to book on your dashboard.  

We would also like to make you aware that LFT test kits are no longer available to staff and volunteers at the vaccination centres and should be ordered free of charge on the government website. When ordering please state that you work at a vaccination centre, and they will be posted to your home address.

Watford Town Hall and the old Argos in Letchworth delivered their last vaccinations on Wednesday 31st August and are now permanently closed.  Once we get any information on what will happen with regards to Autumn boosters, we will let you know.

International NHS recruits day out in St Albans

This week, we took some nurses from Lister Hospital to the city of St Albans to explore the Verulamium Lakes, walk around the St Albans Cathedral, and then have some free time to explore the shops and cafes. They learned about the Roman history of St Albans, even posing for a picture with the ancient ruins of the town of Verulamium's wall.

Watford General Hospital have recently joined this project and their nurses will need the support of our volunteers, so we are especially looking for volunteers from the Watford area. In addition to this, we are expanding this project, so volunteers from all over Hertfordshire are welcomed.

We are planning a full itinerary of days out, so there are plenty of opportunities to help us run these trips as a guide or mini bus driver. These trips take place all around Hertfordshire, so please don't be put off from enquiring if you do not live near the Lister and Watford General Hospitals. We can always meet you at the trip location. Furthermore, non driving volunteers can also join the minibus for a lift to the trip location. Please email us or call 01727 649900 if these roles interest you. Any expenses incurred can be reimbursed.
Volunteer as a Bus Buddy
 

Three Rivers Shopper Bus  

We are operating a shopper bus service in the Three Rivers District supporting people to be independent by enabling them to do their own shopping.  As part of the service we have volunteers not only driving the vehicle but also travelling with the shoppers  to help them board the bus, carry shopping and chat to them. If you would like  to help out, please email us or call 01727 649970.

Free Webinars
SAFE Security Advice for Everyone by CST
Free SAFE Webinars

SAFE: Security Advice for Everyone is running FREE webinars through July - October 2022, sharing security knowledge.

Each webinar will run for one hour. They are delivered by CST (Community Security Trust) which protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats. Click here to visit their website.

CST suggest that their webinars will benefit anyone who supports people in their local community and wants to make their community as safe as possible.

SAFE Webinar Programme

  • 7th September at 2pm, Basic security (An introduction to security for places of worship and faith communities). Register here.
  •  14th September at 2pm, Conflict Management (Effective communication in high stress situations). Register here.
  • 21st September at 7pm, Organising security (Security and risk management, and how to develop a security plan). Register here.
  • 29th September at 7pm, Hate crime and your community (How to deal with racial and religious hatred – especially in the digital age). Register here.
  • 20th October at 2pm, Online security (How to protect yourself and your community from online threats). Register here.
  • 26th October at 2pm, Women’s safety (Simple tips to keep you safe during your busy daily life). Register here.

Volunteering Opportunities

We have lots of varied volunteering roles available on our website. Whether you are just getting started, or want to try a new role, there any many opportunities on offer.

 

Day ops facilitators and volunteers

Our Day Opportunities programmes allow people in the community to get out and do various activities including:

  • Litter Picking
  • Bowls and Croquet
  • Computers and a Cuppa
  • Garden Club

Follow this link to find out more and sign up.

 

Peer to Peer group Facilitator

This role would see you helping to run a peer to peer group that allows individuals with long term illnesses to gather and share their feelings. We will also be running Ukrainian support meetings, so we will also need volunteers to help facilitate these.

If you would like to help with this, you can find out more information here. If you would like to sign up, please follow this link.

 

Refugee activities volunteers

We run day trips and event for refugees as part of our project to support these new arrivals, and we are looking for volunteers to help us with this.

  • If you could help us as an activity promoter, please sign up here.
  • If you would like to attend activities as a chaperone, please sign up here.

Training Opportunities

We have lots of training opportunities available for anyone who would like to expand their skill set or try something new! 

 

September & October

Gambling and Related Harm training session

  • Date: Tuesday 13 September
  • Time: 11:00-12:30

Register here.

 

Diabetes Awareness training session

  • Date: Wednesday 14 September
  • Time: 11:00-12:00

Register here.

 

Anybody Can Volunteer training session

  • Date: Thursday 22 September
  • Time: 11:00-12:00

Register here.

 

A New You training course including sessions on Team Work, Being Assertive, Stress Awareness and Communication/Life Skills

  • Dates: Wednesday 28 September & Thursday 6 October
  • Times: 09:30-14:30

Register here.

 

You can see and book into all our future training sessions through our online events calendar.

Can you speak Urdu?

We are looking for someone who can speak Urdu to act as a befriending volunteer for an individual. This would be a weekly commitment of one phone call, lasting around an hour. 

If you think you could help us with this, please contact us on 01727 649900 and speak with a member of staff who can pass you to the befriending team. 

NHS Healthcare Reservist

The NHS Reservist programme is a great opportunity to start your working career if you have been volunteering, unemployed, or have busy lives that you need to juggle. If you want additional training and to broaden your skills the reservist programme is a great way to do this.

A reservist is someone who is passionate about patient care, working with diverse teams and can help the NHS during peak times. You may be a former healthcare professional, working in health care outside of the NHS or you may be considering a career change and interested in a NHS career. Becoming a reservist is a great way to experience the range of NHS career opportunities that suits your lifestyle and circumstances. As an NHS reservist, you’ll be part of a paid, flexible yet reliable workforce. You will be given thorough training and a comprehensive induction.

The roles will differ and depend on the help needed and roles available. Those currently working as an Reservist have been supporting COVID-19 vaccinations, helping to run hospital wards, providing administrative support to wards, or supporting with basic patient feeding/hydration. The NHS will provide you with relevant training modules for these roles and you will be supported by permanent clinical and non-clinical staff.

As a Reservist you can work flexibly, however you will be required to fulfil a specific number of days per year for training and working as a reservist.

Other benefits include paid for training undertaken and an Annual Leave entitlement.

If you are interested please get in touch with podadmin@communities1st.org.uk and we will pass your details on.

DIY volunteers needed!
 

Volunteer Drivers Needed

We are seeking assistance with our minibus services.  Volunteers are needed to drive our minibus for either day tips or for our shopper service.  To co-inside with this, we are also looking to recruit bus buddies to assist on our shopper and day trips.

Anyone interested in any of the travel volunteer roles please email us or telephone on 01727 649970.
Volunteer Drivers Needed poster
 

Gardening volunteer opportunities
 

Befriending Volunteers
 

Expenses

Shopping delivery and prescription collection

  • To claim expenses please sign up to our dashboard and upload your expenses here, in order to speed up this process. Click here and 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 these expense claims within 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 in this matter.
  • If this is your first shop you will first need to send in your bank details to accounts@communities1st.org.uk, so you can be reimbursed.

Vaccination centre volunteers

  • If you haven't already uploaded your bank details, please do so through your online dashboard. 
  • If you are experiencing financial hardship because of your volunteering expenses, please email podadmin@communities1st.org.uk and we will reimburse you as soon as possible.

Drivers, litter pickers and other roles

  • You will have been sent an expense claim form when you confirmed your job. To claim your expenses please complete this form and return it to the sender.