Making A Difference Volunteer Update

We would like to start by saying Thank You to everyone that was able to attend our Annual Conference for the VCSFE sector on Tuesday. We hope that you enjoyed attending the different workshops and engaged in helpful and important conversations. We hope to see you all again next year.

If you were not able to join us this year you can catch up with the events that took place on our different social media platforms which you can find below.

If you would like to see just one example of how volunteering can have a big and positive impact on a persons life, please check out our latest case study below.

Don't forget to check out the Action For Happiness calendar below for inspiration on how you can 'Jump Back Up' during the month of July.

All the best,

Stephen Craker
Chief Executive

Volunteer at an upcoming event near you

Are you available to support a local event?

Supporting and engaging with the local community is very important to Communities 1st and what we do. That is why we like to attend local events as an opportunity to meet new people and reach those who may need support.

Below you will find a list of upcoming events in the local area and we would like to invite you along to take part. If you would like to attend as a helping hand and support Communities 1st at any of these events please get in touch with us below. You can also contact us if you have any questions about the events.

If you happen to be attending any of the events below already, please feel free to pop over and say hello, we look forward to chatting with you.

Better Health Bus launch - Wednesday 24 July 11:30am to 5:30pm Borehamwood Shopping Park.
Hatfield Community Fair - Tuesday 13 August 11am to 3pm - Hatfield.
Health and Wellbeing event Potters Bar - Friday 13 September 10am to 3pm.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more you can give us a call or you can send us an email.

The impact of volunteering

If you haven't yet had the chance to read our latest case study, you can take a look below. With the help of our committed volunteers, Communities 1st is able to deliver services and support to lots of people with in our local community every week!

We think that it is important for us to share some of the amazing successful support cases with you, to see how much your volunteering helps to support people in your local community who need it most.

Cathy's Creative Café - A Case Study

Communities 1^st and our team of helpful volunteers have been supporting Cathy with lots of different services over the years from the shopper bus service, to the handyperson service. Cathy has been able to continue to do the things she loves all thanks to the kind volunteers supporting her.

Having supported Cathy for a very long time, we have gotten to know her bright and positive personality. She is able to cheer everyone up and make them laugh and we thought that Cathy would enjoy coming along to one of our Creative Community Cafés.

The Creative Community Café has given Cathy the opportunity to share her skills and knowledge with other attendees and volunteers about knitting, gardening and much more. She has been able to use the sessions to teach members of the Communities 1^st team how to knit patterns and how to successfully grow herbs and vegetables at home. The Creative Community Café has given Cathy a local hub where she can meet with her new found friends and share her interests and skills with others in the community.

Unfortunately Cathy is no longer able to come along on the shopper bus, which is why her local creative community café is a great opportunity for her to stay connected and tackle the feeling of social isolation.

The Creative Community Café has also provided an opportunity for Cathy to learn new skills herself by speaking with the other attendees who bring along their own crafts, hobbies and interests. The attendees take it in turns to bring a CD along with them to the session so they can all share their favourite artists and songs, which is something Cathy has also enjoyed.

Thanks to the kind volunteers that regularly attend these sessions to support the Communities 1^st team and the people in the local area who enjoying going, we are able to offer a fun and creative space for people like Cathy.

(No real names are used in this case study to protect the privacy of those involved.)

How can I get involved?

If you are looking to make an impact in your local community and want to support people like Cathy, there are many ways you can take part. By visiting our website, you can search through all of our volunteering opportunities and find one that you are most interested in.

You can also give us a call and have a chat with a member of the Communities 1st team to discuss what projects and opportunities are in your local area.

Visit our website here

Become an Energy Agent

Help deliver energy advice in your local community!

As well as encouraging people to volunteer at our Creative Cafes, were also looking for people to become Energy Agents. Apart from welcoming visitors and helping with activities this year, we also want volunteers to be able to become Energy Agents. In this role you will be able to help people make informed decisions about their energy usage, conserving energy and safety.

If you would enjoy delivering this helpful advice to people in your community who need it, please get in touch with a member of the team or sign up on your volunteer dashboard.

We will offer you full training and resources to assist you in delivering the information to members of the community and to help you with this volunteering role. Please feel free to give us a call or send us an email to find out more. You can also visit our website here.

Our Creative Café spaces are available across Hertfordshire and every week from Monday to Friday in Hertsmere. Find out which is closes to you below:

Mondays - Windsor Hall Community Centre, Borehamwood from 10:30am to 2:30pm.
Tuesdays - Phillimore Community Centre, Radlett from 12pm to 4pm.
Wednesdays - Aberford Community Centre, Borehamwood from 12pm to 4pm.
Thursdays - Farriers Way Community Centre, Borehamwood from 10am to 2pm.
Fridays - Organ Hall Community Centre, Borehamwood from 10am to 2pm.

Check out the volunteer blog

Read about our volunteers' experiences and projects!

Have you taken a look at the Communities 1st Volunteer Blog? As some of you will already know through your own participation, the volunteer blog documents the insightful experiences of our volunteers and allows others to take a glimpse at what it's like to volunteer with Communities 1st.

If you want to know what it's like to take part in other volunteering opportunities and projects or just want to read the experiences of fellow volunteers, you can check out the volunteer blog on our website.

Help us deliver fun day trips

'I've told all my friends about the day trips and we are looking forward to finding out where we will go next.'

Our weekly day trips across Welwyn and Hatfield, Three Rivers and Hertsmere make it possible for people who would otherwise struggle to leave the house, have a fun day out and meet new people.

With the growing popularity of our day trips we want to ensure that we are able to continue to deliver this service to people in the community and we need your help! Using our accessible minibuses, we visit local shopping centres, garden centres and lots of other fun and local destinations.

If you enjoy driving, visiting new places and want to help us combat social isolation, why not sign up as a minibus driver? By volunteering as a driver, we will be able to ensure that the much anticipated day trips can go ahead each week.

We release our new day trips on our website every month and you can check them out on our website.

Join us as Bus Buddy!

If you don't want to take part as a driver but you would like to support the day trip project, why not come along as a Bus Buddy?

As a Bus Buddy you will be able to help passengers on and off the buses, help them carry their shopping as well as keeping them company on the bus and engaging in friendly conversations.

If you would like to sign up as a volunteer bus buddy you can send us an email or you can give us a call. You can also visit our website to find out more.