Fantastic Friday Update

We welcome in October this weekend, a month that offers an amazing array of awareness events and meaningful campaigns.

International Day of Older Persons (1st October) kicks off the month. Each year on this date, people across the world mark this day to raise awareness of opportunities and challenges faced by ageing populations, and to mobilise the wider community to address difficulties faced by older people.

Communities 1st will be attending a series of events organised by St Albans City and District Council called ‘Flourishing Lives’ starting at London Colney Caledon Centre on the 9th October. Please see below for more information.

Dyslexia Awareness Week (2nd- 8th October) celebrates individuals with dyslexia from all backgrounds and walks of life. The theme, #UniqueYou highlights the fact that every single person with dyslexia experiences it in ways that are unique to them. Each will have their own set of strengths and challenges and tread their own path through life.

National Work Life Week (2nd - 6th October) is an annual campaign aiming to get both employers and employees talking about wellbeing at work and work-life balance.   If you want to find out more about this campaign, click here.

The first full week of October also marks "Back care Awareness Week"(2nd - 8th October), a campaign run by BackCare, a charity aiming to educate people on how to prevent and relieve back pain. This year's theme is "Back Pain in Education", and as this title suggests this year's campaign is aimed at children and young people. Many of the back and neck pain problems experienced by adults are due to them not looking after their backs during their childhood and teenage years.

This week we are delighted to announce that Communities 1st has been awarded the prestigious Matrix Standard Quality Mark Accreditation, the quality standard for organisations delivering Information, Advice, and Guidance (IAG) services. The accreditation is a robust endorsement of our commitment to community support and serving local people as a trusted source of advice.

Have a lovely weekend! 

Nicola Oneill

Wellbeing Services Manager

If you or someone you know is in at-risk group or is isolated, and needs help or support with shopping, prescription collection, pet sitting, urgent supplies or tech support, you can contact us.

Email: help@communities1st.org.uk.
Phone: 01727 649930.

Alternatively, if you would like to volunteer yourself to support this service, please contact us or visit our website for further information.

Introduction to Air Frying

Have an Air fryer or considering buying one? Looking to cook cheaper and healthier? Come along to our cooking with an Air Fryer 3 hour session. Learn to cook with one, add new recipes and learn about the cost savings. Cooking tips will be provided on this free course along with a chance to taste food cooked in the air fryer.

Any Hertfordshire resident aged 19 and over is welcome to attend this course. Participants are eligible for the draw to win an air fryer if they have obtained a D grade or below in their Maths GCSE (or equivalent), or are in receipt of any benefits.

- IN PERSON COURSE - LETCHWORTH

Wednesday 4th October, 1pm - 4pm

Macfadyen Webb House, Norton Way North, SG61BU

More Information 

- IN PERSON COURSE - Potters Bar
5th October, 2023, 10am -1pm
Greenfields, 61, South Drive, Cuffley EN6 4HW
More information

Quit smoking this Stoptober
When you stop smoking, good things start to happen — you can begin to see almost immediate improvements to your health.
So this October, join the thousands of smokers committing to quitting. Stop smoking for 28 days and you're 5 times more likely to give up for good.
It's much easier to stop smoking when you get the right support and there are lots of options to choose from.

More information

Hertfordshire's Annual Domestic Abuse Surveys

This is an opportunity to use your voice to help shape systems and services for domestic abuse in Hertfordshire.

The Hertfordshire Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls Partnership are listening and committed to ensuring everyone gets the right help at the right time.

More information

Help to discover the history of the District's Black communities

To coincide with October's Black History Month, a Black History Research Group is going to be set up.

St Albans Museum is looking for people interested in examining the history of St Albans’ Black communities.

This is a long term project intended to improve their knowledge and understanding of Black history in the local area.

The volunteer research team will be provided with three training sessions a year (including one on researching family history) and enjoy being part of a supportive group.

No previous experience is required.

The first session to be held on Monday 23 October. 

More information 

Potters Bar Lets' Talk Cancer 

Communities1st will be attending with a table this awareness event where there will be the opportunity to chat with local health professionals and find out more about the cancer and health services in Hertfordshire. 

Monday 9th October, 2pm - 6pm

The Wyllyotts Theatre, Potters Bar EN62HN
More information

Flourishing Lives - Celebrating UN International Day of Older Persons: All Welcome

Everyone is invited to a series of events in St Albans District to celebrate International Day of Older Persons.

There will be opportunities to find out about services which can help residents keep safe and well, get connected and stay independent.

People can drop in for a chat at the pop-up events in St Albans, Harpenden, London Colney and Redbourn.

Representatives from the Police, Trading Standards and the Fire Service will also be in attendance to talk about issues such as crime prevention.

Citizens Advice, Communities 1st, Age UK and other groups which work with older people will also be present at the Flourishing Lives events.

Free refreshments will be available with the events taking place at:

• London Colney Caledon Centre on Monday 9 October 9.30am-Noon
• Redbourn Village Hall on Thursday 12 October 9.30am-Noon.
• Harpenden Library on Monday 16 October 10am-1pm.
• St Albans Library on Wednesday 18 October 11am-2pm

More information

Speak Up Month

Every year October is Speak Up Month – a month to raise awareness of Freedom to Speak Up and make speaking up on issues that matter common practice for everyone.
The theme for this year’s Speak Up Month is Breaking Barriers.  
With increased awareness of barriers to speaking up there is the hope that people will have the confidence to overcome these barriers and make speaking up business as usual.

More information

Sexual Health – share your thoughts
Diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)are rising across many different demographics. Hertfordshire County Council and Healthwatch Hertfordshire are working together to find out what Hertfordshire residents think about testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and how services can be made more accessible to everybody.

So it’s important that the survey is open to anyone in Hertfordshire aged 18 and over.

The survey closes on Friday 10th November 2023.

Winter Meal at St Michaels and All Angels Church Hall

A new Winter Meal programme is starting at the end of October running through to March, run by LeeCliffe Big Local as well as a host of other partners. 

All meals will be free to residents. 

Every Monday and Thursday, 12.30pm - 3pm
St Michael and All Angels, Brook Rd/Gateshead Rd Borehamwood, WD6 5EQ

From Oct 30th - Mar 28th 2024

More information

Supporting Links Parenting Courses & Workshops
The new Autumn Term courses and/or workshops are ready! 
Courses include:

• Talking Families (for parents of younger children)
• Talking Teens
• Talking Dads
• Talking Additional Needs and
• Talking Anger in Families

and Workshops for parents of children with ASD/ADHD:

• Talking ASD & ADHD: School Avoidance
• Talking ASD & ADHD: Tech Use
• Talking ASD & ADHD: The Teenage Years

More information

Senior Groups Facilitator (Mental Health Groups)

• Hours: 37.5 hours per week - One year contract
• Salary:  £24,000 – £25,000
• Location: Countywide

More information

Cleaner/Home Helper

• Hours: flexible – you say when and where you work,  enabling you to work around your other commitments such as school hours etc.
• Salary: £11.10 per hour plus paid holiday pay on monthly basis

More information

Consultant Social Worker 

• Hours: 37 hours per week
• Salary: £43,516
• Location: Hemel Hempstead 

More information

Fleet Coordinator

• Hours: A part-time role of 20 hours per week over 4 days
• Salary: £15,600 pa 
• Location: the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore. 

For a full job description and person specification please contact The Operations Manager

Research Officer

• Hours: Full time - permanent (may be flexibility around hours worked)
• Salary: £27,649-£30,874
• Home based

More information