Making A Difference Volunteer Update

We have had a busy start to November at Communities 1st. We started the month by attending the 'Locality 2023 Conference' which was held in Bristol this year. It was a great opportunity to meet with other like-minded organisations with the same passion for bringing the local community together. 

We also held our Core20PLUS Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Event this week in Borehamwood. Hosting this event meant that around 260 people from the local community had the opportunity to listen to health professional speakers and have their blood pressure checked. 

We would like to say a big thank you to all of the volunteers that were able to come along and lend a helping hand. We hope that you too had the opportunity to learn something new and enjoyed the event.

Don't forget to take the time out of your day to check out the Action For Happiness New Ways November calendar and try something new this month.

As always, we would like to thank all of our hardworking volunteers for your continued help and support!

 

Stephen Craker

Chief Executive
Meet Stephen Craker
Festive Celebrations December 2023

You are invited to our festive, holiday catch up!

With the Holidays fast approaching, we wanted to share the dates of our upcoming Christmas events for December 2023. 

Volunteers, clients and members of staff are all welcome to come and we hope to see you there to share a hot chocolate and a chat. It is a small gesture to say thank you for all your help and support this year and we hope you can make it! 

If you are interested in coming along, please feel free to put the following dates in your calendar and keep an eye out for the locations and more details in our upcoming newsletters and on our website.

Tuesday, 5th December 2023 - Hertsmere, location Organ Hall Community Centre, 27 Bairstow Close, Borehamwood, WD6 4TB. To register, please click here.

Wednesday, 6th December 2023 - Broxbourne, location to be confirmed. To register, please click here.

Thursday, 7th December 2023 - St Albans, location to be confirmed. To register, please click here. 
                  Check out our New Minibuses!
'A lovely, comfortable journey'. - Shopper Bus Passenger. 

We are proud to announce that Communities 1st has gained 2 new minibuses as well as our new MPV in the last few months. With our regular shopper bus trips and day trips ever growing, these new additions to our fleet will be able to support the service and continue to get the members of our local communities where they need to go. 

The 2 minibuses have the capacity to accommodate up to 15 passengers which is perfect when it comes to our busy shopper bus trip and weekly day trips. 

The MPV can accommodate up to 6 passengers and has already assisted us by taking smaller groups to the shops or supporting the international recruits projects. 

'A lovely, comfortable journey, and I don't have to worry about getting on and off.' - Welwyn Garden City Shopper Bus passenger. 

If you would like to have a go at driving one of our new vehicles, or you would like to find out more about the opportunities involving the use of them, please feel free to get in touch with the Transport team by emailing travel@communities1st.org.uk or calling us on 01727649980.

Join us at our Creative Cafes/Warm Spaces!

 

Our weekly Creative Cafes and Warm Spaces are still in session and we would love to have you along if you have free time to support us. We are pleased to inform you that we will be hosting an additional Creative Café and Warm Space in Farriers Way Community Centre in Borehamwood, every Thursday from 10am to 2pm which we would really appreciate your support with. Below, you can find out where all of our current Creative Cafes and Warm Spaces are. 

Our Creative Cafes and Warm Spaces offers members of the local community a comfortable and warm space where they are welcome to pop in for a hot drink and a chat as well as take part in different activities.

Mondays - Windsor Hall Community Centre, Borehamwood from 10:30am to 12:30pm.
Tuesdays - Phillimore Community Centre, Radlett from 12pm to 4pm.
Wednesdays - Aberford Community Centre, Borehamwood from 1pm to 4pm.
Thursdays - Farriers Way Community Centre, Borehamwood from 10am to 2pm.
Fridays -Organ Hall Community Centre, Borehamwood from 10am to 12pm.

If you feel that you would like to get involved and support these sessions with us, please do get in touch by emailing us at volunteering@communities1st.org.uk or call us on 01727649970.
Christmas 2023 Friendly Calls and Visits  

Christmas is a special time of year where we spend time with family and friends. For some people in the community, this is harder to do.

This Christmas, Communities 1st are organising friendly phone calls and door step visits to those in the community who may be isolated or find it harder to get out of the house. We hope to offer this option to members of the community throughout the festive period and we would like to give our volunteers the opportunity to spread some Christmas joy!

If you have some spare time and want to reduce others feeling of social isolation all while spreading some Christmas Joy by taking part in Christmas visits or perhaps making some friendly telephone calls to those in your community this Christmas, then please do get in touch by emailing us at community.help@communities1st.org.uk or call us on 01727649980.
Become a Digital Champion Today!
 
 

Using technology for a lot of us is a part of our every day lives and is something that we don't even really think about. For others, using technology can be really difficult and even intimidating at times! If you feel that you know your way around technology enough to help someone in your local community feel more confident when they use it, why not become a Digital Champion? 

The Digital inclusion project works hard to provide members of the community with confidence when using technology and give them access to the resources that technology and the internet has to offer. Any donations of technology that you no longer want or use such as mobile phones, laptops and computers are very much appreciated for these projects. If you would like to make a donation please contact us by emailing volunteering@communities1st.org.uk or call us on 01727649970.
Would you like to help us with our Day Trips in 2024?
New Year, New Day Trips!
 

As some of you may already know Communities 1st offers weekly day trips to beneficiaries living in the Hertsmere, Three Rivers, Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield area. The Making A Difference Team have spent the last few months planning the day trips for 2024.

To make sure that these day trips can go ahead, we are looking for willing volunteers who might like to assist us by becoming a minibus driver for the day. You can take a look at our most recent day trips poster for the Hertsmere area to have a better understanding of the destinations our passengers like to visit and you can contact a member of the team to find out what we have in store for the New Year.

If you would like to assist us with any day trips in the future, please get in touch with the Transport team by emailing travel@communities1st.org.uk or call us on 01727649980.
New Ways November 2023

You can download the Action for Happiness New Ways November Calendar from here.
      Volunteer as an International Recruit Buddy 
Share your knowledge of the local area! 
 

We are looking for volunteers who are keen to share their local knowledge with International Recruits joining our local communities and offer them support!

If you think this could be a project you would like to support please get in touch by emailing us at buddy@communities1st.org.uk or call us on 01727649970.
Volunteer as a Driver  
Whether it be your own vehicle, or one of our minibuses...
Do you have a few hours to spare?
 

We are currently looking for volunteers that could spare a few hours now and again to support our Community Car clients in Hertsmere. You can use your own car to take clients to medical or social appointments and we will reimburse you for mileage. This volunteering role is rewarding and flexible, but if you are not sure or have a few questions please give us a call and we are happy to tell you more about this opportunity. If you think this role is right for you, please give us a call on 01727 649980 or email volunteering@communities1st.org.uk
             Let Volunteering Roles Come to You!

Communities 1st is launching Let’s Give, a new service for volunteers. You will be able to create your own space on our website, so that organisations can find out more about you and reach out regarding their volunteering roles.

You won’t need to display any personal contact information as we will do all the brokerage, so we will put you in touch with the given organisation.

It’s a great way to showcase your skills and experience to local community groups and can help match you with a role where you can make a real difference.

You can do this by logging into your dashboard and editing your Volunteer Centre profile – scroll down to the section on External Volunteer Opportunities.
GET IN TOUCH
                       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.