Making a Difference Volunteer Update

With 2023 coming to an end, and the holidays fast approaching, Communities 1st would like to wish you a very happy Christmas, and a wonderful New Year. We want to thank you all for your support this year and we hope that you have enjoyed yourselves and are looking forward to a restful festive period. 

We would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has participated in the friendly Christmas calls and visits so far and to those of you who will continue to support us with these into the new year. We have received very positive feedback from those individuals who have received their Christmas call or visit, with one individual stating ‘I would normally spend the holidays alone, a Christmas visit would really cheer me up’.

We have included information on our open hours over the Holidays for you in more detail below, as well as additional information for anyone involved in volunteering activities during this time.

As always, we want to take the opportunity to say a very big thank you to all of you. Thanks to you and your continued help and support we have managed to support over 500 people in your local communities this year across our different projects. We hope that you have enjoyed yourself along the way.

We look forward to seeing you again in the New Year!

All the best,  

 

Stephen Craker

Chief Executive
Meet Stephen Craker
Festive period open hours and updates.
Are you volunteering over the holiday period? Here's what you need to know. 

 If you are involved in any volunteering projects and activities over the holidays, we have included everything you need to know right here! 

For those of you who support our regular shopper bus trips and day trips, please note that there will be no shopper buses running from the 23rd of December 2023 to the 2nd of January 2024. 

If you support or attend the Creative Cafes/Community Spaces, please note that they will be closed from the 31st of December 2023 to the 2nd of January 2024.

If you have an urgent concern that you would like to raise with Communities 1st during the holiday period, you are able to do so by completing our online urgent concern form that you can find by clicking here. Please ensure you are logged in on your dashboard account to submit your form.

The Community Hub is Borehamwood will be closed on the following dates:

  • 25th of December 2023. 
  • 26th of December 2023.
  • 29th of December 2023.
  • 1st of January 2024.

We will be reopening on the 2nd of January 2024. If you would like to get in touch with us you can call us on 01727649930.

Thank you for your continued help and support.
 
Festive Celebrations 2023.

Thank you for coming along to our Festive Celebrations!

We wanted to say thank you to everyone that made it down to their local festive celebration this year. We hope you all had a lovely time.  

We really enjoyed getting the chance to meet with you before the holidays and reflect on 2023 as a very successful year all thanks to you and your continued support and kindness.

We are also pleased to see that the Tuesday creative café/Community Spaces' visitors enjoyed their Christmas lunch this week. Thank you to everyone who supported us on the day and helped plan the event, it looks as though everyone had a fantastic time!
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.
Volunteer at our Creative Cafes/Community Spaces! 
   Help deliver energy advice in your local community.

With the months getting colder, why not come along to support the members of your local community at our creative cafés/community spaces. 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, then please get in touch with a member of the team or sign up on your dashboard. You will be given full training and resources to help you in this role. 

Our creative café/Community Spaces are available across Hertfordshire and every week from Monday to Friday in Hertsmere. Find out which one is closest to you below:

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 2pm

If you feel that this is the volunteering opportunity for you, please contact us by emailing us at welcome@communities1st.org.uk or call us on 01727649970 or 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.
Do Good December 2023

You can download the Action for Happiness Do Good December Calendar here.
             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.