Happy New Year!

We hope you had an amazing festive season and wish you the best for the upcoming year. As we start 2025, we have seen snow and extremely cold temperatures so make sure you are keeping warm and safe in these cold conditions.

With the new year upon us, we are delighted to announce the merger between Communities 1st and Welwyn Hatfield CVS. This will bring many exciting opportunities for both organisations.

We want to say thank you to all of those who contributed to the Christmas calls and visits during the festive period. Thanks to you, people who may have felt lonely during these celebrative times had someone to talk to and celebrate with.

If you are looking for new volunteering opportunities to celebrate the New Year, please continue to read below and check out our website, where we regularly update our volunteer roles and opportunities.

We hope you have an amazing 2025!

All the best,

Stephen Craker
Chief Executive

Merger with Welwyn Hatfield CVS

Photograph of Carmen Dillon (CEO of Welwyn Hatfield CVS) and Stephen Craker (Chief Executive of Communities 1st) standing together and smiling.

Starting the new year with an exciting opportunity!

We are pleased to announce the exciting news that the merger between Communities 1st and Welwyn Hatfield CVS has been officially approved.

The name of the charity will remain Communities 1st.

Having worked closely together since 2020 when we joined forces to support our communities during the pandemic, we are excited about the opportunities that this merger will offer our volunteers, local residents and customers.

That said, you will not notice any immediate changes and we will continue to work with, and support you exactly as we have in the past. We remain committed to making this merger smooth for our volunteers and customers and continuing to serve our local communities and making a positive impact.

Going forward, the range and quality of services you get from us will stay the same and in fact, they may increase in the future.

As with any change, there will be a period of adjustment as we integrate and align our work.

We will keep you updated on our progress on a regular basis through our newsletters, social media and website.

As we look to the future, we are filled with optimism and excitement about the new possibilities this partnership will bring. Thank you for your continued support and trust in us. We are proud to be part of this community and look forward to our next chapter together.

Thank you for your support

Over 50 festive calls and visits made to members of your community!

As we enter a new year and reflect on the achievements of 2024, we wanted to say a big

THANK YOU

to all of our helpful and committed volunteers.

Leading up to the festive season of 2024, we reached out to over 400 people within the community to check in on them. From these calls, we completed over 50 festive door step visits and made friendly, festive phone calls, all thanks to the help we received from you, our wonderful volunteers.

For some, the holidays can be a difficult time to navigate bringing feelings of loneliness and isolation, which is why it is so important to us to reach out and check in.

Thank you to everyone that gave their own time during a very busy season to spend it with those in your community that needed it and thank you for spreading some holiday joy to those who find it difficult during the holidays.

We look forward to sharing more achievements with you in the New Year.

New year, new opportunities

Man in checkered shirt smiling on the phone.

Gain valuable office experience while supporting your community!

Are you looking to enhance your telephone and administrative skills or gain new experience in an office environment?

Join us in carrying out our annual client surveys! This is a fantastic opportunity to develop practical skills while making a positive impact in your local community.

You’ll work alongside the Communities 1st team at our main office, gaining hands-on experience in supporting people in meaningful ways.

If you are interested in admin volunteering opportunities, please feel free to give us a call or send an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Creative Community Cafés

Visit and volunteer at a Creative Café

We are happy to let you know that Communities 1st will be facilitating additional creative community cafés at our community centres for 2025 that members of the community can come along to and enjoy.

With the additional creative cafés now being made available, we are looking for support from you, our amazing volunteers to help us deliver these sessions to the community.

Come along as a volunteer and share your creative skills, enjoy some refreshments and meet new people. What better way to pick up a new hobby this year than learning all about them from everyone else at the creative community café!

Please see the following halls which are open for each Café:

Aberford Community Centre – Wednesdays 12pm to 4pm
Farriers Way Community Centre – Thursdays 10am to 2pm and Fridays 12pm to 4pm
Organ Hall Community Centre – Mondays 10am to 2pm and Fridays 10am to 2pm
Phillimore Community Centre – Tuesdays 12pm to 4pm and Thursdays 10am to 2pm
Windsor Hall Community Centre – Mondays 10am to 2pm and Tuesdays 10am to 2pm

If you are interested in volunteering at the Creative Cafés, please email or call.

Become a volunteer driver

Volunteering opportunity in the new year!

Are you looking to get out and about more this year? With our transport services, you can volunteer as a Communities 1st driver.

From exciting day trips, to essential shopping trips and doctors appointments, the Communities 1st transport service helps to support those in the local community who are unable to confidently use public transport.

By volunteering with Communities 1st as one of our drivers, you will have the opportunity to drive one of our accessible minibuses and get the chance to meet and support those in your community that need it most.

If instead, you would like to support people from the comfort of your own vehicle, why not become a community car volunteer driver? Through this service, we are able to support people getting to their important medical appointments, meeting with their friends and family and much more.

To find out more about how you can volunteer with Communities 1st as a driver, please give us a call or send us an email.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Your Dashboard

What is Your Dashboard?

Your Dashboard is the hub of all things volunteering. Access your Dashboard to:

Sign up for volunteering opportunities, shifts and events
Feedback on volunteering you have done
Submit expense claims

Visit Your Dashboard

Happier January

New Year, New Me!

The Action for Happiness website has published their 'Happier January' calendar to help encourage people to have a healthier and happier start to 2025.

You can check it out below or on their website.