Making a Difference

We continue to provide lots of training opportunities to our volunteers, to help you challenge yourself and further develop your skill set. 

Volunteers are still required to help staff at Herts and Essex Community Hospital in Bishop Stortford. The shifts here have resumed and the hospital has assured that volunteers will not be exposed to any COVID wards in the hospital.

Volunteers also continue to be required for shopping deliveries, prescription collections, and pulse oximeter deliveries. Many people in our community remain immobile after the pandemic, and are still struggling to get essential supplies for themselves. This is where our volunteers can make a real difference! 

As well as this, we continue to look for volunteers who are local to Stevenage, Harlow, and Watford, to act as buddies for international nurses working in local hospitals. If you're a friendly and sociable person who enjoys meeting new people, we need you! You can register your interest here.

Best wishes,

 

Stephen Craker

Chief Executive 

 

 

VOLUNTEER TRAINING OPPORTUNTIES 

 

March 

Talk Cancer Online Workshop - Tuesday 8th March - 10:30am - 12:30pm 

Deaf Awareness Training sessions - Wednesday 23rd March - 10am - 12 Noon

Spot the Signs Suicide Awareness Prevention Training - Monday 28th March - 9:30am - 12:30pm

 

You can register for all our future training sessions through our online events calendar.

 

 

UPDATE FOR VACCINATION/HOSPITAL VOLUNTEERS 

 

  • The volunteer role description for Bishop Stortford hospital is available here.

  • If you have an admin role, you will need to watch this YouTube training video before you can attend your shift.

  • New ID badges are currently being printed and can be collected from our office or posted to you. If you require a new badge, please email podadmin@communities1st.org.uk.

 

 

VOLUNTEER BLOG WRITERS ARE NEEDED!

 

Read about how one volunteer found common ground through cake, in our latest blog post!

We are looking for volunteer writers to contribute to their blog, either by writing about their own volunteer experiences, or interviewing other volunteers and clients.

For more information, or to send in your piece, email: Communitystories@communities1st.org.uk.

Read the Volunteer Blog here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPENSES

 

Shopping delivery, prescription collection, and pulse oximetry volunteers 

  • To claim expenses please sign up to our dashboard and upload your expenses here, in order to speed up this process. Click here and 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 these expense claims within 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 in this matter.
  • If this is your first shop you will first need to send in your bank details to Linda at accounts@communities1st.org.uk, so you can be reimbursed.

Vaccination centre volunteers

  • If you haven't already uploaded your bank details, please do so through your online dashboard. 
  • If you are experiencing financial hardship because of your volunteering expenses, please email podadmin@communities1st.org.uk and we will reimburse you as soon as possible.

Drivers, litter pickers and other roles

  • You will have been sent an expense claim form when you confirmed your job. To claim your expenses please complete this form and return it to the sender.