Volunteer Centre Newsletter

Welcome to our Volunteer Centre newsletter.

We are thankful for the ongoing support of volunteers, constituting the backbone of our communities. Volunteering for all the fantastic organisations and community groups in the local areas.

We aim to support all volunteers in their activities. If you are looking for new volunteering opportunities, please look for new opportunities on our website here or get in touch by emailing volunteer@communities1st.org.uk.

Our latest priority volunteering roles are promoted below. If you’d like to share any good news and stories from your recent volunteering experience, we’d love to hear them! 
Please email communitystories@communities1st.org.uk.

If you wish to take your first steps towards volunteering, this one-hour online session will aim to answer the how, where, when, why and what of volunteering. The session will cover an understanding of volunteering and its roles, volunteering with benefits, researching volunteering roles and identifying skills. This online session is for anybody who is looking to embark on their volunteering journey.

Anybody Can Volunteer training session

Date: Thursday 22 September

Time: 11:00-12:00

Click here to go directly to our comprehensive list of volunteering opportunities

Juli Riley

Head of Volunteer Centre and Skills 
Communities 1st 

COME AND SEE US!

SPOTLIGHT

Activities Volunteer for Carers in Herts Borehamwood Seniors Club is an activities/lunch club for the over 60s within the community of Borehamwood and the surrounding area. Currently the Club runs from 10am-3pm every Wednesday. Carers in Herts are looking to recruit volunteers to help with aspects of the day.

• Primarily helping with activities but also giving some support in the kitchen.
• Plan and prepare activities.
• Set up activities in the room.
• Planning daily activities for morning and afternoon.
• Make sure all area and equipment are cleaned between use.

Volunteer Advocate, Carers Advocacy Project
Carers in Hertfordshire are looking for confident people who can empower carers so that they can make choices about their caring role and access the right support when needed. You would start as a 'shadow advocate' observing the Carers Advocate in undertaking the role. You would then have the opportunity to follow up referrals and speak to carers about the issues that they need support with providing information and signposting where appropriate.

Volunteer Coordinator for Youth Talk
Are you a people person? Do you enjoy meeting new people, supporting others and working as part of a small team to make a real difference? Youth Talk are looking for a volunteer coordinator to help them develop and lead their volunteering programme. You will help them to co-ordinate, recruit and manage different volunteer roles. You will also help look after their volunteers so that they feel valued and able to share their time meaningfully, develop or learn new skills and ultimately help Youth Talk to achieve more.

Community & Events Volunteers for MIND in Mid Herts Mind in Mid Herts are looking for enthusiastic, friendly and community minded volunteers to help support their growing Fundraising team both in communities that we support (St Albans, Hertford, Welwyn & Hatfield, Stevenage). This is an exciting time to join their team as you can be part of creating and shaping community Fundraising events, help them build local relationships and networks while raising awareness and vital funds for mental health services in Hertfordshire. You will be helping to build relationships with a range of local businesses, shops, supermarkets, schools and community groups. You will also Support Mind In Mid Herts in planning, organising and supporting of Fundraising events, managing the collection and distribution of collections tins and leafleting/ promoting their fundraising events within the community.

Befriender for Herts Vision loss Herts Vision Loss is a local charity providing a wide range of support and services to visually impaired people, their families and carers in Herts. There are over 26,000 visually impaired people in Hertfordshire, and in addition there are over 35,000 people with long term eye conditions that may result in them losing their sight further. Befrienders are needed to visit clients in the Bricket Wood area who have a visual impairment. These clients are isolated in their own homes and would like someone to chat, read or carry out small tasks with.

We have made it to the final for Best Customer Service in in the SME Hertfordshire Business Awards 2022. If you want to support us, you can place your vote, here.

SHORT TERM ROLES & MICRO VOLUNTEERING

Family Activities Volunteer - School Holiday Availability Only

Youth Talk is here to make sure young people in the St Albans District get the bets possible mental health support. Our vision is that every young person can talk to someone, whatever is worrying them. By providing free, confidential counselling services delivered by qualified counsellors, we make sure everyone from 13-25 in the area has access to this service, wherever their background or circumstances. The demand for their local counselling service has grown exponentially and they need the community to support them. Youth Talk needs you to help bring people together and organise community events to raise much needed funds so we can reach more local young people who need our support.

Web Support Volunteer for Rennie Grove

Are you a student with an interest in web design and looking for some valuable experience? Rennie Grove are developing an exciting new website and are looking for one or two people who could help them upload their documents into our new WordPress Content Management System. You would get a valuable insight into how a web site is developed and edited in a real-world scenario.
The new website will make sure that their “front window” into the charity is engaging, useful and easy to interact with. Rennie Groves comms team needs someone on a short-term basis over the summer to help them upload content from documents into their new WordPress Content Management System. This would suit a student or young person someone with an interest in marketing, web development and content creation, giving you valuable work experience in a real-life environment.
You would be:

Uploading content from documents into our new WordPress

Content Management System (CMS)
Learning how to build and edit web pages
Working alongside our Comms team to build our new website, following all data protection guidance.

Business Advisor

Young enterprises are looking for volunteer Business Advisors with Business skills and the ability to impart these skills and communicate well with teenagers. Most teams have their ‘’Board Meeting’’ once a week either in school time or after (about an hour). Training is given and all Business Advisors to ensure they are aware of what is required. Apply here.

LONGER TERM VOLUNTEERING ROLES

Gardeners for Blessed Earth Blessed Earth are looking for gardeners to help with their allotments. All of the work will take place outside, therefore appropriate clothing should be worn. Some of the work will involve kneeling on the ground with a mat to carry out weeding, other tasks will involve digging, turning over the soil, pruning and shaping plants and shrubs, and you may be asked to assist some of our vulnerable staff. If you have prior gardening experience, you may be asked to help teach other volunteers and help assist the core team. Projects last either half a day or a full day. If the project lasts a full day, food and drink will be provided and regular breaks will be taken. This is totally down to every individual volunteer and they let you do as much or as little as you want to do.

Local Champion for Leecliffe Big Local. As one of our Big Local Champions there are a whole range of things you can volunteer for. For example, you could support our Chatter Tables group, which tackles loneliness and isolation. You could help educate primary school students about healthy eating and the environment with our Veg Club project or raise teenagers’ aspirations at our Youth Cafe. Or you could help families in need by volunteering at WD6 Food Bank. Whatever your passion is, we have something that can help you can make a difference in Borehamwood!

Volunteer Mentor for Home- Start Do you have experience of parenting, or caring for children? Do you have 2-3 hours a week to spare? If so, you would be the person they are looking for! Volunteer mentors support families in their homes. They offer a free training course to provide you with all the skills and information you will need.

Community Ambassador Volunteer for Peace Hospice Care. Peace Hospice Care are looking for Community Ambassadors who can help them to spread the word about what they do and why it matters and to represent Peace Hospice Care externally through visits to community organisations, healthcare settings, faith groups, schools and, occasionally, local businesses. It will help to educate the public about the role of the Hospice in supporting patients and their families with life-limiting illness, from early diagnosis, throughout their illness and, for families and carers, through to bereavement care. As a charity, they rely on local community support and the Community Ambassador role will help to explain how they are funded, their need for ongoing support and the impact of their services and how individuals, families and health and care professionals can access, and find out more about, their services.

Volunteer Ebay Packer for Emmaus Hertfordshire We are looking for an eBay packer for bric-a-brac, who is happy to use their initiative whilst working closely with our shop manager. No prior packing experience is needed. We are looking for someone who is able to give us a good 3 hours of time once a week on an ongoing basis, ideally on a Thursday or Friday. At Emmaus Hertfordshire we help people leave homelessness behind them by giving them a place to live and the support they need to get back on their feet again. A key method of raising money for our charity is to run social enterprises. We offer a house clearance service for a fee and sell the items we receive. As a volunteer eBay packer, you will be contributing to a vital part of this process, raising much needed funds.

Day Activities for Hertsmere Mencap Hertsmere Mencap are looking for volunteers to help run their daily activities sessions. Our sessions run on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning from 10-11.30am, in Borehamwood. You will join a lovely team of volunteers and will help them to run their activities successfully. You will make a real difference to their members who hugely enjoy their sessions.

Sports & Activity Volunteering Roles

Sports clubs and physical activity programmes across the county are opening up, with increasing opportunities for you to get involved. Below is a list of opportunities available right now which will enable you to stay active and support a local sports club.

To express an interest please email Jeremy at volunteer@communities1st.org.uk

Fencing Hertfordshire
Promotions and advertising, session support, events organisers, fundraisers
Potters Bar Town Football Club
Ground maintenance team; Minibus drivers & assistant coaching volunteers
Colney Heath Ladies FC
Social media/press assistance & fundraising support
St Albans Bowling Club
Refreshments volunteers for match days
Special Olympics St Albans
Support volunteers for athletes with learning disabilities
Old Albanian Cricket Club
Volunteer scorers & umpires, a safeguarding lead, membership administrative support
St Albans Cricket Club
Under 11s assistant coach, occasional bar work
Oxhey Jets FC
Grounds keeping and general maintenance
Abbotts Langley Cricket Club
Social media and website admin, membership secretary, junior cricket coaches, junior cricket umpire, assistant groundskeeper
Bushey Cricket Club
Groundskeeper, umpires & scorers
Rickmansworth and Watford Sea Cadets
Administration and general assistant
North Watford Bowls Club
Grounds and lawn maintenance, participate in friendly bowls matches
LGDA Football Club
Youth football coaches for female teams
Watford Netball League & Kath Worrell Junior League
League & fixtures secretaries
Watford Amateur Boxing Club
Coaching assistants for young boxers
Para Dance UK
Trustees
West Herts Warriors Basketball
Coaches

Volunteer Ride Leaders in Herts
British Cycling need volunteers who are enthusiastic about leading entry level or family friendly bike rides. Benefits include FREE Ride Leader training, free Ride Leader kit and access to a supportive network. Head to their website to find out more about their programmes.

To apply, please email volunteer@communities1st.org.uk

Gardening Volunteer

We need volunteers in the Broxbourne area to help people tidy their gardens. If you’re willing to mow a few lawns and pull a few weeds, to allow an isolated person to enjoy their garden, please get in touch with us. Anyone offering their time will be recorded on our system so they can be offered gardening work when it comes up. Apply here.

Hospital Ward Companion Communities 1st are looking for Hospital Ward Companions who will be able to commit to consistent regular availability. There will be daytime shifts Monday to Friday when the ward staff team are most active. Some out of hours evening and weekend shifts may be available when required. his role would not be well suited to ad-hoc availability but if a long-term commitment could be made this would be considered. Shifts will generally be approximately 3 hours long but there may occasionally be some variation. You will be asked to help with:

Answering phones and taking message;
Answering call bells and taking messages or reassuring patients that staff are coming;
Talking to confused patients, they often need a little more time and attention so that they stay settled and less anxious;
Help to dish out meals and drinks;
Helping patients use i-Pads to video call their families;
Restocking PPE and other supplies;
Putting away stock;
Working as part of the extended hospital team. Apply here

International NHS Buddy
NHS Trusts across Hertfordshire and West Essex are recruiting a number of NHS professionals internationally each month to fill staffing shortages. Communities' 1st is looking for volunteers that can provide wrap-around social support to these professionals. We are looking for volunteers who are sociable, outgoing and have a warm and welcome personality. If you enjoy meeting new people and exploring different places around Hertfordshire, have an open mind, are positive about diversity and are committed to building relationships with people from different backgrounds, this maybe something you will enjoy doing. The role will entail taking the nurses on a tour around the town/area, introducing places of interest, parks, gyms, bus stations, helping with shopping and familiarising with local customs etc. Apply here.

Peer-to-Peer Group Meeting Facilitator Do you have experience running meetings? We would love to hear from you. We’re planning to set up peer-to-peer groups to help people with long term illness, and we would like to have someone to help these support groups flow. We’d like to have three people for each group. These groups are set up for the 1st and 3rd Tuesday (Potters Bar), Wednesday (Watford), and Thursday (St. Albans) of the month. If you are interested, please get in touch and let us know. Apply here.

TRUSTEE ROLES

Trustee for Viewpoint
Viewpoint are a charity that supports people who have a background in mental health as well as addiction challenges. By encouraging and inviting them to have their say, their feedback can go towards greatly improving mental health and addiction services. They are seeking a Trustee with the skills to support the governance of the charity and ensure that it remains guided by its constitution, members and service level agreements.

Viewpoint needs Trustees with the following skills:
Managing finances / accounting
Business and strategic planning
Marketing and communications
Project and risk management
Partnership working
Fundraising experience

Trustee for Hertsmere Mencap Hertsmere Mencap are looking for candidates with a solid understanding of accounting practice, commercially aware and with excellent organisational and communication skills. You will have the skills to analyse proposals and examine their financial consequences, be able to make sound and measured decisions and you will be aware of or keen to understand charity finance practice. With current and future growth in mind, we are seeking to expand our Board to include a Trustee who will be involved in financial management, business planning and strategic direction. The time commitment would typically be 3-4 days per month.

Trustee for Mind in Mid Herts
Mind In Mid Herts is a well-established local charity supporting the recovery of those experiencing mental health issues. They are immensely proud of what they have achieved over the recent years. They also recognise that there are lots more for them to do to strengthen their base and build for the future. They are therefore seeking new Board members to shape and deliver their strategy over the next period. The average tenure of their trustees is 3-5 years. They particularly recognise the need for locally based trustees and ideally, they would look for a commitment of circa 10-15 hours a month.

The areas where they would welcome skills and expertise are:

Community & Corporate fundraising knowledge
Property development and management experience and knowledge
Major donor relationship building
People and organisation development

DRIVING ROLES

Volunteer Drivers for Minibuses or own vehicles
Drivers required to drive either their own cars or our MPV’s and Minibuses Volunteers are needed to help people in Borehamwood, Shenley and Potters Bar who are unable to use public transport, attend health appointments, and reduce social isolation. What are they looking for? Driving skills, clean license, roadworthy car, honest and reliable, good timekeeping.We’re always in need of people willing to help us deliver our transport service. Our new scheme supports the NHS locally to fulfil GP and vaccination appointments, as well as hospital visits. If you're willing to drive a larger vehicle, we also run a much-needed shopper bus service, other projects and trips. Expenses can be claimed at 45p/mile. Note, you may be required to travel further afield than your immediate local area. Apply here.

Volunteer Drivers for Armoral Hill
Armoral Hill Day Centre are seeking volunteer drivers to transport elderly members to their social club each week. Armoral Hill offers activities, afternoon tea and friendship to elderly people in the St Albans area. Some members require transport to get to and from the centre and so Armoral Hill needs new volunteer drivers.

The drivers will:

Collect one person from their home each Thursday afternoon and take them to the centre at Hall Place Gardens, St Albans;
Drop the person home later that afternoon;
Be friendly and patient;
Have a full driving licence.

Volunteer Drivers for Hertsmere Mencap
Hertsmere Mencap support 250 children and adults with learning disabilities and their families and carers. They run a minibus service taking members to regular social clubs in Borehamwood, St Albans and Hatfield on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday evenings. You will only be expected to volunteer once every few weeks as part of a rota, an average of 3 hours per month. You will be assisting the driver collecting members, accompanying them to the local clubs, and helping with picking up from the club, taking them to their front door when necessary. Apply here.