Making A Difference Volunteer Update

We really need your help this Autumn to continue the fantastic work you have all been delivering at our vaccination locations. With Winter fast approaching, we are always looking for more volunteers who would be able to help with the Autumn booster roll out and keep our community safe during the colder seasons.

The Autumn booster programme is being rolled out in September with boosters due to be given to the over 50’s and most vulnerable members of the community.  Manor View Practice will be re-starting vaccinations in 3 locations including Bushey, Watford, Borehamwood, and Allum Hall will also be running clinics, these shifts are now available to book on your dashboard.  

We would also like to make you aware that LFT test kits are no longer available to staff and volunteers at the vaccination centres and should be ordered free of charge on the government website. When ordering please state that you work at a vaccination centre, and they will be posted to your home address.

The last day for vaccinations at Harlow Leisurezone will be Saturday 22nd October when the centre will close.  They will continue to deliver the Autumn booster up until this date and still require volunteers who have been doing a fantastic job with their continued support.

Vaccination popups continue to need volunteers throughout the County to assist with the autumn booster programme. You will see this as ‘Vaccination Popup’s Various’ on your dashboard as they cover such a wide area with dates and locations listed.

Older Persons Day is coming up in St Albans on the 19th of October, where people will be able to come to the Civic Centre to find out useful information on keeping safe and well, having fun and staying independent.

We are looking for a couple of volunteers available to welcome people and also to help carry teas and coffees. If you are interested in helping with this, please book on to a shift via your volunteer dashboard. 

SAFE Webinar Programme

• 20th October at 2pm, Online security (How to protect yourself and your community from online threats). Register here.

• 26th October at 2pm, Women’s safety (Simple tips to keep you safe during your busy daily life). Register here.

Coming up soon, we will be launching our Warm Hubs project. We will need volunteers to help run these sessions, and these shifts will be bookable on the dashboard soon.

With the current Cost-Of-Living crisis, it is our hope that these hubs will become a place of respite for those struggling financially this Autumn and Winter. At these sessions, participants will have the chance to socialise, get stuck in to crafts and engage in activities. In addition to this, they can receive guidance, information and signposting to helpful resources by our knowledgeable volunteers who will act as 'energy agents'.

In addition to this, we will be looking for volunteers to join the sessions and help lead the activities, so if you think you could help out as an activities coordinator, please let us know.

Through our warm hubs project, we will be running sessions where free warm meals will be provided by Sangha Community Café. These sessions allow people to drop in for a free meal and to participate in activities, and will run every Friday in November at Organ Hall, Borehamwood, WD6 4TB in the afternoon. As always, we will equip you with all the training you'll need to fulfil this role. You will find all of this information in our calendar on our website and social media. 

We are providing information on our website about other warm hubs being set up by other organisations, and you can find all of the information here. You can also submit information if you are involved with a group organising a Hub, please just contact us on 01727 649900.

We will soon be launching an NHS funded project called Our Health Matters, which aims to address health inequalities as part of the NHS Core20PLUS5 Programme. 

Would you like to play a crucial role in reducing health inequality in the Cowley Hill and Brookmeadow wards in Borehamwood, especially in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities?

We are looking for volunteer Community Connectors, ideally with lived experience, either as a patient or carer, of Severe Mental Illness, Chronic Respiratory Disease, Cancer and Hypertension.

As a valued Community Connector, you will receive a thorough induction, full training and regular communication and engagement.

You choose how many hours a week you can volunteer to help us achieve our project goals of delivering exceptional quality healthcare for all through equitable access, excellent experience, and optimal outcomes.

If you are interested in becoming part of this exciting and important project, have any questions or require more information, then please contact Jane Yates on 01727 649900 or email here.

We have lots of varied volunteering roles available on our website. Whether you are just getting started, or want to try a new role, there any many opportunities on offer.

Day ops facilitators and volunteers

Our Day Opportunities programmes allow people in the community to get out and do various activities including:
-Litter Picking
-Bowls and Croquet
-Computers and a Cuppa
-Garden Club

Follow this link to find out more and sign up.

Peer to Peer group Facilitator

This role would see you helping to run a peer to peer group that allows individuals with long term illnesses to gather and share their feelings. We will also be running Ukrainian support meetings, so we will also need volunteers to help facilitate these.

If you would like to help with this, you can find out more information here. If you would like to sign up, please follow this link.

Refugee activities volunteers

We run day trips and event for refugees as part of our project to support these new arrivals, and we are looking for volunteers to help us with this.

• If you could help us as an activity promoter, please sign up here.
• If you would like to attend activities as a chaperone, please sign up here.

With Christmas around the corner, Communities 1st is beginning to plan Christmas activities for the community. As with other years, we would like to offer Christmas phone calls, Christmas visits and Christmas gifts to people within the community, who perhaps need a bit of extra compassion this festive season. 

We are going to be looking for volunteers who have some spare time to offer phone calls to people to help reduce isolation, to visit people for a cheery door step chat, and to wrap gifts that will be given out amongst the community. If you would like to help spread some Christmas cheer this year, and have some time available, please reach out to us and let us know.

Whether you have capacity for one phone call, or multiple visits, all helping hands are appreciated! Please contact volunteer@communities1st.org.uk for more information, or to register your interest in helping with some of these activities. 

The NHS will be doing health checks for homeless people in the Baldock area on Friday 4th November, which will also include Covid-19 vaccinations. 

The location will be the Baldock Community Centre, 1 Simpson Drive SG7 6DH, and the checks will run from 12:30pm to 6:30pm. 

If you would like to help volunteer with this important roll out, shifts can be booked on your dashboard as a community activity.

This week we took some nurses to the Harlow Museum and Walled Gardens, and then to the Harvey Centre shopping centre. They learned some local history about Harlow, had a nice walk around the gardens, and then did some shopping, before being dropped back to Stevenage.

We are planning some trips a bit further afield soon, to places like London and Windsor, and so if you would be interested in coming along as a guide to these exciting destinations, please reach out to us. All your expenses can be reimbursed.

Since Christmas is only a few weeks away, we are also going to be planning some festive days out in the next couple of months, and we would love for some of you to join. There will be days out to Christmas fairs, Christmas light switch ons and other exciting events, so if you would like to help some new arrivals settle in to their local areas while also partaking in some Christmassy days out, let us know!

We are planning a full itinerary of days out, so there are plenty of opportunities to help us run these trips as a guide or mini bus driver. These trips take place all around Hertfordshire, so please don't be put off from enquiring if you do not live near the Lister and Watford General Hospitals. We can always meet you at the trip location. Furthermore, non driving volunteers can also join the minibus for a lift to the trip location. Please email us or call 01727 649900 if these roles interest you.

The NHS Reservist programme is a great opportunity to start your working career if you have been volunteering, unemployed, or have busy lives that you need to juggle. If you want additional training and to broaden your skills the reservist programme is a great way to do this.

A reservist is someone who is passionate about patient care, working with diverse teams and can help the NHS during peak times. You may be a former healthcare professional, working in health care outside of the NHS or you may be considering a career change and interested in a NHS career. Becoming a reservist is a great way to experience the range of NHS career opportunities that suits your lifestyle and circumstances. As an NHS reservist, you’ll be part of a paid, flexible yet reliable workforce. You will be given thorough training and a comprehensive induction.

The roles will differ and depend on the help needed and roles available. Those currently working as an Reservist have been supporting COVID-19 vaccinations, helping to run hospital wards, providing administrative support to wards, or supporting with basic patient feeding/hydration. The NHS will provide you with relevant training modules for these roles and you will be supported by permanent clinical and non-clinical staff.

As a Reservist you can work flexibly, however you will be required to fulfil a specific number of days per year for training and working as a reservist.

Other benefits include paid for training undertaken and an Annual Leave entitlement.

If you are interested please get in touch with podadmin@communities1st.org.uk and we will pass your details on.

We have lots of training opportunities available for anyone who would like to expand their skill set or try something new! 

October

Gambling and Related Harms

Date: Tuesday 18 October 

Time: 14:00 - 15:30

Register here.

Dementia Friends Information Session 

Date: Wednesday 19 October

Time: 11:00 - 12:00

Register here.

You can see and book into all our future training sessions through our online events calendar.

We are seeking assistance with our minibus services.  Volunteers are needed to drive our minibus for either day tips or for our shopper service.  To co-inside with this, we are also looking to recruit bus buddies to assist on our shopper bus and day trips.

We run weekly shopping trips and day trips, and could really use the help of some driving volunteers to accommodate these trips. Additionally, we also run multiple day trips a week for our international NHS arrivals project, which sees us put on free day trips for newly arrived NHS recruits. 

We would also like to expand our community cars scheme, in which volunteers use their own vehicles to drive people to their medical appointments. 

If you think you could help us in any of the travel volunteer roles mentioned above, please email us  or telephone on 01727 649970.

We are soon going to be launching our Computers and a Cuppa session in Bushey. We are looking for some volunteers to attend these sessions as digital champions on a regular basis. We can provide you with full training through our Digital Unite training platform.

In addition to this, we also run sessions in Radlett, Potters Bar and Borehamwood, and some times require volunteers to cover these sessions when the usual volunteers are unable. If a more intermittent schedule suits you, this might be a better suited opportunity for you.  

Call us on 01727 649900 or email us to find out more. 

Shopping delivery and prescription collection

• 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 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.