Making A Difference Volunteer Update

Communities 1st has launched a new Multiply project, which involves paid staff running outreach hubs in St Albans, Hertsmere, Welwyn, Hatfield, Broxbourne and East Herts, to engage with the community and raise awareness of our services and projects, and specifically the new Multiply project.

This project aims to improve people's numeracy skills, by offering numeracy boosting sessions. We are looking for volunteers to become Number Ninjas to help engage with people in the community about our new Multiply programme which will help people in everyday life with basic numeracy, shopping on a budget and family budgeting. Number Ninjas will help to identify the learning needs of local residents and refer suitable candidates for tailored tutoring support.

If you are interested in this new opportunity, then please call us on 01727 649950 or email us.

We are excited to be attending many upcoming festive events throughout Hertfordshire. If you are looking for some seasonal volunteering roles to attend, these events are the perfect opportunity. Each of the shifts we offer will allow you time either before or after to enjoy the event for yourself, so come along and help and then treat yourself to some festive fun! 

We are looking for some volunteers to help hand out fliers, spread information about our projects, and direct people to accessible areas. You will be accompanied by staff members throughout the event, who can help advise you.

Saturday, 19th of November
Event: Welwyn Garden City Christmas Market and Light Switch on
Location: Welwyn Garden City Town Centre
Shifts: 12pm to 3pm and 3pm to 6pm

Sunday, 20th of November 
Event: St Albans Christmas Cracker event
Location: St Albans Town Centre
Shifts: 12pm to 3pm and 3pm to 6pm

Saturday, 26th of November
Event: Hatfield Christmas Light Switch on
Location Hatfield Town Centre 
Shifts: 12pm to 3pm and 3pm to 6pm

You can book a shift by logging on to your volunteer dashboard. If you would like to know more, please call us on 01727 649900, and a member of staff can answer your queries. 

We have recently launched an NHS funded project called Our Health Matters, which aims to address health inequalities as part of the NHS Core20PLUS Programme. 

Would you like to play a crucial role in improving access to health treatment and outcomes in the Cowley Hill and Brookmeadow wards in Borehamwood, especially in ethnic minority 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 u.

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 weather.

The Autumn booster programme has been rolled out since September, with boosters due to be given to the over 50’s and most vulnerable members of the community.  

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.

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.

We are now running a warm hub in Organ Hall Community Centre in Borehamwood every Friday from 10am to 4pm. We will soon be running sessions at Phillimore Court in Radlett every Tuesday between 12pm and 4pm, and in Aberford Community Centre in Borehamwood every Wednesday between 12pm and 4pm, both starting the week of the 21st of November. 

Our Warm Hubs project will provide free sessions for people to attend from November until March, where people can get involved in activities such as knitting, crafts, cooking and more. Furthermore, there will be the opportunity for attendees to get helpful information, guidance and advice from volunteers who we will train as 'energy agents'. 

With the current Cost-Of-Living crisis, it is our hope that these hubs will become a place of respite for anyone struggling this Autumn and Winter, but also a place to make friends, socialise and get stuck in to activities.

If you would be interested in becoming trained as an energy agent, or have  a hobby you would like to share as an activity at one of our warm hubs, please reach out to us and let us know on 01727 649900 or email us  to let us know what you would like to help with. As always, we will give you all the training you need to fulfil these roles. 

We are also 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 or email us and let us know what you would like to help with. 

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

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.

This Christmas we will be offering many opportunities to members of the community to spread some festive cheer. From phone calls to door step visits, wrapping to handing out gifts, we need your help to provide some extra light to people this year. 

At the moment, we are calling around members of the community to offer these these calls and visits, and could really use your help to complete this call around. If you have some capacity to conduct some initial phone calls, please email us or give us a call on 01727 649900. A member of staff will guide you on how to complete these calls, and you are welcome to pop in to the office for a tutorial on how to complete the survey. 

If you have some spare time this year, and would like to spread some joy this season, why not sign up to offer some Christmas calls, or festive door step visits? If you and your family would like to help reduce social isolation this Christmas time, please contact us and let us know via email or call us on 01727 649900. A friendly staff member will be happy to tell you more about these roles. 

If Christmas wrapping is more up your street, we will be hosting a Christmas Wrapping event at our office in Park street. This will be held on the 1st of December between 12pm and 4pm. Come along for some light refreshments and hot drinks, some Christmas music, and get in to the Christmas spirit with our team. We can be found at Ver House, Park Estate, Frogmore, St. Albans, AL2 2WH. If you would like to register for this activity please email us or give us a call for more information. 

Last weekend we took our nurses to Stratford London to explore the Westfield shopping centre and Queen Elizabeth Olympic park. We had a full bus of excited nurses and a member of the team who joined the trip said that everyone really enjoyed their day out in London. 

"Thanks for organising the trip, it was really fun and worth it", said one nurse. 

This week, we have completed a six month plan of days out for Watford General and Lister Hospital, 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 and beyond, so please don't be put off from enquiring if you do not live near the Lister and Watford General Hospitals.

Come along, make some new friends, and explore places from St Albans and Hitchin, to Cambridge and Windsor!

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 649970 if these roles interest you.

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

Please click the register more links to find out some more information. 

November

Vision Loss Awareness Training
Date: Monday 21 November 

Time:13:00 - 14:00
Register here.

Introduction to British Sign Language 
Date: Wednesday 23 November
Time: 10:00 - 12:00
Register here.

Dementia Friends Information Session
Date: Wednesday 23 November 
Time: 11:00 - 12:00

Register here.

Herts County council Homes for Ukraine Webinar- Find Out More
Date: Wednesday 23 November 

Time: 19:00 - 20:00
Register here.

HIV - Awareness and Support 

Date: Wednesday 30 November 
Time: 11:00 - 13:00
Register here.

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

Our Bushey Computers and a Cuppa session has now launched at Bushey Library. These sessions will run every Thursday between 12pm and 2pm, both in and outside of term time.

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 email us, 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 email us 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.