Claire started volunteering with Communities 1st as a response to the COVID epidemic.  She hadn’t any experience of volunteering in this country and, to be honest, she hadn’t heard of Communities 1st!  However, her experience has been very positive, and she was keen to tell me that she found the world of volunteering very welcoming even though, in the face of “the crisis,” everyone was under pressure and so busy.  She told me that “everyone was very friendly, and the volunteer organisers were brilliant.  Very professional.  If you had any worries, they were always t

Last week Communities 1st and our Community Help Hertfordshire partners hosted a webinar to outline the voluntary, community and faith sector response to the Ukraine crisis. Speakers included the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, The British Red Cross, Herts Mind Network and Citizens Advice, and together they provided a very useful overview of the support available for hosts and guests across Hertfordshire.

Elly might have helped you at a vaccination centre or brought you your shopping. Many more of you may have heard her voice on local radio! Elly O’Mera is a volunteer with both Communities 1st and  Radio Verulam! Like many volunteers, Elly supports more than one group and her experience highlights the potential benefits for both the volunteer and the organisations.

V is also the name by which a very special lady likes to go by when she is doing voluntary work for Communities 1st.  Born in Europe, V came to England over 35 years ago and first lived in West London.  She explained to me that her name can be quite difficult to pronounce, so when she is volunteering she likes to be known simply as V!   

Ben started as a volunteer shopper with Communities 1st in 2020, as the Covid epidemic was sweeping the country, and he has continued ever since. Ben, who is in his early forties and living in St Albans, hadn’t done any voluntary work before, but it was a wish to help tackle the pandemic that drove him to put his name forward. He was working from home and had some spare time, so could easily fit in some voluntary work. 

“Doing shopping for frail, elderly and vulnerable people who can’t get out is such a vital service. It’s a real lifeline,” Mary told me as I chatted with her while she drove home! She was, of course, on speaker phone so she could reassure me that she was driving safely. It soon became apparent that Mary is a very busy lady, so I was fortunate that she spared me some time to talk about her volunteering experience with Communities 1st. What an amazing story she had to tell!

Both in their late 80's, Betty and John have now enjoyed 65 years of marriage. They met up when John was completing National Service in the R.A.F., moved to Wembley, and have juggled working lives with bringing up two daughters. Betty managed various temporary jobs until she finally retired at 65 as a School Secretary in Watford. John worked in the battery industry until he had to retire through ill health at 55.

It all started with Beryl's Blue Bus. A few years ago, Beryl noticed an unusual wagon off-loading shoppers outside her local Sainsburys and enquired who the bus was for. She learned that this was one of the many helpful services provided by Communities 1st and, now in her late 80s, Beryl is so pleased that she discovered them. Since her husband Ron passed away seven years ago, Beryl has lived on her own with a number of health challenges. She now relies on Communities 1st’s assistance for shopping trips and getting to her hospital appointments.

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Sign up to our online Talk Cancer Workshop, that will help arm you with the tools needed to raise cancer awareness in your community. The session will help you encourage people to make healthy changes, access local services and visit their GP promptly with any concerns.