Simon, like many of our volunteers, started volunteering during the COVID pandemic when he helped at a vaccination centre.  He has since become a volunteer driver and what came across from my chat with Simon is his great enthusiasm for the work.  This is perhaps a little surprising because he didn’t plan to become a driver!  He explained “I rather fell into this!  I didn’t go looking for a driving job.  Someone at Communities 1st suggested I might give it a go and I found that it suits me very well. 

This week we offer you lots of ideas on how to get the most out of the nice weather that is ahead of us but also how to be active while helping and supporting different charities.

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!