Volunteering Vision Newsletter

Welcome to Volunteering Vision, our new Volunteer Centre newsletter.  

If you have some extra spare time this summer, please let us know and we’ll find meaningful ways for you to spend it. Our team are here to help you offer your skills to positively contribute to our community.

Over the summer, Communities 1st will attend various community events and we would love to have the help and support of our amazing volunteers.

• Bushey Festival - Festival in the Park – Sunday 7 July – King George Recreation Ground, Bushey
• The Cottonmill Gathering – Sunday 14 July – St Albans – 11am – 4 pm
• Hatfield Community Fair – Tuesday 13 August – Hatfield - 11am - 3pm

We have split volunteering roles into the following sections: 

• Spotlight
• Short term roles and micro volunteering
• Longer term volunteering roles 
• Trustee roles 
• Driving roles 

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

Christine Halpin

Head of Partnerships and Capacity Building

Communities 1st 

Hertsmere Mencap is a charity supporting over 200 children and adults with learning disabilities.They are looking for volunteers to help run their dynamic and vibrant youth club on a Thursday evening from 7pm–9pm in Borehamwood (WD6).

What you will do:

• Engage with youth: help facilitate activities, games and discussions
• Create fun: Contribute to a lively and welcoming environment
• Be part of a community: work with a dynamic team
• Build skills: Enhance your leadership, communication and teamwork abilities

HAWA Multicultural Services CIC (HAWA) is a dynamic organisation with a rich history of serving ethnically diverse communities in St Albans. They are seeking a creative and enthusiastic individual to run their social media volunteer. As a volunteer, you will play a crucial role in enhancing their social media presence and engaging with their audience.

Willow Foundation is looking for volunteers to help the shop manager maximise sales by providing a high standard of customer service, stock of good quality and quantity, and raising money for Special Days. Willow is the only national charity working with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 to fulfil uplifting and unforgettable Special Days. Since 1999 Willow has fulfilled more than 17,000 Special Days for young adults living with life-threatening conditions. 

We are delighted to invite you to attend Communities 1st‘s annual conference and AGM taking place on Tuesday 16 July. This year’s theme is “Supporting an Inclusive and Sustainable Future”.

This event promises to be a vibrant and inspiring day filled with valuable workshops, engaging speakers, and ample networking opportunities. After a complimentary lunch, we will be treated to a fascinating keynote speech by Emma-Jane Hampsheir, National Youth Participation Lead for St John Ambulance and an #Iwill Ambassador. Emma will speak about approaches to engaging young volunteers.

Booking for the workshops has now opened using this link. Please choose one workshop from each of the two sessions.

Date: 16 July 2024                                    Time: 9:30am until 2pm                    Venue: St Peter’s Church, St Peter's Street, St Albans AL1 3HG

Rennie Grove Peace Hospice's fast-paced retail team is dedicated to providing a top-quality shopping experience for all their customers. They are looking for someone with high street retail experience to work with the team as a mystery shopper to help ensure that their customers are getting great customer service.

The Countryside Management Service would like to recruit more volunteers to support existing Hertfordshire Health Walks and set up new, shorter walks for people who are not currently active or are returning to activity after an injury or illness. Join their team of more than 200 volunteers who help others become healthier and happier by walking together outdoors. No experience is necessary. You can lead walks or provide support from the back. Volunteer once a week or once a month it is up to you. Training is free and nationally accredited.

The Green House is looking for friendly hub volunteers to greet people, help them find some answers to their environmental questions and to keep the hub looking welcoming. All volunteers will be supported in their roles and will be shown how to easily source information at the hub. The Eco hub is a hub located in the centre of St Albans where people come and connect to find out ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

The Salvation Army Harpenden is looking for Cafe Assistants to help out at our Toddler Cafe. They are looking for volunteers to volunteer one morning a week which can be flexible across Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Tasks Include: 
 
• Using a mobile phone and card reader for payments (training given) 
• To take orders 
• To take food and drink to tables 
• To clear and clean tables 
• To clear floor of spillages 

The Open Door Night Shelter based in St Albans is seeking a dedicated volunteer to support their organisation remotely by coordinating the weekly food shop. This vital role involves ordering all the ingredients required for their lunchtime and evening meals served to homeless guests throughout the week. The volunteer will work closely with their food sorting team via a WhatsApp group to ensure that all necessary items are ordered promptly and efficiently. This role is required for one morning a week.

Euro Youth Mental Health is searching for a Chairperson to join their Trustee board. As a small not-for-profit group with a big vision, this role is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who enjoys helping a small organisation grow and improve. This will be an online based role for a minimum of 3 hours a month, and as the development of the group progresses reduce to 3 hours a quarter, 3 management committee meetings and an Annual General Meeting annually (to be agreed).

Are you passionate about making a difference in your local community? Do you possess the skills, knowledge, and commitment to help shape the future of community initiatives? If so, Broxbourne Big Local (BBL) is seeking enthusiastic individuals like you to join their team of Trustees.

Broxbourne Big Local is dedicated to proactively meeting the needs of the people in the borough. Our primary objective is to provide valuable opportunities and services centred around the Wormley Community Centre, to expand our reach across the borough in the future.

St Albans Good Neighbour Scheme is looking for volunteer drivers to help out with the service that they provide for their clients in the local community. The process is that the driver collects the client from their home at a prearranged time. The client is then driven to their appointment/destination. After the appointment is completed the client is driven home. In many cases the driver will need to help the client get to their appointment in the hospital and arrange a process where the client can advise the driver they are ready to go home.

Herts Vision Loss is looking for volunteers with an empathetic nature who enjoys company and has a current driving licence to help them with transporting some of their service users. They are looking for regular or occasional drivers for transportation of visually impaired people at the request of the charity. Minibus drivers for outings/trips. Minibus drivers must be over 21 and no specific driving qualification is required as the post is a volunteer role.

Communities 1^st is looking for a few volunteers who have good photography, videography and editing skills to help us share our work in a visually exciting way. It could be going along to an event to take some photos, filming at events and at our hubs and editing videos together. If you are interested in this opportunity, please email volunteer@communities1st.org.uk 

We are looking for employment support mentor volunteers. This role involves: Assisting clients in face-to-face meetings supporting them to build confidence and set goals. Helping them job search or search for volunteering opportunities. Assisting people to put CV’s together and support with application forms. Helping to coordinate appointments. Managing a small caseload of people depending on availability.

We are looking for Support Coaches for our Able2Enable project, which supports individuals to develop key life skills, improving well-being and increasing employability skills. We encourage individuals to grow within their capabilities by providing them with coaching and wellbeing support, training opportunities and supported volunteering placements.

As an Able2Enable Support Coach you will be helping with the following:

• Assisting clients in face-to-face meetings supporting them to build confidence and set goals.
• Helping them job searching or search for volunteering opportunities with them and then supporting them to apply.
• Supporting them to develop self-esteem and resilience through worksheets.
• Working alongside the Lead to ensure that clients are respected and supported.
• Helping to coordinate appointments. Managing your own caseload of clients.

Communities 1st delivers a Handy Person Service designed to help those 60+ or on benefits, living in Hertsmere and St Albans & District to help with tasks they are unable to carry out themselves. We are looking for Handy Person Volunteers to help us help our community. We ask volunteers to undertake various light practical duties that may include changing lightbulbs, moving furniture and shopping for materials etc. We are a busy service and are looking for some friendly and caring volunteers to help fulfil demand. We can offer flexible hours, which suit both you and our clients’ needs. If you have a few hours to spare and would enjoy doing a bit of DIY whilst helping people who would really struggle to manage it themselves, please give us a call to discuss this opportunity further.