Voluntary Action SWS News

In 2017/2018, 38% of people surveyed by Third Sector Protect said they had volunteered at least once which is a 1% increase from the previous year. The statistics also showed 65-74-year-olds are the most frequent volunteers with the least likely age group to volunteer being 25-34-year-olds.

Volunteering has many benefits for physical and mental wellbeing including helping people utilise skills and develop new ones, allowing people to meet like-minded individuals, be proactive in the community and develop a sense of routine and purpose as well as improving the lives of those being helped.

Whilst volunteering is a great activity to do all year round, we especially notice the interest increase at Christmas with many people keen to donate their time to helping those in need of support.

Volunteering at Christmas

The help of volunteers is greatly appreciated at Christmas, ensuring ongoing support is available for those who find the festive season particularly difficult.

From helping charities with their gift wrapping projects, becoming a steward for a Santa’s grotto, helping the homeless or volunteering at a Christmas Day lunch, there is plenty to get stuck into. These roles and many others can be found in our 2019 Christmas opportunities’ list and we encourage anyone thinking about volunteering in the run up to Christmas or on Christmas Day to take a look at it.

If this is of interest to you and you would like a Christmas volunteering list, please contact us by ringing 01483 565456, or emailing communitypoint@vasws.org.uk or simply drop into the centre at 39 Castle Street.

Volunteering is not just for Christmas

Whilst Christmas volunteering is an invaluable thing to do, we also encourage you to volunteer all year round ensuring people in the community have ongoing support, as well as allowing you time to get stuck into a role and for the benefits of volunteering to shine through your life.

All volunteering opportunities are advertised on our website and through the volunteer centre. There is something to suit everybody’s interests, availability and needs.

If you have questions about general volunteering or if you would like to view our 2019 Christmas opportunities’ list, please either drop into the volunteer centre (39 Castle Street, GU2 3UQ, Monday-Friday 10am-3pm) or contact us via communitypoint@vasws.org.uk, or ring 01483 565456.

Let’s work together to ensure no-one in the community is left alone or without support.

Guildford and Waverley is a hub bustling with charity and voluntary organisations who are all striving to improve peoples’ lives.

To celebrate this support in our community we met with some local organisations during national Make a Difference Week in October. These organisations were Care for Guildford, Arvtenture and Pewley Down Volunteers (PDV). They visited us at the volunteer centre to share their stories about how they are making a difference for many people in the local community.

How are these organisations making a difference?

·         Care for Guildford – this is a good neighbour free transport scheme. It is a network of volunteers helping local people who cannot get out and about on their own.

They are looking for volunteer drivers who can transport people to medical appointments and sometimes supermarkets. There is flexibility with this role and drivers can fit their volunteering around other commitments.

Care for Guildford are also seeking the help of an appointments co-ordinator to work approximately one day a month from their own home matching volunteer drivers to client requests.

·         Artventure – this is a Guildford based charity helping vulnerable adults explore the visual arts and develop both social and practical skills.

They are looking for volunteer art workers to encourage the clients to draw, paint and participate in activities. A general helper is also required to chat to clients and make teas and coffees.

·         Pewley Down Volunteers (PDV) – this is a local nature reserve on Chalk Downland, managed by Guildford’s Countryside Team. PDV assist the team in cutting back the scrub and conserving rare plants and insects found on its slopes.

They are seeking the help of conservation volunteers. Volunteers are needed to keep the Downs in good condition by cutting back the scrub using hand tools. PDV also welcome applications for students doing their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

If any of the above roles are of interest and you would like to start making a difference by volunteering with them, click here for further information and details about how to apply.

We also have an extensive list of other volunteering roles on our volunteer recruitment website with a whole range of organisations from befriending opportunities to working with animals or the emergency services. You can access it by clicking here. If you would like more information about specialised Christmas volunteering roles, please give us a call on 01483 565456.

Volunteers are essential to many of the organisations in Guildford and Waverley and without the help of the local community, many of these groups would struggle to exist. Your help is valuable in making a difference.

 

We are extremely excited to announce that we have added two new training days to our calendar of events in October and November 2019 for anyone who is working with volunteers.

The training courses will be delivered by Caroline Keith and Denise Graves who both work for Voluntary Action South West Surrey.

Caroline Keith is the Volunteer Development Officer and Denise Graves is the Project Co-ordinator for Welcome Buddies. Both members of the team are keen to share their wealth of knowledge on the following two topics:

1. Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers (Tuesday 22nd October 2019)

2. Managing Volunteers (Tuesday 12th November 2019).

Each training day will take place at 10am-1pm at the Charles Stanley office in Guildford.  A series of topics will be covered about these areas and there will be a chance for discussion and knowledge exchange throughout the session.

Training days cost £40.00 each and refreshments will be provided.

For more information and if you would like to book your space on either day, or both, please visit our Eventbrite page, by clicking here.

If you have any questions, please contact Caroline Keith via, c.keith@vasws.org.uk, or Denise Graves, d.graves@vasws.org.uk

Alternatively, please call us on 01483 565456.

 

Volunteers are extremely important in communities and without them, many of the charity and voluntary organisations helping people would struggle to exist. Research also shows that 68% of people helping to run charities are volunteers, highlighting the extent of volunteers’ importance.

Whilst volunteers can have a big impact on charities and voluntary organisations, volunteering can also be life changing for the volunteer. In the UK, according to a survey of almost 10,000 people, four in 10 Britons volunteer and the majority say it benefits their mental health and decreases feelings of loneliness.

It also has many other benefits such as enabling you to gain new skills, allowing you to use existing skills whilst helping you meet new people and learn about a new organisation, it also helps make a difference to the lives of others, which can very rewarding.

To ensure you and the organisation your helping get the most out of your role, what could you do to make an impact?

Volunteering Top Tips

Below we have compiled five key points to help you succeed:

1. Be on time, reliable and consistent
2. Be presentable and act in a professional manner
3. Be inquisitive: ask questions about the organisation and other organisation you will be working with
4. Be friendly and approachable with positive communication skills and take time to chat to the other volunteers and staff members
5. Have fun – enjoy the opportunity of meeting new people and getting involved with a new organisation.

For more advice about volunteering, please don’t hesitate to contact us by ringing 01483 565456, or emailing us at communitypoint.org.uk.

 

 

All Volunteer Co-ordinators are invited to join us on Monday 9th September for our next Volunteer Co-ordinator’s Network at St Nicholas’s Church, Guildford at 10.30am – 12.30pm.

The meeting will provide a chance for us to get together, share ideas and discuss any key issues or achievements in a confidential environment.

We will have a group discussion around:

• The biggest challenges Volunteer Co-ordinators face

• Intergenerational volunteering – tips on how to attract both the younger and older generations

• Valuing volunteers

If anyone has anything particular that they would like to talk about on the day, please let us know in advance and we will add it to the agenda.

The cost of the event is £15 and this includes lunch and refreshments.

We will be delighted if you could join us.

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Dunham at l.dunham@vasws.org.uk or if you would like to book your space, please visit our Eventbrite page to purchase a ticket –

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/volunteer-co-ordinators-network-lunch-tickets-66459924423