Together we make a difference Memories Ken Du on
CEO 1991 -2011
Many people have asked me how I managed to stay for so long and not get bored. But One Community and its previous incarna ons, were dynamic and constantly changing as we struggled to meet the support needs of the voluntary sector and the people of Eastleigh. When I joined, it was a compara vely small organisa on based in the Old Town Hall in the pre- internet and personal computer age and new technology was an electric typewriter! I well remember the struggles I had to convince the board of trustees that we needed to computerise our accounts and buy a computer at a cost of £3,000 – a lot of money in those days. But the investment paid off and over the years we con nued to try and keep abreast of new technology as it o en allowed us to do more with the same level of staffing. However, new projects meant we outgrew the Old Town Hall and rented more offices on the other side of Leigh Road and the fun (?) of having to get Leigh Road closed for a period so that we could string a cable across to connect the two offices, high enough to allow doubledecker buses to pass beneath. But this proved to be only a temporary solu on and space was soon ght again. One day as I drove down Romsey Road I saw that number 16 was for sale and I thought 'We need to buy that!' There followed a hec c but exhilara ng me as we raised the money to purchase and renovate the building for our needs. Together with a grant from the newly formed Na onal Lo ery Chari es Board (NLCB). We could not have succeeded without Peter Molyneux who oversaw all the renova on works. Moving into our own building is something that will always stay with me. But the highlight of working for One Community for me will always be the people that I worked with. The Board of Trustees were con nually suppor ve and always put the needs of the organisa on first. The staff always did over and above what they were paid to do and were incredibly loyal to the organisa on. I look back at the years I spent at One Community with pride and am sure that it will con nue to thrive for many years to come.
Sarah Jennings
Julia Allan
I joined Eastleigh Council of Community Service in a newly created post as Head of Voluntary Sector Support. My team consisted of a part me volunteer coordinator, a newly esta bl is he d c are rs centre, a pro j ect undertaking user involvement and Eastleigh Advocacy. How it was to change!
I joined when it was called Eastleigh Council of Community Service. I read the job share descrip on for the Volunteer Bureau Manager role and thought 'this describes my dream job'. I was over the moon when I got it and I've been with the organisa on ever since!
Head of Voluntary Sector Support 1994-2002
Head of Voluntary Sector Support 1995 -
I remember in my first few weeks feeling completely confused with two er local authority and two health authori es serving two halves of the Borough. I'd been so used to working in metropolitan boroughs where all boundaries were the same! I soon got the hang of it. Over the following eight and a half years it was really exci ng to be involved in star ng up new projects and working with some fantas c staff and volunteers in the now ECS, as well as with colleagues in the local voluntary sector, the local authority and Health. Greatest memories: The move to ECS house in 1996 Ge ng lo ery grants to support community d e v e l o p m e nt w o r k s u p p o r n g t h e community locally Se ng up the Youth Volunteering Project and the Young Carers' project Working with a suppor ve team and trustees, always willing to be crea ve and try new things Fun at staff events and the hat party for carers circa 2000
Eve Holmyard
Ran the volunteer bureau in the early 90s
Vanessa and I decided to move the Volunteer Bureau (I was the co-ordinator of the Bureau) to the small building a ached to the Old Town Hall. We moved in on the Monday and by Tuesday the fleas had emerged from the carpet. Vanessa bought in soap and we went about catching them! We then asked for the windows to be cleaned and the council sent a couple of men with power washers to clean the very old stained glass windows. The water poured through the old windows onto my desk. Apart from that it was a very enjoyable place to work.
The first 40 years
Dee Tuffill
Volunteer Centre Manager 19922007
My most mem ora ble “inci dent ” wa s con nuing with a volunteer interview when the fire alarm went off. Carol, the admin manager, was not amused!
Vanessa Shahani
Assistant General Secretary (community projects) 1989 - 1994
When we leased the house over the road we were allowed to decorate it ourselves. I remember that Sheena Bond taught us how to stencil, so we happily stencilled in every room! Publicity for Volunteers' Week and other
events in the no ceboard on the wall of the old Town Hall. When you did it on your own you had to rest the glass window on your head while you pinned your posters inside it. Ge ng the ECS newsle er ready – this was in the pre-digital day – so it meant photocopying madly to get it out on me. As part of the induc on, going on a minibus as an escort and ending up at a day centre, doing arm chair exercises and taking part in a memory quiz.