Nexus july 2017

NEWS FROM THE HAMPSHIRE CVS NETWORK 

Action Hampshire

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Basingstoke Voluntary Action

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Communities First Wessex

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Community Action Fareham

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Community First New Forest

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Gosport Voluntary Action

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Hart Voluntary Action

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One Community

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Rushmoor Voluntary Services

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Test Valley Community Services

Volunteering Conference in Test Valley—p2 Supporting good mental health in Rushmoor—p2 Celebrating volunteers in Gosport—p3 Young Carers win Citizen Awards—p3 Businesses Support Homeless Charity— p4 One Community’s Showcase in Fareham—p4

A Positive Pathway for Supported Volunteers in Havant Community First has been awarded a £428k Big Lottery Fund grant for their supported volunteering project.

Positive Pathways will work with Havant Borough residents who need a little bit of help to volunteer in their community, to increase participation in volunteering especially for those who are long term unemployed or who want to reconnect with their community but do not have the confidence to do it alone.

Offering team volunteering as well as personalised training and mentoring into individual placements, Positive Pathways will build on the success of the Havant V Team that supported many local people into volunteering. Positive Pathways will help people to gain valuable work experience, learn new skills, make new friends, support local charities and community groups, and all whilst improving their own health and wellbeing.

Tim Houghton, Chief Executive of Community First, commented, “This grant is fantastic news for local residents, partner organisations and for Community First. It will provide a firm foundation for supported volunteering in Havant for the next five years, helping some of the most vulnerable to get the support they deserve to enable them to live independent and fulfilling lives. We know there is significant demand for a Positive Pathways programme in Havant; in today’s hectic world it doesn’t take much for people to feel vulnerable and Produced by Hampshire Councils for Voluntary Service Contact Julia Allan 023 8090 2457 jallan@1community.org.uk Featured articles represent the views of the contributing CVS

isolated especially after a period of ill health or being out of work for a long time.

“Volunteering is a great way of helping people to reconnect with their communities. We will focus on what people can do, building on their strengths and skills and giving them a real sense of purpose and the confidence and resilience to achieve.”

Positive Pathways will launch in September. For further details about the project please contact Mandy Harris at mandy.harris@cfirst.org.uk.

Test Valley Community Services Volunteering Conference

Test Valley Community Services invited charities and community groups to hear from a number of high profile speakers and to give their views on volunteering issues they face at a conference during Volunteers’ Week.

NCVO, the national body for voluntary organisations, headlined the event giving an overview of the work they do and how they help to influence volunteering policy. Inclusion Hampshire talked about the volunteer programmes they run to help support recovering drug and alcohol dependent service users, and David Harber from Andover Radio gave a lively talk on how to improve marketing to recruit people into volunteering opportunities.

A good turnout from over 30 organisations, despite election fever, culminated in a networking lunch enabling groups to share contacts and information.

Chief Executive of TVCS, Terry Bishop, said, “One cannot emphasise enough how important volunteering is to local communities, and this type of event not only raises the profile of the phenomenal commitment volunteers make to local charities but also gives groups an opportunity to network and share good practice.”

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Improving Mental Health Services

The Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Sector Health Forum met last week in Fareham to discuss mental health support services in the two boroughs. This important community platform was set up over three years ago by Community Action Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action to provide local Health and wellbeing support groups and the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) with a regular engagement opportunity.

Speakers at the Forum included Rowena Dobbs from Solent Mind and Tom Harper from Richmond Fellowship who outlined their mental health support services for young people and adults respectively. Andrea Fitzpatrick, Princess Royal Trust for Carers, spoke about the impact on mental health of being a family Carer.

"Community Action Fareham is actively engaged in establishing a Mental Health Forum for Fareham and Gosport". Said Paul O'Beirne, Chief Executive. "From our vantage point in the heart of the town, our charity is well aware of the need for support for people experiencing mental ill health."

The meeting had 40 people from groups supporting people with long-term conditions; they were very clear that their conditions had ongoing impact on their members’ mental health. They wished to contribute to the development of the Mental Health Service specification to improve access and service.

Supporting Good Mental Health Rushmoor Voluntary Services (RVS) is supporting good mental health in Farnborough and Aldershot.

With mental health high on the agenda for many statutory agencies, employers and more recently young people, three projects managed by RVS are making a contribution to local people.

The Blooming Marvellous gardening project works with people with or recovering from

mental ill health. The project supports around 28 people who are actively working in the community at an allotment in Aldershot, improving open spaces with other partners and maintaining the gardens of older and disabled people in the borough.

The Community Access project provides 1:1 support to individuals not receiving statutory help.

Support is given to people to achieve their goals and to get their lives back on track.

RVS is grateful to Broadhurst Welcome Home Ltd who provide vital funding to enable these projects to reach out into the community.

Working in partnership with Andover Mind, Mental Health Awareness training is being provided from RVS’s base in Farnborough. The courses give an introduction to the complexities of mental health and are aimed at staff and volunteers working in this field.

Good mental health is a strategic priority of the Rushmoor Health and Wellbeing partnership and RVS is delighted to be supporting this with local projects and initiatives.

councillor on Gosport Borough Council, The Mayor of Gosport 2000-2001, an Honorary Alderman, Chairman of Gosport U3A, Trustee of Gosport Citizen’s Advice and a leading light on the Gosport/Royan Twinning Committee.

What is less well known about Aleck is that he is also a first-class chef. He has cooked a delicious three-course dinner for all the visitors from Royan, prepared buffet lunches for 70 people at the Probus Ladies’ Lunches and for a staggering 23 years has cooked Monday lunches in the Bulson Hall for up to 30 older people.

At Christmas, he regularly bakes over 20 Christmas cakes for local charities and worthy causes. If he ever seems to be missing from Christmas celebrations, you need look no further than behind the red suit, white whiskers and sack full of presents! Congratulations Aleck.

Young Carers Win Citizens Awards Michael and Adelaide with their awards and Debbie Nottage, Chair of New Milton Rotary

Gosport Celebrates Volunteer Army

On Tuesday 27 June Gosport Voluntary Action, in partnership with Gosport Borough Council, held its annual Volunteer Awards evening in the Council Chamber. Over 60 volunteers representing 15 local voluntary and community groups attended, to be presented with their certificates by the Mayor of Gosport, Councillor Linda Batty.

Aleck Hayward, an active member of Lee Voluntary Care Group, received a lifetime award for 20 years’ voluntary service to the Borough and people of Gosport. Aleck has been a local

Two of Community First New Forest’s Young Carers have been recognised for their community spirit in the face of adversity and won Citizens of the Year awards for New Milton.

Michael, aged 10, and Adelaide, aged 16, were nominated by Young Carers Coordinator Marie Shotbolt, who said: “We think all of our Young Carers are stars – they all do so much to help others – but Michael and Adelaide really go that extra mile. They are both so good at encouraging new people to join in with our activities and making them feel included.”

Both young people have substantial caring responsibilities but have remained cheerful and become active members of the Young Carer community helping more nervous Young Carers NEXUS PAGE 3

feel welcome, and going out of their way to help them settle in to the group.

Michael was surprised on the night: “I didn’t know why I was here and I was so surprised when they read my name out. I felt quite emotional!”

Adelaide was also in shock: “It’s been an amazing night and so lovely to get the award. I am so flattered that Young Carers nominated me.”

The awards were organised by New Milton Town Partnership and supported by the Rotary to acknowledge the contribution of young people in the town.

Durngate Place, Winchester.

Sue McKenna, Operations Director at Trinity said: “We are overwhelmed with the support of the range of businesses that attended the Business Community Day, from solicitors to interior designers. We rely on donations of time, money and items to keep our services going, and we are so grateful for this support.”

One Community’s Showcase in Fareham

Businesses Support Homeless Charity On Friday 30 June a number of businesses from across the City spent the day at Trinity Winchester, tidying up the garden and helping to prepare the lunch for the clients. The event was organised by Community First as part of their Employee Volunteering Scheme.

This is the second Business Community Day organised for smaller businesses in and around Winchester who often don’t have the same opportunity to volunteer as a group, as in larger corporations.

John from Innovate Creative (a Hampshire based design and digital agency) said: “In an area considered one of the most affluent and desirable places to live in the whole of the UK, I was shocked to hear of the level of homelessness in the City. Even as a small business in its early years of growth, we feel it’s important to give back to the wider community.

Today has been both humbling and rewarding.”

Trinity is a local charity working with an average of 700 homeless and other vulnerable people every year through practical and emotional support from their centre based in NEXUS PAGE 4

Where else would you find a 7-foot blue teddy bear, a centurion, R2D2 and the Mayor all in one place at one time but at the Community Showcase, Ferneham Hall, on Saturday 1 July.

70 exhibitors demonstrated the full range of voluntary and community sector activities across the borough of Fareham, from CAB to Country Market; Hampshire Conservation to Titchfield Festival Theatre; youth groups to older people’s clubs. Local choirs provided entertainment throughout the day and 138 men were tested for prostate cancer by PCaSO Prostate Cancer Support Organisation.

600+ visitors found out what’s going on in the borough—new interests and hobbies (from bridge to cosplay); and opportunities to get involved in community life as a volunteer in a huge range of roles. Local branches of specialist health groups, such as Parkinson’s UK and Haven Breast Cancer, reported meeting several people who were delighted to find the support they need on their doorstep.

This was the second such event organised

by One Community in partnership with Ferneham Hall, destined to be an annual feature of the Pictured above are One Community’s Hayley Hamlett and Mayor of Fareham Cllr Geoff Fazackarley at the Showcase.