Nexus june 2017

NEWS FROM THE HAMPSHIRE CVS NETWORK 

Action Hampshire

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Basingstoke Voluntary Action

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Volunteers’ Week 2017

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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Volunteers’ Week Certificate Presentation at the Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham on 7 June 2017 Mark Robbins Photography

Test Valley Community Services

Volunteers’ Week in Eastleigh, Fareham & Rushmoor—p2 Volunteers’ Week in Gosport, Hart & Havant—p3 Supporting Families in Test Valley—p4

Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June) has been celebrated with enthusiasm by CVS organisations across the county—hence this bumper edition of Nexus.

Volunteers’ Week for One Community began with a thank you tea party for One Community volunteers and their guests at the newly opened Lakeside Centre at Lakeside Country Park, where on a hot summer’s afternoon on 2 June the glass walls were drawn back and everyone could admire the views over the lakes. Home-made cakes and scones were served and Chief Executive Jean Roberts-Jones took the opportunity to thank the 162 volunteers who make the delivery of One Community services possible.

Stories of a diverse group of volunteers and the very different roles they undertake were the focus of Volunteers’ Week Certificate Presentation events at

Leigh Park Community Craft Café—p5

Contact Julia Allan 023 8090 2457 jallan@1community.org.uk

Hart Lottery—p6

Featured articles represent the views of the contributing CVS

Fareham’s Eggcellent Volunteers— p6

Produced by Hampshire Councils for Voluntary Service

Fareham Honours a Special Volunteer

Eastleigh Football Club and the Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham, during Volunteers’ Week.

The voluntary work represented at the Eastleigh event ranged from assisting with the recovery of those affected by drug or alcohol use to conservation tasks at Lakeside Country Park; and at Fareham from volunteer Pauline Steel who has organised tea dances at Titchfield Community Centre for over 40 years to a group of young volunteers from KIDS who have been active in giving young disabled people a voice and in breaking down the barriers disabled people face.

The presentation events, organised by One Community, were to recognise the contribution of volunteers from across the Boroughs of Eastleigh and Fareham, with certificates presented by the Mayor of Eastleigh, Cllr Maureen Sollitt on Tuesday 6 June and the Mayor of Fareham Cllr Geoff Fazackarley on Wednesday 7 June.

The Eastleigh presentation incorporated the Eastleigh Youth Awards for Volunteering, a joint initiative of Eastleigh Borough Council, Eastleigh Lions and One Community.

82 volunteers from 30 organisations were recognised at the events, and the mayors commended the volunteers for the vital contribution they make to the community.

The Volunteer Centre also had an unstaffed Volunteers’ Week stand at Eastleigh Library from 30 May to 9 June, promoting volunteering and specific volunteering roles.

Above: Certificate Presentation at Eastleigh Football Club. Left: Pauline Steel, who has organised tea dances at Titchfield Community Centre for over 40 years, with Mayor of Fareham Cllr Fazackarley NEXUS PAGE 2

Community Action Fareham rounded off Volunteers’ Week celebrations by honouring Betty Richards, a very special volunteer.

Betty, who celebrated her 90th birthday last month, was selected by the charity to receive the prestigious Les Ballard Memorial Award for Outstanding Volunteering Contribution.

The award was established in 2015 in the memory of Les who co-founded Community Action Fareham and remained a life-long supporter of many Fareham charities.

Betty herself has volunteered for over 50 years, and founded both the Fareham Musical Society (FMS) for which she is honorary patron and Fareham Macular Support Group for which she remains a telephone befriender.

“We at FMS are proud of her!” says Alan Backhouse, Chairman.

David Kett, Chair of Fareham Macular Support Group, said, “The Group owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Betty’s enthusiasm and drive.”

Betty is pictured (centre) with Tom McInulty, Macular Society Regional Support & Development Manager with his dog Brunel, Alan Backhouse of FMS, David and Avril Cockshoot from Fareham Good Neighbours and staff from Community Action Fareham.

Get Involved Volunteer Fair—Aldershot As part of national Volunteers’ Week members of the public were able to find out more about volunteering and local voluntary organisations at the Get Involved Fair held in Aldershot on Saturday 3 June.

The event was organised

by Rushmoor Voluntary Services (RVS) and Rushmoor Borough Council to raise the profile of volunteering and the fantastic amount of local help that is available in Aldershot and Farnborough.

Over 30 local organisations representing a range of services were present. Beneficiaries of their work included: Rotary and Lions clubs, Scouts and Guides, military veterans, health and disability, children and family support, sport and leisure, faith and cultures, conservation, and general volunteering.

Information and Advice services from Citizens Advice and Hampshire County Council were also available.

Rushmoor Voluntary Services also had a stall to promote volunteering and the community projects that they manage.

RVS places over 200 people into local voluntary work each year. Their recent volunteering survey showed that there are at least 3,663 people volunteering in the borough making an economic contribution of around £7.1million!

Gosport Groups Need You!

On Tuesday 6 June Gosport Voluntary Action, Citizen’s Advice Gosport and Loud & Proud youth volunteering group braved the blustery weather and took to Gosport High Street to promote the benefits of volunteering in the local community.

With plenty of shoppers visiting the town’s market, it was a great opportunity to chat with people and highlight all of the volunteering roles available in the local area.

Busy in Hart Hart Volunteer Centre had a busy Volunteers’ Week with lots of folk popping into the volunteer hub to say hello, including Clay and Carol from North Hants & Surrey Borders Hearing Dogs fundraising group (pictured left). The team also took the opportunity to get out and about, not only meeting lots of lovely local residents on the stand in Yateley Library (pictured below), but also touching base with local and regional organisations, which included a visit to the Hampshire and IOW Air Ambulance at their open day.

Havant Celebrates its Volunteers!

In the run up to Volunteers’ Week, on 25 May, volunteers across Havant Borough came together to be recognised for their outstanding commitment to volunteering. The event was organised by Community First’s Volunteer Service in partnership with Havant Borough Council. Janet Duggan, Volunteer Service Manager at Community First, said: “This year we had six award categories with many nominations for each category. It was incredibly difficult to select three winners for each category as all the nominations we received were worthy of an award. It was so inspiring to hear about all the unsung heroes in our community, working tirelessly for their charities and community groups.”

The event took place at Langstone Technology Park and was attended by the new Mayor of Havant, Cllr Elaine Shimbart, who presented the awards. The youngest award winner was Jasmine Bone from Park Community School through to the oldest, Jean Kelly, 87 years, from Angel Radio. Jean remarked: “I was amazed to have won the Unsung Hero Award which NEXUS PAGE 3

Supporting Families Programme in the Test Valley with TVCS

The Right to Work team

recognises volunteering in the face of adversity. I have been a volunteer at Angel Radio for 14 years and after losing my husband became socially isolated. Volunteering has helped me to regain my confidence and given me a purpose to get up in the morning. Everyone at Angel Radio is lovely and we provide a nostalgic music service to older people across the South.”

As well as all the individual awards, the Team of the Year went to The Right to Work CIC, a supported volunteer group at Staunton Country Park, and Hewitt’s in Emsworth. Corporate Team of the Year went to Lockheed Martin UK. Commenting on the award, Paul Livingston, Vice President and Group Managing Director of Lockheed Martin UK in Havant, said: “We are delighted to receive the Corporate Team of the Year award. This award recognises our local corporate responsibility programme and our Jasmine Bone—Young Person contribution to our of the Year Award community, education and the environment. I am proud that the achievements, commitment and enthusiasm of our people have been acknowledged alongside so many other truly inspirational people at these very special awards.”

During Volunteers’ Week, the Volunteer Service at Community First hosted a series of events across East Hampshire, Havant and Winchester to promote volunteering across those communities.

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At the end of January 2017 Test Valley Community Services (TVCS) became one of the partnership agencies with the Supporting Families Programme and an existing member of staff, Christianne Ireland, was “privileged to take part in the programme.”

Christianne explains: “My area of expertise is Tenancy Support and Employability. I came with property management knowledge, specifically residential, and my job as a Volunteer Coordinator at Test Valley Community Services fits very snugly with the employability side of the Supporting Families Programme. However, as time has gone on, I am finding that my greatest asset is my own life experiences.

“The majority of the cases I am part of are complex and many factors are interrelated.

Breakdown of relationships, job loss, mental health issues, depression, drug and alcohol misuse, supply and affordability of housing, welfare and income policies seem to be the main factors.

A family will be referred to us by a school at the Early Help Hub after a short presentation, stating their case as to the support and help that they want for the family. Advice and guidance is given by the gathered agencies, and a decision is made as to whether the family meets the SFP criteria and at what level of support. The case will then be designated to the relevant agencies.

I am working with 17 families. All varied, with complex issues, and most with financial

problems, several facing eviction notices. One of the main barriers that I have found on visiting a family for the first time is a sense of mistrust.

“Most of them have been pushed from one authority to another, none actually getting to the roots of the issues presented. This is really where my work begins. As this is a voluntary programme, it is vital that the family engage with agencies offering support.

“Several of the families I am currently working with found it hard to admit the extent of their financial issues. Writing down “money in” and “money out”, reconciling the two and seeing what you have left for food and extras can come as quite a shock. Facing up to the reality of the situation can often be the breakthrough that is required to move forward.

“This will require looking at repayment packages, checking that they are receiving the correct benefits, especially if out of work or on income support. We can then work together at looking at routes back into employment.

Volunteering being one of them. Some families might need some refresher courses to help with this process. If this is the case this can be organised with other partnership agencies.

“Some families live chaotically, so it is important that if I say that I will ring or make a visit that I do so. Managing my diary realistically can be difficult. I am dealing with individuals and communication with them is a huge part of what I try to do. We build trust and a working relationship in order to get their lives to be consistent, sustainable and with hope that there is help out there.

“We have regular families around the table meetings where we check with other agencies involved that we and the family are making progress with the family plan. We look at what other help/support might be required.

“At the moment 10 families I am involved with are making progress with a view that at the 6 month review they will no longer require our support.

“If I have done my job, they will have in place the wherewithal to maintain the progress that we have made, so that they do not re-present at a later date with the same problems. It is often an uphill struggle, but I feel very passionately that as part of the supporting families programme we do make a difference.”

Love Leigh Park! Community Craft Café

A free event, the Community Craft Café, took place on 1 June at Community First’s Leigh Park Community Centre. The whole community was invited and over 130 people of all ages came along. Local groups such as Caterpillar Crafts, Off the Record and MIND provided a wide range of crafts in the main hall for people to try, these included: paper flowers  create your own aquarium  a mirror decorated with multi-coloured plastic spoons (which looked very effective!)  a hand-knotted bracelet  a pen box decorated with string and ribbons  and many more!

Visitors could also take time out to look at the Memory Lane depicting the history of Leigh Park, and complete the Consultation Questionnaire to share their thoughts on Community First’s plans for the future of the centre.

Andrew Biltcliffe from Havant Borough Council was also on hand to hear viewpoints and answer any questions on the proposed regeneration of the area.

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Coffee, tea and soft drinks were available throughout the day along with a selection of delicious cakes baked by The Right To Work, a community interest company improving work opportunities for people with learning disabilities, as well as a free prize draw.

Southern Co-operative supported the event by providing various fruit pies and two members of Right WorkThe team staff to assist The in the cafétoarea.

Wall of Kindness encouraged visitors to post a positive comment about the local community, shops, services etc.

Beverley Palmer, Centre Co-ordinator, said, “All in all the day was a great success, and was another event made possible thanks to funding from The Big Lottery’s Celebrate Fund.

“During the day visitors were asked to complete a specially prepared tile using small craft pom poms to spell out the name ‘Leigh Park Community Centre’ as a lasting reminder of the events that have taken place; the sign will be displayed in pride of place in the centre.”

increasingly popular with local authorities as it provides additional funding for local good causes.

For small organisations, the Hart Lottery will offer a simple way of fundraising and we would encourage good causes to sign up.”

Now that the website is live for ticket sales, the local good causes won’t be the only ones benefiting. Anyone who signs up to the Hart Lottery will have a 1 in 50 chance of winning a prize every week. This includes a £25,000 jackpot prize if all six numbers are matched, as well as various other cash prizes.

Tickets cost just £1 each and deliver an exceptional 60% back to local good causes, in comparison to just 28% contributed by the National Lottery. The Hart Lottery will be delivered in partnership with Gatherwell and the first draw will take place on 8 July.

For information about the Hart Lottery please visit www.hartlottery.co.uk

Hart Lottery Website Launches With 24 Good Causes

Community Action Fareham had an ‘egg-cellent’ Volunteers’ Week this year.

The charity is egg-ceedingly grateful for the continuing generous support of local business Eaton Aerospace, which donated more than 90 chocolate eggs to be shared with Fareham’s community groups. The eggs have proved to be a cracking choice as prizes at upcoming events for groups including Portchester Gala, Live at Home, Fareham and Gosport Lipreaders, Enable Ability and the Who Cares? We Care Fair.

Community Action Fareham quickly hatched a plan to present its Voluntary Car Scheme drivers (pictured) with the chocolate treats at their Volunteers’ Week Cream Tea as thanks for going the egg–stra mile.

Fareham Voluntary Car Scheme is one of four car schemes in Fareham which together help hundreds of local people to make almost 5,000 journeys to health appointments each year.

Following a Hart Lottery launch event in May to over 30 local “good causes” from across the district, 24 local voluntary and community organisations signed up ahead of the Lottery website going live for ticket sales on 6 June.

Hart District Council is one of the first local Jasmine Bone—Young authorities to launch an online lottery. Speaking Person of the Year Award about the scheme, Katie Bailey from Hart District Council, said: “The Hart Lottery is an important tool for helping local charities, the voluntary sector and not-for-profit organisations gain additional funding to support the local community. The Council will not be making a profit from this scheme, and will work with local organisations in marketing the Lottery across the District.”

Caroline Winchurch from Hart Voluntary Action, said: “This is a new initiative becoming NEXUS PAGE 6

Community Action Fareham’s Egg-cellent Volunteers!