Volunteering matters october 2017

October 2017

A

utumn is upon us and with it thoughts of the winter to come. How will you be spending your time? If you are open to new ideas and activities, please give volunteering your consideration.

Just a few hours of your time could make a huge difference. We have hundreds of roles to offer at Volunteer Centre One Community, and those on these pages are just a few of them. To find out more please contact us on 023 8090 2458, volunteer@1community.org.uk, or look online at www.do -it.org. You can arrange to meet for a chat with staff to discuss the volunteering opportunities that might suit you, come to one of our regular outreach sessions (see below), or visit the Volunteer Centre/ One Community stand at: The Pumpkin Festival on Saturday 14 October, 12-5pm, Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley.

If you could spare an hour or two a week to visit an isolated person, we are recruiting volunteers for our Visiting Scheme across the boroughs of Eastleigh and Fareham. If you are interested please get in touch using the contact details above. You may also like to attend our Open Morning: One Community Visiting Scheme Information Session, Tuesday October 17, 10am-12 noon, Lakeside Centre, Lakeside Country Park, Wide Lane, Eastleigh SO50 5PE No obligation, just refreshments and information

Volunteer Helpers at Eastleigh Libraries Volunteer helpers are needed at libraries across the borough of Eastleigh, to ensure all visitors have the best possible experience. The kinds of tasks volunteers could be involved with, depending on your skills and interests, include: · Tidying · Shelving books · Weeding out books to be removed · Shelf checks · Photocopying · Book repairs and jacketing · Helping with adult groups (eg, a volunteer is needed for the Visually Impaired reading group at Eastleigh Library) · Helping out at the self issue terminals · IT support (volunteers with good IT skills providing 1-2-1 support to help people use computers) · Event support—helping to supervise Rhyme Time, craft activities, Lego club and so on · Home Library service, helping people who cannot get into the library by selecting their books and taking them to their home (full training and support provided)

The libraries offer a pleasant environment in which to volunteer, and provide good experience with a variety of activities. Sessions are usually three hours a week, morning or afternoon, weekdays or Saturdays.

Volunteer Centre Outreach Drop in and see us at:

Hedge End Park Shopping Centre (foyer between M&S and Sainsbury’s) Tollbar Way, Hedge End SO30 2UH, Thursday 5 October, 9am-4pm Eastleigh Museum, 25 High Street, Eastleigh SO50 5LF, second Tuesday of every month 10am-12 noon, Tuesday 10 October Autumn Pumpkin Festival, Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, 12 noon to 5pm Saturday 14 October

Produced by Volunteer Centre One Community, 16 Romsey Road, Eastleigh SO50 9AL Tel 023 8090 2458

Stay and Play Helper Helpers are needed at Stay and Play, St Peter’s Church, Boyatt Wood, where coffee and snacks are served to the mums and children, and there’s a craft session and storytime each week. The group is known for its friendly welcome. Volunteers are needed to set up and put away all the toys, chairs and items each week, as well as joining in with activities. The group runs from 10.15am to 11.30am on Friday mornings, but volunteers need to be available 9.30-9.40am through to 12 noon to help set up and tidy up.

Finance Trustee for Yellow Door Yellow Door is seeking a person with existing skills and experience in business and finance to work closely with Yellow Door’s Treasurer to maintain an overview of their financial affairs. The successful applicant will play a key role in ensuring the organisations’s financial viability and that proper financial records and procedures are updated and maintained.

Yellow Door is a registered charity supporting those who have been affected by sexual and domestic abuse. It works across South West Hampshire, covering Southampton, Eastleigh, Test Valley (South) the New Forest and the Isle of Wight.

Grantham Green Growers In 2016 members of Eastleigh Borough & Romsey MENCAP were asked about their usage of Grantham Green, they responded that they used it but preferred Eastleigh Recreation Ground because there were more places to sit, more interesting planting and better bio-diversity. These responses were included in Eastleigh Borough Council’s transformation plan and as a result ornamental shrubs, wildflower turf and additional benches have been provided.

People with learning disabilities are also going to be involved in maintaining the ornamental beds and have a watching brief over the wild flower turf. MENCAP is recruiting local volunteers to work with their members in this endeavour. This Volunteering Matters Page 2

is a great opportunity to meet people with learning disabilities and to enjoy working alongside them in the fresh air. Horticultural Coordinator Maria will be teaching skills, so this could be a way of enhancing your gardening knowledge. Local volunteers are needed to work alongside the group. No horticultural knowledge needed, just an interest in people, the ability to work as part of a team and a desire to learn.

Work will take place on Friday mornings 10am-12 noon.

Gardening Club Volunteer for Adults with Learning Disabilities Eastleigh Borough and Romsey Mencap’s Gardening Club is held at allotments in West End, Southampton, and managed by the Co-ordinator.

The group has acquired a second allotment recently, which needs some work doing to it before the members can start growing flowers and vegetables on it. The Gardening Club is held on a Monday afternoon and Saturday morning, March to October, but volunteers can, if they wish, visit the allotments during other times of the week to carry out maintenance work or help with watering the beds during hot weather.

Regular meetings are held in the winter months to prepare for the next season. The Club is looking for someone who enjoys being outdoors, has an interest in gardening, but also some practical and carpentry skills, who would enjoy doing maintenance work on fences and gates and might like to be a bit creative.

You do not need to be an expert gardener, but they are looking for someone who is happy to “muck in” and help the members with learning disabilities to get the most out of their time at the Gardening Club. You would not be expected to support the members other than to help them with their gardening tasks, or encourage them to help you with any maintenance or repair works.

Good Neighbours Volunteers Local Good Neighbour schemes, who provide transport to people who can’t access public transport, are in need of good neighbourly volunteers. Chandlers Ford Good Neighbours is looking for more drivers who are happy to take residents shopping or to medical appointments.

Eastleigh Good Neighbours is looking for a coordinator—the person who takes calls from service users and matches them with the available volunteers. They would also like a volunteer to take on the marketing, helping them to publicise their work.

Archive Assistant for One Community A volunteer is needed to archive One Community’s reports, photos and records, with a particular focus on identifying material for inclusion in our 40th Anniversary Exhibition next year. Records need to be sorted, scanned and filed systematically, so it would suit a methodical person with IT skills.

Volunteer for Brain Tumour Support Group The Southampton Brain Tumour Support Group is held bi-monthly at Wessex Cancer Trust. The group is looking for an enthusiastic and reliable volunteer who would be able to assist the Support Worker at the group. Tasks would be dependent upon experience, but would involve greeting members as they arrive, handing out leaflets and information, assisting with craft activities, making teas and coffees and serving cake.

Brain Tumour Support is a charity dedicated to giving specialist help and support to families facing the often life changing impact of a brain tumour diagnosis.

region.

What makes you suitable for this role?  You’ve been to school, you’ve been a teenager, and you’ve got life and work experience to draw upon  You can provide impartial advice  You can help build young people’s soft skills What will you be doing?  You’ll be matched with a student in a local school, who you’ll mentor for a year  You’ll grow their confidence and build their resilience  You’ll help them re-engage with their plans for the future and support the skills that schools can’t teach; in some cases, even simple conversation.

And what will EBP South do for you?  Provide training  Organise and pay for your DBS check  Invite you to a matching event to match you to a student  Arrange timetabling and location  Facilitate a mentoring community for you to share experiences.

The next training days in Eastleigh are 20 & 21 October.

Business Mentors Needed EBP South has secured funding to expand the delivery of their Activate Mentoring Programme, now going into its fourth academic year this September. This year there has seen an 80% increase in the number of schools across the Solent area signing up to the Activate Mentoring Programme with EBP South.

Activate Mentoring’s aims are to give students confidence in achieving their potential, build their resilience, and assist them in future planning. It plugs the gap between the qualifications students gain at school and the soft skills which employers value; such as proactive problem solving, making a business pitch or speaking to customers on the phone.

EBP South is recruiting mentors for schools across Southampton, Portsmouth and the Solent Volunteering Matters Page 3

Volunteer Mentor for Fledge Volunteer Mentors are needed in the Eastleigh area by Fledge, a charity that nurtures vulnerable and homeless young people by providing a home environment, offering long-term support and encouraging healthy relationships. Volunteers will initially undertake a befriending role in which they provide emotional support to individuals. It is expected that this support will progress towards a mentoring relationship in which they will be helping the young person to move into and maintain a tenancy. In either case, the mentor or befriender will be expected to offer support on a one-toone basis. The time commitment is an hour a week and volunteers will be supervised by the Project Co-ordinator. Out of pocket expenses are paid. Training will be run in October.

For further information 023 8090 2458

Find all our opportunities www.do-it.org

Monster Dash 2017 – Wessex Cancer Trust Volunteers are needed for Wessex Cancer Trust’s Monster Dash – a fear-filled 3km inflatable obstacle course, 29 October at the Mountbatten School, Romsey. The charity is looking for fun, outgoing individuals, aged 16 and over, to join the events team. It’s a fun fundraising event with food, music, best dressed competition and children’s activities.

Trustees for Wessex Cancer Trust Wessex Cancer Trust is a vibrant charity, which has spent almost 40 years supporting people in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands. The Trust exists to provide local support for people living with or affected by cancer, irrespective of their age, stage and the type of cancer. A number of the trustees have retired recently and the Trust is now seeking fresh energy in three specific areas: Finance (Qualified Accountant), Retail, PR and/ or Fundraising. Full information on request.

Trinity Trinity, a Winchester-based charity which addresses the effects of homelessness and vulnerability, has a number of events coming up for which they need volunteers. You don’t need to have volunteered with Trinity

before to get involved: 3 October – Showcase of Trinity’s work at Winchester School of Art’s Big Day 11-5pm—talking to students about Trinity.

7 October—Bucket collection at Tesco Eastleigh, in pairs for a couple of hours.

15 October—Trinity Winchester Craft Fayre, 12-3pm, at the Centre.

Volunteers needed to welcome visitors, process sales and set up/ clear up.

General volunteers are always needed at Trinity, according to your skills and interests. If you want to help out at Christmas they need to meet you beforehand, so apply sooner rather than later.

Email volunteer@1community.org.uk

Website www.1community.org.uk

Registered charity number 1052978

Company limited by guarantee 3132524

Volunteer Centre One Community is funded to work in Eastleigh by Eastleigh Borough Council Hampshire County Council

Eastleigh Edition