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■ SUZANNE O’CONNELL
suzanne@costablancapeople.com HELP Vega Baja is one of the charities most respected and relied upon in this region for advice, information and support in times of need. Based originally in Torrevieja it has recently upgraded its centre in San Miguel. The original move to San Miguel came from the need for bigger premises and although it still has an office in Torrevieja on Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia, it wasn’t proving big enough for the demand nor
HELP Vega Baja opens its new premises for the plans that the organisation had for supporting those who need it in the Vega Baja area. Therefore, the San Miguel Centre was originally opened in March 2006 and after ten years the charities headquarters needed an update. HELP Vega Baja is delighted to announce that after a few fraught weeks of upheaval the work is complete. New premises at San Miguel To celebrate its tenth birthday the premises in San Miguel now boasts: • Extended charity shop • Reorganised storage area for mobility equipment • Improved facilities for volunteers, including air conditioning • A new, private office Help Vega Baja is particularly pleased with
the new office as this provides a private meeting area where those wanting to talk to someone confidentially can do so. The group has a solicitor, Jordi Sole, who can speak to people for 30 minutes as part of the membership package. This room will be used for these meetings as well as for committee meetings. “Previously the meetings had to be held later in the afternoon,” explains president of HELP Vega Baja, Michele Masson. “This is so much better for us all. If a volunteer wanted to speak privately to someone, they previously had to go to the local café.” Online improvements HELP Vega Baja is acutely aware that methods of communicating are changing. To keep up with this and make best use of social media, it is updating its website and
information provided online and would like to be able to offer members the possibility of taking out or updating memberships online too. “We’ve been delighted by the increase in people ‘liking’ and sharing our Facebook page,” says Michele. “We are conscious that more and more people are using social media and it’s important that we spread the word.” It’s not just online, however, that HELP Vega Baja is sharing what it does. It is increasingly asked to visit other associations and venues to explain about the organisation, the services offered and to raise awareness in the local community. What they do The organisation is based upon a small contribution by members. This can be as little as €7 a year or €30 for five years. This
Wed 18th - Mon 23rd May 2016
membership entitles you to free legal consultation, discounted will preparation and entry to the emergency contact scheme. There is also a range of other benefits including free hospital sitting service, free interpreting service and up to seven consecutive days of free nursing care following a period of membership. New volunteers Help Vega Baja has been helping people for over 35 years and its support largely consists of teams of voluntary helpers. It is currently looking for new volunteers to keep up with demand and is particularly keen to hear from anyone who might be able to volunteer as a publicity officer, events co-ordinator, hospital visitor, donation box collector, office administration and charity sales volunteers. Requests for help from its Welfare Officer have also increased and it is looking to recruit a second Welfare Officer to help her with her role. Thank you HELP would like to thank its great team of CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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