Haverhill & District Volunteer Centre Registered Charity No:

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1 Haverhill & District Volunteer Centre Registered Charity No: N E W S L E T T E R Issue 1, February 2004 A HELPING HAND IN OUR COMMUNITY Supported by AWARDS FOR ALL

2 HAVERHILL & DISTRICT Volunteer Centre Members of Management Committee Chris Briggs Chair Ron Hartley Vice Chair CAB Representative Tara Howlett Cangle Junction Representative Lesley Robinson Town Councillor Cyril Beeby Volunteer Representative Trisha Stevens Suffolk County Council Representative Social Care Service Jeff Stevens Borough Councillor Hazel Bowman Treasurer Eric Bowman Committee Member Elaine Hewes Minute Secretary Position Vacant Committee Member Members of Staff Elaine Hewes Co-ordinator Gaby Chick Admin. Assistant Shirley Clover, Amanda Divall Office Volunteers Aims of the Centre To place and support volunteers in the community and improve the local infrastructure and the quality of life for people in need. We are open to all members of the community with equal opportunities for all. Patron: Mr. C. Gurteen Charity No:

3 The Volunteer Centre has the following resources available for individual volunteers and Volunteer groups to use.? Directory of Grant Making Trusts? Photocopier *? Laminator *? Ring Binding machine *? Guillotine (heavy duty)? Long arm stapler? Felt display board? Internet (for research related to volunteer work, World Wide Volunteering disc available) Please contact the Vo lunteer Centre to assure availability. * use of own materials or small charge The Salvation Army Community Shop & Clements Resource Centre A BIG THANK YOU to all the volunteers for their hard work and to the people who use the shop & centre.

4 Haverhill & District Volunteer Centre 6b High Street, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 8AA Telephone: Fax: Opening times: Mon Wed Fri 10am 2pm 24hr answer phone service Everybody is welcome to call in during office hours for a coffee and an informal chat about volunteering opportunities or what volunteering in your community is about.

5 Elaine s Page Dear All, Although a little late we would like to wish all the volunteers and agencies a Happy and Healthy New Year. A warm welcome to any new volunteers who have registered with the Centre. We have an exciting year ahead with many new opportunities opening up for us, we are organising some training events for volunteers and local agencies. This training is open to volunteers and organisations who work with volunteers, please see next page for details. We are having an open morning on the 3rd March at the Volunteer Centre, please call in for a coffee/tea so that we can catch up with how things are going. You are welcome to bring friends who may be interested in volunteering so that they can meet us in an informal way to see what volunteering is all about.. During Volunteers Week (1st 7th June) this year we will be holding an Awareness Day which will be held at the Arts Centre and we would like to put up a display of Volunteers in Action. If you or your organisation have any photographs of volunteering could we please borrow them for the display, they will be returned. Please contact the office for a booking form to have a display at the event, this will be free to all organisations and will be open to the public and statutory agencies to come and see what the voluntary sector do for the community. We hope to make this a lively and welcoming day to show the variety of volunteering opportunities available. We have been successful in gaining funding from the Local Network Fund to support families with Special Needs Children, through befriending the family and offering support where needed. There will be training sessions for any volunteers who are interested in volunteering with these families, please contact the office for more information. As always we are looking for more volunteers to support local charity groups, agencies and individuals in the town, please pass this newsletter on or let others know about the Volunteer Centre and how we offer support and training where needed. Volunteering is a good way to build self-confidence, develop skills and meet a variety of different people in the community. Thank you all for your support to the Centre and looking forward to the New Year ahead. Best wishes from Elaine The Volunteer Centre is collecting empty printer ink cartridges on behalf of MAGPAS. These can be handed in during office hours.

6 Marie Curie Cancer Care This years Daffodil Day street collection will be held on Saturday the 13th March. Volunteers are urgently needed to help with this day. If you are able to help or would like more information, please contact the Volunteer Centre on FREE TRAINING COURSES Haverhill and District Volunteer Centre is offering free courses on Managing Volunteers. The courses will be facilitated by the Suffolk Association of Voluntary Organisations and include a series of practical sessions looking at different issues of personnel management for those working for small or medium sized Organisations. The courses will be held at the Studio Room at the Arts Centre, High Street, Haverhill.. 23rd March (1:00-4:30) 21st April (2 4pm) 28th April (2 4pm) 4th May (2 4pm) 18th May (2 4pm) ING DEALING WITH DIFFICULT BEHAVIOUR (light lunch provided ) RECRUITMENT OF VOLUNTEERS INDUCTION OF VOLUNTEERS MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES VOLUNTEER DEVELOPMENT & TRAIN- FREE First Aid training course (British Red Cross) Saturday 8th May (9am 4pm) at the Coffee Room next to the Library, Camps Road If you are interested please book any of these sessions by

7 Continued: So, the Routes to Advice Project is offering free training on basic Welfare Benefits to these workers. The training will cover all the main benefits and tax credits, giving a clear overview of the function of and rules for each benefit. The sessions definitely aim to be friendly and stimulating. No prior knowledge of the benefit system is required. Having attended the course your own knowledge of the benefit system will hopefully have improved and you will be able to confidently help people access further support, advocacy and representation from relevant organisations. The training course is offered over three half days but as it is modular it can be modified to suit the needs of particular organisations. After the training course material will be given which will help each course participant continue to give Information about Welfare Benefits. It will also indicate which organisations to direct people to for further help. In addition the Routes to Advice Project is also offering one-off talks to community groups, telling them where they can access advice and information about benefits, debt, employment, housing etc. The talks will also cover how to access locally available advice services which offer help with the civil matters covered. Usually the talk will be offered as part of a normal meeting for the organisations involved. You might be interested in a little bit of background about the Project. It is funded by the Legal Services Commission through their Partnership Initiative Budget. Suffolk County Council Welfare Rights Unit successfully bid for money from this budget to run the project, which will continue until July So, if you are interested in accessing this training, or in booking a talk, please contact me. I am really looking forward to hearing from you and working with you. Shelagh Smith, Routes to Advice Project Worker, Social Care Services, 53, Barrack Square, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, IP5 3RF shelagh.smith@socserv.suffolkcc.gov.uk

8 Dates and Events MARCH Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, APRIL Wednesday, Wednesday, MAY Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Tea/Coffee morning at the Volunteer Centre (everyone welcome) 10 12pm Marie Curie Cancer Care Daffodil Day Street collection FREE Dealing with difficult behaviour (light lunch provided) 1pm 4:30pm FREE Recruitment of volunteers 2 4pm FREE Developing good induction practices 2 4pm FREE Good Management policies and procedures 2 4pm Tea/Coffee morning at the Coffee Room next to the Library (everyone welcome) 10 12pm FREE British Red Cross First Aid Course 9am 4pm FREE Volunteer development & training 2 4pm The closing date for the next issue is 16. April 04 Domestic Violence Support Group Every Thursday 1 3pm at On Track, Strasbourg Square, Haverhill JUST DROP IN YOU RE NOT ALONE

9 The People Project You can see why we use this title for the Project its full name is People who use Services and their Carers Project, which is a bit long for everyday use. The People Project runs informal training days for anyone who uses NHS and Social Care Services, as well as family carers they are not for staff. The aim is to increase people s confidence and help them realise they have valuable experience and opinions to offer. NHS Trusts and Suffolk Social Care Services are increasingly involving people who use their services and family carers. However, many people find it daunting to attend groups, workshops and meetings. The training we offer means people are able to play a more active role than before. The courses are delivered around Suffolk each year. We have just finished the programme in north Suffolk, with west Suffolk early in 2004 and east Suffolk in the spring If you are employed by a voluntary agency, please think about encouraging people who use your services to come along.. We ve had lots of positive feedback from people who have attended the days. In addition to the training, the Project is to set up a Signposting Service. This will help people decide what interests them and introduce them to staff working in that field who are looking to involve patients and carers. Please ring Emily Bird, Project Administrator, on (or on emily.bird@lhp.nhs.uk) for information about courses and application forms. Contact Lynne Moore, Project Manager on , for requests for presentations about the Project or details of the Signposting Service (or on lynne.moore@lhp.nhs.uk) Or you could call in to see us at our new office at Suffolk House, PO Box 170, St. Clements, Foxhall Road, Ipswich IP3 8LS.

10 LOCAL VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES? Salvation Army (Luncheon Club) Helpers needed for activities (board games, cards etc.) with elderly. Mondays 1pm 4pm.? 3CT (former Dial-a-Ride) Drivers needed for wheelchair carrying car and minibus. MIDAS training will be provided. Escorts needed on the minibus transport around town and for outings.? Gateway Club Volunteer helpers needed for social group for people with learning disabilities. Minibus drivers needed to transport members (must be 25yrs or over). Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month, 7pm-9pm.? Charity Shops Shop Assistants urgently needed to help in many different ways. Sorting and pricing, dealing with customers, arranging stock and window displays and more.? CAB needs volunteers for basic clerical duties, reception and volunteers to take surveys. Mon-Fri 9.30 to 2pm (Days negotiable)? A Place to Talk (APT) Befriending scheme and Drop-In Centre, offering help and practical advice to people with learning difficulties needs volunteers to help with the centre. Fridays 10am-12.30pm.? Various Charities Committee Members, secretaries etc. Once a month? Haverhill Child Contact Centre Volunteers needed to help at the Centre. The role is purely non-involvement and the volunteer would provide tea/coffee and ensure the premises are available. Saturday afternoons? Suffolk Basic Skills Volunteers needed, - training available, travel expenses paid. Monday and Tuesday mornings? Victim Support (Haverhill) is in urgent need for volunteers. (Training provided)

11 ? Haverhill Day Care Centre Volunteers needed to help with refreshments and generally socialising. Any day from , Wednesday pm? HAWKE Club Social club for people with physical disabilities needs volunteers (Thursday)? Haverhill & District Volunteer Centre Volunteers are needed to help in many different ways.? Drivers / Escorts to take people to hospital appointments or visit relatives in hospital? Escorts are needed for elderly on their mini bus Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 3.15pm 5.15pm.? Odd Jobs generally mending and fixing, small decorating jobs? Volunteers are needed to escort elderly around town shopping (use of own car in most cases necessary)? Befrienders (for 1-2 hrs a week) and Shoppers for the elderly or disabled needed? Supporters and Befrienders for young families or single parents needed? Gardeners urgently needed for 2004 for basic garden jobs i.e. cutting grass, trimming hedges for the elderly and disabled Please contact the Volunteer Centre for more details

12 A chance to improve your knowledge of the Welfare Benefits system for free! Our weekly income has increased by about 175 a week. This has certainly improved our standard of living and we now know that there is help out there An elderly couple living in rural Suffolk, recent Disability Advice Service clients All Advice Services in Suffolk Citizens Advice Bureaux, Disability Advice Services, Age Concern, - will have similar examples of the above. It is well established that the take-up of benefits among groups such as the elderly, people with disabilities, families with young children, people living in rural isolation is lower than it should be. It is also well established that the effects of having accessed the benefits which are a right and not a handout are huge. It gives the people themselves more choices about how to improve the quality of their lives and makes them feel less isolated and more included. In addition it is often the local economy, which benefits from the increased income that individuals have at their disposal. However the fact is that there is still a massive underclaiming of benefits. A National Audit Office report in November 2002 estimated that as much as 1.8 billion went unclaimed by pensioners alone during The reasons for this are many. Often people are simply not aware of the benefits to which they are entitled. Sometimes people do know but are reticent to claim, perhaps because they fear the complexity and intrusiveness of the claim forms and are unaware that there are organisations that can offer them free help, advice and support. The Routes to Advice Project is aiming to help address this problem by working with Community Groups who do not have a traditional advice giving role. Nevertheless workers in these organisations are having regular direct contact with individuals in the community. These workers are often the first to hear about, or notice, any problems that the individuals may have. Many times these problems will give rise to the need for advice concerning Welfare Benefits. continued on next page