A trio of shop volunteers have joined forces and are encouraging others to support a leading children’s charity. Pam Baker, Wendy Foulger and Christina Welham give up precious time to work in the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) shop in Market Place, Bungay.

EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions. There are 44 of the charity’s stores dotted across the region and it is one of 13 in Suffolk.

It relies on voluntary donations for the majority of its income and needs to raise £5.4 million from its shops during 2022.

Pam has been working in the Bungay shop since a fortnight before it opened five years ago. She lends her services on Tuesdays and Saturdays. “I wanted to do something useful, meet new people and start volunteering for a great cause,” said the 75-year-old, who lives in nearly Ellingham. “My children are grown up and I find it gives me a real sense of purpose. I’d certainly recommend volunteering to anyone, of any age.” “David Scott, our manager, encourages everyone and helps them get the best from their volunteering. No-one is ever made to feel inadequate or not part of the team.

Wendy, 73, has been volunteering for three years this month and enjoys being around customers, having previously run her own jewellery shop. Given her knowledge and experience, she takes the lead when it comes to donations of gold and silver jewellery. She also keeps the shop tidy and culls stock after a month on the shelves, to keep the store fresh and updated. “I love it and enjoy being here,” she said. “The people I work with are lovely. Volunteering gets me out of the house and makes me feel useful. Jewellery is my niche and my special interest. It’s what I have the most interest in and everyone can bring something to the table, depending on their knowledge.”

For more information about volunteering, head to www.each.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering or email volunteerservices@each.org.uk

There are a host of roles available and the charity is keen to hear from anyone who has time to spare, even if just a couple of hours a week.

Become an Adult Community Services (ACS) Volunteer!

Adult Community Support (ACS) is a free service to help people recover from mild to moderate mental health conditions in the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area.

We offer support to help people find what is important for them and what a meaningful life would look like. For somebody this will mean having time to talk with our recovery trained staff; for others it will mean exploring creative and outdoors activities with like-minded people in a caring and supportive environment.

Volunteers provide support to the Team in the setup and delivery of regular groups which include: Walking groups, Photography groups and Support sessions to name a few. The role will involve engaging with people who may be upset, or working through mental un-wellness to offer them a safe place to speak out and acknowledge feelings that they may otherwise not feel able to express.

We are looking for someone who is committed and reliable. Someone who has the ability to connect and empathise with people who may be going through difficult situations. An ideal ACS Volunteer is confident in their ability to manage their own wellbeing in order to provide support to others. For more information please visit: Norfolk and Waveney Mind - Volunteering

The next programme will start on Wednesday June 8th and will run every week for 6 weeks from 6pm – 8.30pm on Teams.

Some of the reasons people have signed up to be part of the Norfolk Volunteer Passport:

• Looking to gain more confidence before volunteering.
• Already volunteering but would like some additional free training.
• Would like to try volunteering in several different roles before committing to anything.

‘It helped me to identify where I want to focus my skills and experience within a volunteering role, and where I feel I could be of most use to my local community. I have also gained the confidence to understand that I have a lot to offer in a volunteering role.’

‘Thank you for letting me participate in this course. It taught me structure, to value myself as an individual, and what I could bring to an organisation. A very positive and beneficial course and a great tutor!!’

The scheme includes 6 core training sessions, help gaining references, and an ID badge to show you are part of the scheme.

You can find out more about the Volunteer Passport and the content of the training here.

If you are interested in taking part in the Volunteer Passport Programme, please contact us at volunteercentre@voluntarynorfolk.org.uk and we will be in touch to discuss it with you further.

Roles on the Voluntary Norfolk Volunteering Portal

Below are a selection of the new roles on the Volunteering Portal this month. If you would like to search all of the current roles on the Portal, please click here.

If you would like any help with searching for the right role for you, please contact us at volunteercentre@voluntarynorfolk.org.uk

Ukrainian Speaking Volunteer

Working with partners, the Library Service will be offering welcome sessions to Ukrainian refugees to help them access the services they need to help them settle in to living in Norfolk.

Volunteers will be asked to work alongside the organisations offering support in libraries across Norfolk.

Executive Committee (Trustee Board) Member

As an Executive committee member you will support the organisation to ensure the financial, legal, statutory and other responsibilities are properly fulfilled.

To enable this the Executive committee receives regular reports from sub-committees and from staff, both of which act under delegated authority from the Executive Committee.

Gardening Volunteer - Downham Market

Do you enjoy gardening? Would you like to join us as a 'Green Fingers' volunteer?

We are looking to form a Gardening group at the Centre, to help look after our borders, beds, containers, and to help enhance our gardens, along with providing a wildlife friendly environment, which will benefit the cats in our care by providing peaceful and well maintained surroundings.

Home Based Befriending - Telephone or Video Call

Telephone befriending provides a vital lifeline to many older people who would otherwise feel lonely and isolated. For some old people this will be the only person they speak to all week. Even if you have only half an hour a week you could support an older person by enjoying a joke, sharing an experience or completing the quiz we provide together.

"We get on so well even though I’m 91 and she is in her 20’s. I make her laugh and she makes me laugh too. We talk about all sorts of things; houses, TV, gardens. I think she’s lovely and I do look forward to our chats”.

Do you want to make a difference to the lives of local children? To inspire and empower somebody else whilst developing your skills? Fantastic - you have so much to offer and there's never been a better time to become a volunteer Mentor.

We are seeking volunteers aged 21 and over, to mentor year 9 students (aged 13-14) in two Norwich schools. The project is called Inspiring Futures.

We expect you to meet your mentee at their school, during school hours once a week (or fortnight) for around an hour. The support of a mentor through this exciting and turbulent time is invaluable. You can make a massive difference to someone's life.

Seeking Drivers in the Aylsham & surrounding areas. We have a minibus which picks up our Day Services Members and also on social outings locally.

We are always on the look out for volunteer drivers who can help with our volunteer driver scheme taking members to medical appointments and shopping.

Recruitment and Event Planning Volunteer
 

Volunteers are fundamental to the running of this project, and with their support, individuals can access more of their community, and it has to offer. Volunteering for this project is flexible around your availability and you can do as little or as much as you can.

This role requires supporting the CAN Connect team to support with recruitment of volunteers and plan events to help reduce feelings of loneliness amongst our clients, raise awareness of our services and to encourage networking amongst our volunteers.

Do you have a volunteer story?

If you would like to share your experiences of volunteering in Volunteering News, please do get in touch with us: volunteercentre@voluntarynorfolk.org.uk