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Rotherham Volunteer Centre Newsletter

Edition 1 2015 5th May 2015

For the latest volunteering news, support and information:

News

Count Me In 2 Rotherham Volunteer Month

Will you say count me in?

National Volunteers Week starts on Monday 1st of June 2015 and, due to the success of last years Rotherham Volunteer Month, we will be organising Count Me In 2: Rotherham Volunteer Month 2015.

Join our Volunteer Walk through Rotherham Town Centre on Tuesday the 2nd of June to celebrate all of Rotherham's fantastic volunteers. We want as many local organisations, groups, volunteers and service users to come along and help us highlight the amazing work being carried out every day by regular Rotherham folk in a voluntary capacity. To register your interest in attending please click here.

As we did last year, we are also looking for placements for high profile volunteers and are encouraging organisations to come forward with any tasks for the public sector CEOs and potentially the RMBC Commissioners to take part in. If you have anything in mind, please contact Julie Adamson by email at: julie.adamson@varotherham.org.uk.

#countmein2

Rotherham Volunteer Kitemark

The next deadline for applications for the Rotherham Volunteer Kitemark will be on Thursday the 18th of June 2015.

For organisations interested in being awarded the Rotherham Volunteer Kitemark, please contact Julie Adamson on julie.adamson@varotherham.org.uk for an application pack.

For more information about the Kitemark please click here.

VAR become responsible body for Disclosure Scotland

We are pleased to announce that we are now registered with Disclosure Scotland to carry out Basic Disclosures. The basic disclosure is available for anyone and will show up any unspent convictions. Individuals can apply directly to VAR for the check, however organisations are also able to apply to us using a similar process to our current DBS service.

If you require a basic disclosure for yourself or staff/volunteers in an organisation you can contact us on 01709 834460 to request anapplication form.

Joint Volunteers Week Celebration Event

Thursday 4th June 10am-2pm Community Corner, Rotherham Hospital

The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust is hosting a joint event with Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR) as part of Rotherham Volunteer Month 2015 celebrations in Rotherham.

The event will take place on Thursday 4th June from 10.00am 2.00pm in Community Corner in the main entrance of Rotherham Hospital.

The Trusts Volunteering Service and VAR will be joined at the event by other organisations and community groups who involve volunteers in the delivery of activities or services for community benefit. The focus will be on recognising the contribution which volunteers make to the town, raising the profile of volunteering in Rotherham and hopefully inspiring more people to consider volunteering by showcasing some of the volunteering opportunities which are available.

Amongst the organisations and groups attending are:

The Trusts Volunteering Service

Rotherham Volunteer Centre

Guide Dogs

MHA Care Homes

Victim Support

The Rotherham Hospice

SY Police

DREAM

RotherFed

Rotherham District Scouts

Lifeline

The event will give local people the opportunity to find out more about supporting patients, or other members of the community, in voluntary roles such as befriending. The organisations involved are also keen to promote voluntary opportunities which help encourage active or outdoor lifestyles to further support health and wellbeing) No longer relevant?

If you are an organisation or group and volunteers are part of your team, please get in touch if youd like to have a presence or complete our Booking Form. Equally please feel free to signpost people with an interest in volunteering to the event, as they will be able to find out about a variety of local volunteering opportunities, meet the people who will support them in their volunteer role and ask any questions which they may have. To book your free place or to find out more please contact Alison Thorp at VAR on 01709 834462 or email: alison.thorp@varotherham.org.uk. We look forward to seeing you at the event!

Could you be our next Community Volunteer Ambassador?

The Community Volunteer Ambassador team continue to promote the many benefits of volunteering to individuals and groups in their communities and to signpost individuals and groups to further support where appropriate. They do this in various ways depending how confident they feel and what time they have available. For some its informal conversations with neighbours, group members and associates, for others its supporting the VC or representing the VC at local events or writing a volunteering article and for others it may be displaying posters in public places around the borough and sharing their knowledge of groups in their local community. All of these contributions are valuable to the VC team and the wider sector and help to inspire local people and raise the profile of volunteering in the borough.

The role has worked best when its been a bolt on to an existing volunteer role or activity. For instance, one of our CVAs Ted routinely gives short talks to groups about the history of brass bands; he does that anyway. The difference now is that Ted bolts on 5 minutes at the end to flag up the benefits of volunteering and to signpost the audience to the do-it website and the VC priceless! Through this one activity Ted can sometimes reach 70 new people; a new audience who we might otherwise never come into contact with. Similarly when Ted puts together the Churches Together Rotherham Newsletter as Secretary, he now includes a standing item on volunteering with a reach of approx. 117 recipients and approximately 400-500 readers; absolutely brilliant! So rather than view this role as yet more work which you cant fit in, the CVA role is best viewed as what you are already doing I imagine; spreading the word about volunteering, acting as a role model to others and sharing your passion for all things volunteering.

If you yourself are an active volunteer or you manage a volunteer who you think would make a wonderful Community Volunteer Ambassador please get in touch, we would love to hear from you! Please ring Alison Thorp on 01709 834462 or email alison.thorp@varotherham.org.uk.

DREAM offer a range of volunteering opportunities for people aged 18 and above with a learning disability

As part of our service we offer free craft sessions that enable adults with learning disabilities to create goods that can then be sold to raise funds for charities within Rotherham, thereby, making all participants volunteer fundraisers.

We have a number of sessions, tasters and workshops planned over the next couple of months. All sessions are free of charge however places must be booked in advance.

Harthill Taster Session, Harthill Village Hall

1.30 3.30 on 18th May

This session is being held so that adults with learning disabilities can drop in on an informal basis. DREAM volunteers and staff will be on hand to meet potential new participants and a number of free craft activities will be available to try. If there is enough interest shown at this taster session then a block of 4 craft sessions will be planned for July/August.

Craft Group, Voluntary Action Rotherham

10.00 12.00 on 26th May, 2nd, 9th and 16th June

We will be offering a number of activities including decoupage, plaster models, painting, button canvases and sewing. Volunteer enablers will be on hand to offer support and refreshments will be available.

Rawmarsh Taster Session, High Street Centre

10.00 12.00 on 15th June

This session is being held so that adults with learning disabilities can drop in on an informal basis. DREAM volunteers and staff will be on hand to meet potential new participants and a number of free craft activities will be available to try. If there is enough interest shown at this taster session then a block of 4 craft sessions will be planned for July/August.

Recycling Workshop, Unity Centre

2.00 4.00 on 30th June

In partnership with Castings Innovations DREAM will be hosting a number of recycling workshops. The first will involve participants making a keyring or figurine using recycled tin cans. All participants will keep the first item they make, any additional items made will be kept and sold by DREAM to raise funds for local charities. Volunteer enablers will be on hand to offer support and refreshments will be available.

If you would like to book a place on any of the above sessions please contact Catherine on 01709 834445 or Catherine.oxtoby@varotherham.org.uk.

Training

FREE Health Training for Staff and Volunteers

Thurs 11th June 3pm-4:30pm

Voluntary Action Rotherham, The Spectrum, Coke Hill, Rotherham, S60 2HX

Are you passionate about supporting people to access services? Do you believe in our health service and want to protect it? Are you embarking on/retiring from a career in health and social care?

This training session has been developed by Rotherham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and is being delivered by members of Rotherham Volunteer Centre team. The training will focus on the current health campaign Choosing the Right Care, First Time; the idea being to increase knowledge of what to do when health treatment is required, reducing unnecessary trips to A&E and increasing confidence in the use of other more appropr