The news sections of our website will keep you up to date with our work and events and will be regularly updated for your reference.

If you are holding an event that you think may be relevant to regular users of our website, please contact us with details.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of our latest newsletter please contact the office or send us an e-mail with your request and address details. 

 Celebrating Volunteers’ Week 2011

  Celebrating Volunteers' Week 2011

Volunteers’ Week is a national celebration of volunteers

and volunteering which takes place

                   from 1-7 June every year.

A Big THANK YOU to everybody who took part in our Volunteers' Week event at the Haverhill Arts Centre.

      The following organisations were represented

on the day:

Haverhill Volunteer Centre

Age UK

3 Counties Transport

Shopmobility

Friends of East Town Park

Haverhill Red Cross

St Nicholas Hospice

Girl Guides

COPE

Tjs Snookerbility

West Suffolk Blind & Partially sighted

Haverhill Health Trainer

Ctizens Advice Bureau

REACH Community Project

A Place to Talk

Suffolk LINK

Young infoLink

Live Well UK

Out and About

Cats Protection Haverhill

Haverhill Local History Society

 

If you are interested in finding out more about the above organisations and how to volunteer in your community please contact the centre.

FREE TRAINING FOR VOLUNTEERS 2011

All training courses or work shops are FREE to HVC registered volunteers, to find out more how to register with HVC please contact the office.

Volunteer Centre Haverhill offers support, free CRB checks, free training (accredited & non-accredited) i.e. Basic First Aid (for adults & young volunteers), Health & Safety/Fire training, Safeguarding Children, managing wheelchairs, listening skills, confidence building, Trustee training and other relevant training.

We are currently planning our training schedule for the year.

To make it more accessible for everybody we would like to get as much input from you as possible.

Volunteer Centre Haverhill offers a range of training

to organisations and volunteers.

Any workshops or Training courses offered by Haverhill Volunteer Centre are FREE to HVC registered volunteers. (limited spaces available)

Any volunteers from other organisations are welcome to attend provided there are available spaces. (bookings might be subject to an administration fee.)

Please contact the office for more details.

NEW-NEW-NEW-NEW-NEW-NEW-NEW-

Small Organisation Support

(Leaflet available on request )                                                                                      

Funded by:West Suffolk Local Stratic Partnership

Are you a small voluntary or community organisation in the Haverhill area?

Would you like some help in developing the skills of your committee, staff or volunteers?

Sessions run at: Haverhill Centre for Voluntary Agencies, Lower Downs Slade, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 9HB.

Sessions are 10.00-13.00 (refreshments from 09.45). The dates and times for the sessions in February and March 2012 are still to be confirmed. The events have been organised by Haverhill Volunteer Centre (HVC) and Haverhill Association of Voluntary Organisations (HAVO) as part of the West Suffolk Local Strategic Partnership.

For bookings or more information please contact:

01440 708444

May 25th  Organising events  (HAVO)

June 15th Trustee/Management Committee Roles/ Responsibilities  (HAVO)

July 7th Marketing and Publicity  (HVC)

Sept 14th  Writing Good Funding Applications  (HAVO)

Oct 6th  Managing Volunteers  (HVC)

Please contact the office if you are interested or would like to find out more about the training available.

FREE BASIC FIRST AID COURSE

        

     

Are you a member of a Community Group in Haverhill

 or the surrounding area?

Would you like training in any of the following areas?

Calling all Volunteers!

Would you like training in any of the following areas?

 

 2011 CHILD PROTECTION TRAINING COURSES      Safe Activities for Everyone

Please contact the Centre for more information or to book your place.(limited places available)

The course is free to HVC registered volunteers but open to paid staff at a cost of £20.

Developed by a team of highly experienced child protection

experts, the course is in line with the latest government

legislations and guidance.

A training course specifically designed for anyone who comes into contact with children and young people during their work or voluntary or leisure activities.

The course will raise awareness of:

Befrienders Training

Volunteer Centre Haverhill facilitates various Befriending  &  Support projects. Befrienders visit elderly, housebound and

families for a coffee and a chat and provide a listening ear or a helping hand.  They also support families who need help with looking after a child / young person with additional needs in their home or during activities.

 

Role of the Befriender

This training programme is an invitation to volunteers who are Befrienders or who are thinking of becoming Befrienders.

You may want to find out more about what Befrienders do

You may want to Gain confidence in your role

You may want to share experiences with others

The aim of the course is:

To provide you, the volunteer, with sufficient training and information to enable you to feel confident carrying out the role as a Befriender.

By the end of the course you will:

When you have  completed the course , you will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

PROJECTS

HVC is currently running the following projects

Anybody interested in taking part please contact the office.

There will be no cost to participants.

Volunteer Centre Haverhill is involved in a variety of projects.

Projects are supported by grants from various funders and are for the benefit of the community, the volunteers and organisations. They provide additional resources to enable the centre to recruit, place, train and support volunteers and to publicise the work the volunteers and the organisations do.

We are currently running the following projects:

We haven’t forgotten the young people living in Haverhill either, The young people will work on local projects, design publicity materials, produce a youth newsletter and make a short film about their work to promote the benefits of voluntary work for young people. Accredited training available.

Anybody interested in any of the projects or for more information, please contact the office.

Youth Volunteering: 

HVC actively encourages young people in Haverhill & District to volunteer. We are working in partnership with relevant organisations and schools to promote the benefits of volunteering to young people. To develop volunteering roles for young (some still in education) and provide relevant training.

Wednesday 27th July - BIG DAY OUT on the recreation ground to promote Youth volunteering

GO WILD 2011:

A community conservation project for young volunteers,       supported by adult volunteers. The aim is to transform a derelict area into a wildlife haven and work alongside the park rangers at East Town Park.

Saturday 21st May - Tidy-up at Community Wildlife site and pond dipping

Saturday 25th June - Make your own Salad box

Saturday 23rd July - Build your own bird box or insect box

The activities are free of charge. Booking of places are essential as we need to know the number of people attending.

Please note that you will need parental permission if you are not yet registered as a youth volunteer with Haverhill Volunteer Centre.

Please contact the office for more information.

We will meet at 9:45 at the Wildlife Centre (next to East Town Park car park) and finish at 12 noon.

Please wear suitable clothing as we will be working on the grounds

   YOUNG VOLUNTEERS (16-25 yrs) please check-out                                      www.vinspired.com

formerly known as Millennium Volunteers,to register & receive accreditation for your volunteering.

Volunteer Centre Haverhill offers support, free CRB checks, free training (accredited & non-accredited) i.e. Basic First Aid (for adults & young volunteers), Health & Safety/Fire training, Safeguarding Children, managing wheelchairs, listening skills, confidence building, Trustee training and other relevant training.

     

GARDENING/CONSERVATION:

To support volunteers with tools, expenses, training and safety equipment.

SUPPORTED VOLUNTEERING:

To assist volunteers in need of extra support in their volunteering to find a placement to gain new skills, built confidence and self  esteem. To research& develop new opportunities and network with relevant organisations

1-2-1 Mentors:

To recruit volunteers who are able to support a volunteer in their chosen role

Visitors/Befriending Schemes: 2011

To visit and/or support Elderly, Disabled or a Family.

Volunteer Centre Haverhill gives practical support to the following groups

             NEWSLETTER

                   Summer 2011

These are only a few articles from our Newsletter. Contact the office for a full copy or just pick one up at the Library or the Borough Council Offices.

Groups and volunteers are welcome to write a small article about their group and the work they do,eg meeting times,events etc. You can e-mail us or drop - of a copy at the HVC and we will try to include it in our next edition.

 

Dear All

As you can see from the front cover Volunteers’ Week has come round once again, and we would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all volunteers in and around Haverhill. We really appreciate you all giving your time and support to the community.

During Volunteers’ Week we are holding an event in the Arts Centre to raise awareness of the work volunteers are doing.  We hope that you will take this opportunity to call in for a coffee.  You will have a chance to chat to organisations and volunteers working in the Haverhill area.

We had a very successful first session with the Go Wild group during the Easter Holidays with 12 young volunteers helping to clear an area at East Town Park with a bug hunt to follow, if you would like further information on this project please contact the office. 

As part of a West Suffolk project we are holding free training sessions for volunteers and organisations throughout the year. These sessions will be held in the Borough Council offices, please contact us for information or to book a place.

                                            

Best wishes from Elaine & Gaby

.             

SNAP

 I work for the SNAP project and what is that may I hear some say?

SNAP stands for Support and Advice which covers the whole of Suffolk. This agency handles the referrals to check initial eligibility and if at this stage someone appears eligible, the referral is passed onto the appropriate Floating Support provider which apart from the Waveney area in Suffolk would be SNAP. Anyone can make a referral to SNAP, be it a private individual or professional body.

Staff from SNAP would then make an appointment to come and see the person referred, to assess their needs and if they are housing related, support would begin. The support planning is Service User led according to their needs and at all times during support the Service user is in control, we are there to advice and signpost if necessary.

Drop-ins and surgeries operate in various parts of the county, the ones in the West are:

Brandon - Held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month in a room at the FHDC offices in the High St,     Brandon - 11.00am to 1.00pm

Mildenhall - Held on the 1st Friday of every month at the Parish Offices, Recreation Way, Mildenhall, (next to the Jubilee Centre) - 11.00am to 1.00pm

Bury St Edmunds - Held on the 1st Wednesday of the month at the CAB in Bury St Edmunds - 1.00pm to 3.00pm

Newmarket - Held on the 1st Monday of the month at the Guineas Centre, Forest Health District Council, 11.00am to 1.00pm

Haverhill will be opening soon.

Anyone can drop in to ask questions or for advice on housing related issues and if necessary assistance can be given to make a referral to CARA

Useful contact numbers:

CARA - 01473 467727

SNAP - Ipswich - 01473 742690 or Bury St Edmunds - 01284 748380

CATS PROTECTION

Established in 1927, the Cats Protection League (now Cats Protection) has grown to become the UK's leading feline welfare charity. They now help more than 215,000 cats and kittens every year through their network of over 250 volunteer-run branches and 29 adoption centres. The Haverhill + Stour Valley Branch found new homes for 80 cats last year and helped neuter 160. As they do not have a dedicated shelter they rely on people fostering cats in their own homes. Fostering means that you look after a cat, or mother cat and kittens, in a spare room until new permanent homes are found for them. Fostering does not cost you anything, Cats Protection pays for food, litter, veterinary treatment etc. All you give is your love and dedication.

Fostering suits cat lovers who cannot have their own cats for various reasons: living on a busy road, cannot afford it, go away several times per year etc.

All Cats Protection branches need to raise their running costs, which are considerable as all their  cats are neutered, vaccinated, vet-checked and have veterinary treatment, such as dental work and blood tests, where required. Therefore they are always looking for ways to raise more money and are currently looking for a Fundraising Officer whose duty it will be to think of ways to raise more funds and to organise their events. But they are also grateful to any volunteer who can help in a small way, such as collecting a cat, delivering food and litter, putting up posters etc.  You need not necessarily be a cat lover to help, maybe you like to take photographs of animals, are good at writing articles or thinking of new ways to publicise their work.

If you would like to find out more about the Haverhill Branch of Cats Protection please telephone their helpline on 01440 730096 and leave your details or email them on contactcats@aol.com.

Their website is www.stourvalley.cats.org.uk

 

To all groups and voluntary organisations

Please make use of our free offer of  publicising your organisation or event in our newsletters.

The closing date for the Spring edition is Friday the 15th of January 2010 and the newsletter will be distributed in February 2010 .

Our Spring, Summer and Autumn editions are full colour and the Winter one is in black and white due to calendar mail out.

You are welcome to email us your article and include a photo as well.

Please contact the office if you would like to find out more details.

 

West Suffolk Caring Cards       

informing businesses

about what you do!

A handy pack of Caring Cards has been designed to help promote the Voluntary and Community Sector services to businesses throughout West Suffolk. Rather like a pack of large playing cards in its own case this directory classifies the sectors services into 29 different categories such as sport, caring or children. For each card you will find the category name with a picture on the front and on the reverse a list of all the VCS service providers within West Suffolk for that category along with their contact telephone number. There are also 6 cards explaining about items such as employee volunteering, corporate social responsibility and payroll giving with the view to increase business involvement within our community.

Not only are these cards easy to use, stylish and free but they also offer a great opportunity to widen your services and become recognised. When Suffolk CONNECT carried out recent corporate social responsibility research into Suffolk businesses they found that nearly half of those approached were unaware of many VCS organisations in their local area. 89% however would like to be known for working with the community so hopefully these cards can help trigger the movement.

Through the West Suffolk Consortium and Suffolk CONNECT we will be distributing these Caring Cards across West Suffolk. It is hoped that  companies will take these cards and use them as a signposting tool for queries that they cannot deal with alone. Employers will also be encouraged to use them for addressing employee  issues and making sure that the cards are available for employees to access easily.

If you know of a particular business that would benefit from these cards or you would like to help distribute them yourself please contact the Volunteer Centre on 01440 708444 or get in touch with Anna Martin at Suffolk CONNECT on 01502 584061 or at anna@zwc.org.uk. 

see more pics

15 October 2004
Website Launch
Welcome to the new Haverhill volunteer centre website launched at the October 2004 AGM. We hope that you find the website useful and would welcome your feedback.




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