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MONTHLY NEWSLETTER: NOVEMBER
Welcome back to the monthly Year of Volunteering newsletter! Here we will keep
you informed about what is happening with the campaign, as well as providing
updates on all the activities going on across the county this month and the next.
NOVEMBER’S THEME
We are already over half way through the Year
of Volunteering! So far, the campaign has
focused around themes such as spreading the
word, volunteering outdoors and in sports,
youth volunteering and learning. This month
launches a new theme based around support
for vulnerable people.
So many of Hertfordshire’s volunteers do what
they do to help those who need it. From formal
voluntary roles to simply helping an elderly
neighbour – hundreds of people in the county
put in considerable time and effort to offer a
helping hand. This month and next, we want to
recognise all their hard work and demonstrate
the difference a small bit of time can make.
Read on to hear some more stories about what
people in Hertfordshire are doing to support
others, but also some of the volunteering
events and initiatives that have taken place
recently – including the Hertfordshire County
Council Volunteer Awards.
ACTIVITIES THIS
MONTH
November is Explore Your
Archives month! Further info
can be found below.
#TeamHerts Volunteering are
hosting two Introduction to
Volunteering workshops this
month, one on Wednesday
9th November in Hatfield and
one on Tuesday 29th
November in Borehamwood.
Read on to find out more!
13 – 20 November is Inter
Faith Week! The week is all
about celebrating diversity
and promoting Inter faith
understanding and
cooperation. The County
Council are hosting an Inter
Faith event on 16 November
– read on for more details…
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL’S
VOLUNTEER AWARDS 2016
Balloons, glitter and several replays of ‘simply the best’ were served up for
Hertfordshire County Council’s volunteer awards evening, aimed at celebrating the
fantastic work of all its committed and dedicated volunteers.
The event took place on Wednesday 19 October at County Hall and welcomed winners
and runners up for six categories of awards. A phenomenal 80 nominations were
received, so the judging panel did not have an easy task! But this huge volume of
nominations is a real testament to the talent and dedication of all the Council’s
volunteers, particularly those worthy winners and runners up.
The panel were truly ‘blown away’ by the breadth of activities volunteers get involved
with, as well as their diverse range of backgrounds and experience. For example, there
are volunteers who are still at school working alongside volunteers who continue to
help out well into their 90s!
The event was hosted by Owen Mapley, Director of Resources, and awards were
presented by Council Chairman Frances Button. In addition, Cllr Teresa Heritage,
Executive Member for Public Health, Localism and Libraries, opened the event with a
few words to recognise the incredible things Hertfordshire volunteers have achieved for
the Council and ultimately for their communities.
For a full list and information about all the winners and runners up from the evening,
visit the Year of Volunteering website. There is also more information on our young
volunteer winners on the Youth Connexions website.
INTER FAITH WEEK
Inter Faith Week is a national campaign that puts a spotlight on issues around inter faith
understanding and cooperation. It encourages people to celebrate diversity, find
commonalities, and explore differences of view.
Exploring the way in which faith can inspire people to help and support others sheds an
interesting light on some people’s motivations to volunteer. We received the two case
studies below via Watford Inter Faith Association to demonstrate …
[
Sally Spear (left), from Harpenden, volunteers for
a number of different causes, including as a
Baha’i Faith children’s tutor and as acting
chairman of the Women’s Advisory Council of the
United Nations Association of the UK.
When explaining why she thinks volunteering is
important, she says: “Humans cannot live isolated
lives, we are spiritual, social beings, we need to
help each other and learn how to live happily
together and share what insights we may have.
We should avoid dividing “us” from the “others”,
appreciate the value or our diversity and
recognise our need of each other.”
Stephanie Grant, from Watford,
runs a Guide unit in West
Watford and volunteers for the
Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers).
Stephanie says she volunteers
because “it is extremely
rewarding, especially working
with others and making a
contribution. It's a great way to
meet (like-minded) people,
learn something new, face new
challenges, provide friendship
and support, contribute to
society and it's enjoyable.” She
adds that the contribution she
makes through her voluntary
involvement with Quakers helps
her to feel part of a community
that is at the heart of her life.
Hertfordshire County Council are hosting an Inter Faith event on 16 November from 9.30
– 12pm at Hertfordshire Development Centre, Stevenage. There will be talks and
workshops from key guests, including the National Executive Director of FaithAction, the
Chair of Herts Inter Faith Forum, and many more. If you would like to come along and
hear more about the importance of working with faith communities and examples of how
faith communities contribute in Hertfordshire, get in touch with
[email protected] to book your place.
EXPLORE YOUR ARCHIVE
Explore Your Archive, is a joint campaign throughout November showcasing the
unique potential of archives to excite people, bring communities together, and tell
amazing stories. As part of the campaign, Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies
(HALS) are celebrating the fantastic work of our 130 volunteers.
HALS have a longstanding relationship with volunteers and they have been crucial in
the delivery of several Heritage Lottery funded projects, such as Herts Memories, a
volunteer run lively, attractive and popular Community Archive for Hertfordshire and
Herts Past Policing. Volunteers are currently working on a new lottery funded project
Traditional Herts, researching folklore specific to Hertfordshire around life’s turning
points ‘marriages, births and deaths’.
Our volunteers make an invaluable contribution to the work of HALS. We have run a
number of projects where volunteers have indexed original documents, such as
workhouse registers, marriage registers and absent voters lists. They are currently
indexing Board of Guardian minute books dating from 1835. The indexes are made
available via Hertfordshire Names Online to family and local historians around the
world. They also help record and conserve historic documents, helping to ensure that
these records are accessible to future generations. We have been working recently
with volunteers to photograph images and documents and this is an area that we are
keen to develop further.
If you are interested in getting involved, especially in helping us promote our service
please email: [email protected]
APPLE DAY
Apple Day at Tewin Orchard in Welwyn took place on Sunday 9th October. The event is
a celebration of all things apple and attendees were able to buy orchard apple juice,
homemade cakes and of course a wide variety of apples!
Experts from Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust led walks through the orchard and
volunteer Reserve Warden, Mike Clark, was on hand to identify apple varieties and offer
fruit tree care advice.
The event would not have been possible without help from all the wonderful volunteers –
some experts leading walks and answering questions, and others happy to get stuck in
and offer a helping hand and friendly smile across a variety of tasks such as apple
selling, serving tea and coffee, helping attendees across to the orchard and even
wearing the cuddly badger suit!
There is a range of volunteering opportunities available with the Trust, from one off work
parties to regular weekly positions – why not check out
www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/volunteer and get involved!
INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING BUT DON’T
KNOW WHERE TO START?
#TeamHerts Volunteering are holding two FREE Introduction to Volunteering
workshops in November in Hatfield and Borehamwood. They are ideal for those who
are interested in learning a bit more before taking the plunge. It is also an opportunity
to find out more about #TeamHerts Volunteering. The workshop will cover:
What volunteering is
Why volunteer
Right and responsibilities
Types of volunteering
How to get started
Join our Hatfield event on Wednesday 9th November 2016 from 1pm – 2.30pm at
University of Hertfordshire (Room M147, Atrium, Block M), University of
Hertfordshire, de Havilland Campus, Hatfield, AL10 9EU
OR
Join our Borehamwood event on Tuesday 29th November 2016 from 1pm to 2.30pm
at Borehamwood Job Centre Plus, Government Building, Elstree Way,
Borehamwood, WD6 1AR.
To confirm a place on any of the Introduction to Volunteering Sessions individuals
need to book via [email protected] or call 01462 689 409. If any
organisations looking for volunteers would like to talk at one of these workshops or
would like to host an Introduction to Volunteering session, please get in contact.
To keep up-to-date with the Year of Volunteering visit: facebook, twitter, webpage.
If you would like to unsubscribe or have these emails forwarded on to another
member of your team, please contact [email protected].
COMING UP NEXT
Next month we continue to recognise all the ways in which Hertfordshire volunteers
help and support the most vulnerable people in our society. December also marks the
run up to the Christmas period, where loneliness can be felt all the more potently.
Putting a little time aside to check on your neighbours can go a very long way this
winter.
Does your organisation help support vulnerable people? Do you know of any
volunteers who deserve recognition for the work they do in this regard? Or would be
happy to share their story? Get in touch with the Corporate Policy Team at
[email protected] to feature in December’s edition of the
Year of Volunteering newsletter.
RICKY’S VOLUNTEER STORY
Ricky, from Little Hadham, starting volunteering
for iPro two years ago as a peer educator to tell
his story of homelessness to young people in
the county. He now also does admin work to
help out further and learn new skills. He
volunteers to give something back to the charity
that helped him so much, as well as to help
young people in the same situation as he was.
“Volunteering has given me a big boost in my
confidence as I can now confidently speak to
large groups of young people, which in turn has
helped me to see that I would like to go into
youth work in the future,” says Ricky. “I would
recommend volunteering as it helps you as a
person as well as feeling like you’re making a
difference in your local community.”
