June 22 Newsletter

The People of Life Supporter Newsletter The Volunteer Issue Meet the everyday heroes working hard to support Life Meet Life's new CEO Keep up to date on industry news! JUNE / 22

CONTENTS Volunteer spotlight 4 Staff spotlight 5 Industry news 6 Job vacancies 8 Life highlights 10 Special offers & discounts 12 Save or splurge 14 Behind-the-scenes 15

WELCOME Like many of you, I have a list of short and long-term goals I want to accomplish. Some of these things are easier to do than others. My current list includes mastering the keto diet, sugar-free baking, gentle parenting, weight-lifting and much to my husband’s delight, learning how to properly use Excel. Volunteering provides an opportunity to make such lists and to try new things. With that in mind, I am pleased to be trying something new by launching our new Supporter Newsletter during Volunteer Week 2022! I am the lucky one who gets to work with you and it’s my job to create exciting content for your new supporter website (watch this space!), make sure you have all the resources you need to do your jobs, and keep you informed of the work we do at Life. For you, maybe volunteering is learning a new skill, meeting new friends, or perhaps developing your CV for your future career aspirations. Whatever it is, I hope as a volunteer (or a friend of one) you are exploring what you can accomplish, what new short and long-term goals you can set for yourself to achieve, and go for it! In this, our new improved supporter's newsletter, we meet Kim who through volunteering in Nuneaton learnt to develop her skills as a volunteer. In our Staff Spotlight we meet Jason who started his journey as a Life volunteer and is now our very own resident software wizard! Publishing our new supporter newsletter in Volunteer Week is exciting and I hope that through it you can learn more about us at Life, each other and the cause which we are all passionate about – supporting women facing pregnancy or pregnancy loss so they can flourish. I hope when you put this down you feel inspired to write a list of all the goals you want to accomplish and can share them with your fellow volunteers to inspire them to try new things. I hope this newsletter will become a regular feature on your coffee table or inbox that will open the door for conversations with friends about the new things they can accomplish, alongside the valuable work you do at Life. Cheers, and enjoy your new issue!! Hannah Batten xx Supporter Engagement Officer

VOLUNTEER \"Kim is a dedicated SPOTLIGHT member of our team who has been trained up as What is your most treasured a key-holder volunteer. possession? Kim has so many skills I am not a possession person that she brings to Life; I just love non-material things excellent customer like people. service, brilliant on the shop floor and the If you could bring something customers love her! She extinct back to life, what would has taken to the window you choose? displays which enhances Dinosaurs as I am a tomboy at the shop and brings heart. passing customers into the shop, gaining us Who would you invite to your new customers all the dream dinner party? time. The rest of the Leonardo De Caprio. team call Kim a mini- Fiona (manager of Meet Kim from Nuneaton If you could go back in time, store). Kim can work in where would you go? the back area making When did you first start 1960 as my mum said it was sure all tagging, sorting volunteering for Life and what great and I would like to see and steaming is done drew you to the role? what it was like. correctly. She also August 2020. Such friendly trains all new volunteers staff and volunteers they have What do you consider your making our great team become like family. greatest achievement? even stronger. Our shop My daughter Fiona. in Nuneaton would not What is the funniest thing that’s be the same without Kim happened while volunteering What is the most important in it. \" for Life? lesson your life has taught -Nuneaton shop Working with the other you? manager volunteers as we try to find To listen to others. fun things to do and trick each Manager Fiona and other! What Netflix series are you assistant manager Rob watching at the moment? feel humbled that they Orange is the new Black. have a wonderful team of volunteers and found Who do you most admire, and \"I just love non- picking one volunteer why? material things like very difficult, as so many I love Bill he has helped me should be recognised. loads. people.\" Fiona says they are all invaluable and cannot put into words what they bring to Life. Loyality to our little shop in Nuneaton is top-notch and we get the job done with fun and laughter every day!

STAFF Who would play you in the SPOTLIGHT film of your life? John Cena, always up for a Meet our software children (plus myself) over laugh! deveoper and all- the last 20+ years round nice guy, What are your favourite Jason. words? What characteristic do you “In a minute” For those tedious tasks. most dislike in What is top of your bucket Starting his journey with others? list? To move somewhere with Life in 2013 as a volunteer Greed, and selfishness. open space and a beach nearby, Wales or Cornwall. at Life's Wolverhampton What do you owe your shop, then keyholder then What is your most parents? A big Thank You for always assistant manager, Jason treasured possession? being there when I need help. improved his skills by setting Got to be my dog Bella How do you relax? up online trading and is she has only been with Watching box sets, learning graphic design or tattooing now Life's resident software our family for 10 months What do you consider your wizard. but she is always near me greatest achievement? when I’m not at work. My children, seeing how they are growing into What is your first mature, kind adults memory? What do you most dislike How would you like to be remembered? It has to be when I was six about your appearance? As someone who was never selfish, hard working and or seven being able to go Got to be the belly! would always help people if I could. out with all of my friends What is the most important knowing the streets were If you could bring lesson life has taught you? Life isn’t about what you do safe to play on. something extinct back for yourself, It’s about what you can do to help others. to life, what would you What Netflix series are you Who do you most admire, choose? watching at the moment? There’s a few, Outlander, and why? Definitely dinosaurs, my Vikings Valhalla & Star Trek Discovery My wife, raising, organising little girl is fascinated with and looking after our seven them.

INDUSTRY NEWS but that most women don’t access this support. In many cases, abortion is seen as a “quick fix” to the mother’s mental health struggles. To save lives, we must work to support these pregnant women. Over 500 midwives will be recruited to support mothers and babies across This year the theme for the country as part of the government's new funding strategy following the Maternal Mental Health covid-19 pandemic. Awareness Month was appropriately “Stronger needed attention to the together”. Understanding MATERNITY MENTAL cause. The Duchess also maternal mental health HEALTH AWARENESS emphasised the need for in the context of the MONTH community surrounding communities to rally around the pregnancy is vital to supporting the wellbeing so \"That all those who might of both mother and baby. Life is proud to be at the be struggling are given the forefront of delivering vital services in this area. The May has been Maternal right support at the right Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this month Mental Health Awareness time, so that they're able to offer the perfect opportunity to organise a street party Month, where the NHS share these feelings without and invite any new or expectant mothers into your and charities across fear of judgment.\" community. The transition into motherhood for some the UK raise public and can be a lonely time, so if you know someone who is professional awareness \"It is crucial, therefore, pregnant and struggling, please reach out and invite of perinatal mental health that all those who might them into your community, your church or your social issues, advocate for women be struggling are given the plans. You can also provide them with our helpline affected by it, seek to right support at the right number: 0808 802 5433 or direct them to our website: change attitudes around time.\" lifecharity.org.uk pregnancy mental health -Duchess of Cambridge and promote resources and support to those who A recent survey by The need help to recover. The Perinatal Mental Health Duchess of Cambridge Partnership recently recently became patron of revealed that around the Maternal Mental Health 20% of pregnant women Alliance which brings much- experience mental illness

BABY LOSS baby loss and to fundraise the lives of those precious AWARENESS WEEK to support all those affected babies lost too soon. by it. Planning for Baby Loss We encourage you to is held every year in Awareness Week takes a lot contact your networks or October to raise awareness of time which is why we are council to discuss how they of baby loss across the inviting all Life volunteers to can support Life and Baby country. Life is proudly a contact their local church or Loss Awareness Week this member of the Baby Loss council to propose buildings October. Awareness Alliance, where to light up in pink and blue in Free resources for churches we work alongside other October. Last year over 300 are available on Life’s pregnancy and pregnancy buildings and monuments website to support anyone loss support charities were lit up in the Wave of affected by baby loss as including The Miscarriage Light which happens on part of our Baby Loss Association, SANDS, Saturday 15 October at Remembrance programme: Tommy’s and The Lullaby 7pm every year to join with Trust, to raise awareness of bereaved parents, families blr.lifecharity.org.uk and friends and to honour NHS BOOSTS CARE England’s Chief Midwifery babies and families, to FOR THOUSANDS OF Officer, Professor Dunkley- make the service more MUMS AND BABIES Bent OBE said: “Almost personal and accessible for from the moment the NHS all. Under a new initiative from was set up, internationally In Scotland, the Royal NHS England, over 500 educated midwives, such as College of Midwives has midwives are ready to join the Windrush generation, backed mental health maternity teams across have been an important part support for expectant the country to increase of the midwifery family, and mums and the Scottish the quality of care offered I am pleased that up to 500 government is expected to pregnant mothers and overseas midwives will be to release it’s increased new babies in clinical and joining the profession over maternity services budget in home settings. Midwives the next six months.” the near future. from countries including To address issues raised by Jamaica, Zimbabwe, Italy, the Ockenden Review, the The NHS is providing £127 India and the Philippines NHS is also providing £127 million in new funding for will support mums, babies million in new funding for maternity services across and families at 80 NHS maternity services across England over the next year. trusts, to assist the existing England over the next In Scotland the government midwives who have worked year. This new funding will is expected to release it's hard throughout the be allocated to improving increased materity services covid-19 pandemic. care standards for women, budget in the near future.

JOBS Join our team and start your career adventure with Life Our new CEO Kerry Smart (previous Deputy CEO) alongside Derby shop manager Lorraine and her husband, who started his Life journey as a Volunteer, the shop's Assistant Manager and our Retail Operations Manager. Re-opening Derby/Leicester. store in 2021 following a refurbishment. WORK At Life, we’re always the end of our Helpline. WITH US looking to expand our team Some of the most crucial with people who share experience that we our values and our ethical have comes from our foundation. volunteers. Launch your career at Life You are our most important We’re always looking to supporters, some of you use this experience and if have been with us for you feel you want to take decades, so we know that your association with Life you share our vision. It’s even further and become people like you that make part of our full-time team, Life such a special charity we’d love to hear from you! to work for, so why not get involved? We often have vacancies in departments across the Our volunteers are the charity, scan the QR code absolute backbone of (left) to see if there are any everything we do. Raising roles you think you could funds by working in our be suited for. You might Shops, volunteering in have just the skills that we our Houses and being on are looking for.

“Volunteering for Shop online to this organisation is support Life! special” –Northern Ireland store.lifecharity.org.uk Volunteer “These ‘second chances’ don’t just happen, they need to be created.” –Life volunteer

\"I can't afford to give much LIFE myself but i've raised HIGHLIGHTS hundreds of pounds from my friends.\" You'll leave being a fundraiser for Life -Community fundraiser How good are you! Everyone can still Lots of little fundraise for Life things make a big Our volunteer fundraisers difference have been the life blood It doesn’t matter what age of the charity since it was you are, fundraising can Some of us might not founded. Over the past 50 still be creative even if it is have the time to organise years you have raised in less strenuous. From jam events, but there are other excess of £2m, providing or cake making for selling ways you can fundraise: pregnant women with in the church fete, to coffee Sweepstakes at work, hope and their babies mornings or sponsored encouraging colleagues with a future. However, in walks, we can provide you to join ‘give as you earn’ recent times the number of with a raft of ideas and schemes, or simply volunteers who are able to supporting materials to get leaving a collecting box fundraise for Life has been your idea off the ground. at reception or on a shop dropping as our average counter. Maybe you can supporter age has been \"You helped me to enjoy convince your organisation climbing, not that many being a mum, now I to donate to Life as part of us can run marathons want to help others to of their Corporate Social or sky-dive any more do the same.\" Responsibility? Either although we are pleased -Former client and way, just let me know if to see that afternoon community fundraiser you think you’re able to teas, walks and other contribute in this way. fundraising activities are on the up!

\"I've found people I know if you’re interested can really get on with, in supporting us; either raising funds for a nationally or in your local cause we all believe in.\" area. -Community fundraiser Being an ambassador Fundraising is much for Life more fun with friends If you’re passionate about Life, our values and what Fundraising together is we are achieving, you don’t enjoyable and even more need to worry about how effective than doing it on you might ask people to your own – and we can donate – they’ll see your cheer each other on! enthusiasm and want to Many of our supporters support. You might also have been in fundraising want to go even further groups for quite a while and champion our cause in and have been remarkably your church or community. successful, for which we We can help you to take can’t thank you enough. the right steps in getting That means together we more involved in this can set our sights on really rewarding area of something a bit bigger, fundraising. like university or church Want to volunteer as fundraisers, walking a fundraiser for Life? 10 bridges of London, colour runs or group It doesn’t matter if you’re a cycle rides. The secret student, retired, not in paid is not necessarily to do it work or can only spare a ourselves but to organise couple of hours a month, and promote the events. we can find just the right Again, I can give you a place for you. great steer on how to do Simply contact me, David this and put you in touch Bennett on 01926 312272 with Life supporters in your or email area.   [email protected].  Sticking to the knitting David Bennett, Our Pregnancy Matters™ Director of Development Online services reach anyone in the UK who has a mobile phone. To some of us this is wonderful and something you’d like to inspire others to support. But we’re also there, in the local community, through our practical support and housing services. You might want to fundraise for a local Life house, for example. Let me

Follow our social media channels to see how you, our volunteers, really are the backbone of everything we do! Thank you for all that you do! SPECIAL OFFERS & DISCOUNTS Our way to say thank you for all you do Use code: Lifesaver10 in Life's online store As a big thankyou for all On a special birthday note, your hard work, we would one of our Super Volunteers like to offer all of Life’s turned the BIG 80 last week. wonderful volunteers a Fran has worked on the shop lifetime 10% off in our on- floor in Leicester giving super line store. No matter how customer service to all who long you have been volun- enter. She works two days teering for Life, be it days per week and has given us or years, you are appreci- wonderful long service, she ated and we want to say a has been here since the shop big thank you by giving you opened. 10% off our online store. Feel free to forward the special Happy Birthday Fran! offer code to your family and friends! Love from us all at Life x Every one of you make a huge difference to Life’s work and our staff are so proud of our volunteers and how they make them feel every day.

A super volunteer story Catherine, manager of easier to find anything that from Belfast Life's Wolverhampton shop, you need. Our Belfast store manager, tells us about one of her loyal Ladies winter boots -there's a Ann is delighted to tell you all and fun volunteers: box full of them, men's shorts about her volunteer, Jackson: “Dean has been volunteering - he knows if there are any with me since we opened downstairs, the list is endless! “Jackson started with Life over seven years ago. He Another system he has back in August 2021, had no came with no confidence but created is for recycling. There retail experience and was not we saw huge potential in him. are tubs underneath the quite sure what he wanted I remember having a chat sorting table all labelled - to do career-wise. Jackson with him at his taster session clothing, linen, handbags/ volunteers with us an amazing with us and him saying all the shoes etc. Then Dean sorts six days a week and we things he couldn't do! But our them all out for the recycling couldn't have stayed open shops motto is \"It's not what company. He then comes in with staff shortages due to you can't do but what you can extremely early on a Friday Coronavirus without him! do\" morning to deal with the During his time with us he's Move forward several years recycling company. now become our Pat-Tester and Dean is everything Dean is politeness embodied allowing us to achieve sales you want and need from a and a true gentleman. of £675 from October and volunteer. Nothing is too much trouble has recently been taking on Dean has organised the for him. posting on eBay as well.” whole process of accepting Through all the openings and donations. Be it by over closings over the past year doorstep donations or by car. and a half he has been there He has created a system in for me. From having to close the stockroom that makes it the shop in March last year to re-opening in April this year. Having to deal with customers who haven't been adhering to social distancing /mask wearing in the shop and helping our elderly customers carry their shopping to the bus stop or taxi rank. One thing that springs to mind is when the shop was broken into. Dean was a rock. He single handily cleaned all the broken glass up after the police had been and helped me deal with the aftermath. He wouldn't leave me alone in the shop until the window had been replaced and we could safely trade again. I couldn't have got through that awful day without him Dean is more than a volunteer, he's a legend!\"

SAVE OR SPLURGE Your list of resources and top-finds! Now it's up to you whether you save or splurge... With the summer months approaching and covid restrictions now a thing of the past, spending time outside this summer with family and friends is high on the list for many of us. If you have a patio or garden area outside, or even a small balcony, why not invest in some garden furniture to swing comfortably into the summer months? £39 £459 Cream Canvas Swing Chair Hanging Chair Lounge Chair from Asda from Cosy Manor £39 £349 Ambiano Electric Webber Q 1400 Grill from Aldi Dark Grey Electric BBQ £10 £35 BEFASTA Lantern John Lewis F Block Candle Square Lantern from IKEA Candle Holder £10 £27.99 Island Paradise Evans Litchfield Luxury Cushions Peacock Outdoor Twin (cream and green) from B&M Pack Polyester Filled Cushions from Robert Dyas

BEHIND THE SCENES AT LIFE Life's Senior Leadership team receiving their rebrand training and enjoying far too much chocolate! We're all looking to be a part of a family, A note from our CEO Kerry Smart, CEO to make a positive difference, and to leave a powerful legacy for others. For You, the wonderful those of us volunteering and working volunteers who work at Life, that's a daily reality! Together, tirelessly for our charity are we're creating a world where no one the backbone of everything faces pregnancy or pregnancy loss we do, and we could not alone. The Senior Leadership Team do our life-changing work and all staff members are receiving without you! Thank you! As “The Way of Life” brand training over your new CEO I am excited the coming months, which helps them to see where 2022 takes us understand where Life is going and and to meeting more of you how to put our best foot forward when in person soon. Volunteer’s talking about Life. Week provides me with the opportunity to say thank If you feel that you’d like to work at you, not just from me, but Life, we’d love to have you on board. on behalf of everyone Keep your eyes peeled and watching working at Life. lifecharity.org.uk/jobs Best wishes for all details of vacancies. Kerry

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