Volunteer Newsletter Winter 2020

Volunteer Newsletter - Winter 2020 Registered Charity Number: 1116662 Date Created: November 2020

Hi everyone Welcome to your Volunteers Newsletter, Winter 2020! This year is turning out to be quite the challenge isn’t it! We do hope that you are all staying safe and well and taking care of yourselves. It’s hard to create a healthy comforting routine when everything keeps changing – but we hope you can – and that you’re finding ways to cope with the lockdown and all this uncertainty. We are always grateful to our volunteers and we always appreciate everything you do – but This Winter, more than ever we want to say THANK YOU! We’ve been calling round our clients as part of a survey and they have all been saying absolutely wonderful things about how their volunteers bring them joy and hope and a chance for a bit of normality during such unusual times. You really are brightening people’s days. We hope you enjoy this newsletter and we’ll be back in touch soon with information about our winter awareness campaign! With best wishes Roz Wyllie Head of Engagement 1 Age UK Hertfordshire Volunteers Newsletter Winter 2020

Volunteer Survey As many of you will remember, earlier in the year we sent out a survey to all our volunteers. In total 92 of you responded to the survey. Which is just over 20% of you - which is brilliant (we know how busy you get!) Here are some of our key findings that we hope you find interesting! Nearly 95% of respondents feel their volunteering is appreciated Age UK Hertfordshire Volunteers Newsletter Winter 2020 2

100% of respondents feel their volunteering is beneficial or very beneficial! 3 Age UK Hertfordshire Volunteers Newsletter Winter 2020

\"I feel that I have \"I have noticed my made a sense of being contribution to my useful, which has local community.\" raised my self- esteem.\" \"I have been greatly blessed by the conversation we have and our laughter together. I originally thought I'd be helping an older person, but she actually brightens my day!\" \"I have gained a \"I feel that I have deeper provided company to someone living appreciation and respect for older on their own.\" people.\" Age UK Hertfordshire Volunteers Newsletter Winter 2020 4

Training & Inductions One of our findings from the survey was that many of you either didn't receive a formal induction or you had one a long time ago. In response to this we're offering you a series of refresher inductions over Zoom for any of our Volunteers who are interested. We'll try and run these around your availability and they should last no more than one hour. If you're interested then please get in touch with us on [email protected] Watch this space! As we head into the colder months, this winter will be tougher than ever for so many local older people who will need us. We are launching our winter campaign very soon and there are lots of ways you can get involved. We’d really appreciate your help! Watch this space for more updates and information over the next couple of weeks! 5 Age UK Hertfordshire Volunteers Newsletter Summer 2020

Meet the Team What is your name and role at induction process and of course look work that our volunteers and staff do Age UK Hertfordshire? after our current 500 volunteers. We that makes such a big difference to are a small but very busy team! their lives. \"My name is Ellie and I am the Community Engagement Officer at What have you been working on We have some exciting news to Age UK Hertfordshire.\" recently? announce! We have been really busy \"We have been working on working with Heart FM Hertfordshire What does the Community improving our legacies programme. to produce a selection of commercials Engagement Team do? By leaving a gift in a will to Age UK that will be linking in with our winter \"The Community Engagement Team Hertfordshire, it provides guaranteed 2020 campaign. We have lots of other work on fundraising, marketing and income to allow us to continue great ways for you to get involved with volunteering for the whole helping older people who need us in this so please keep an eye on our organisation as well as staff and the future. social media accounts and the community engagement.\" website for more information. As well as the volunteer surveys we Wow, that sounds like a big remit have also been surveying our clients Commercials will be live from the start - how do you manage to cover all to get their thoughts and feelings of December for a month on Heart of that? about the service they use. The Hertfordshire FM so listen out for \"Much of our work is shaped around COVID-19 pandemic has been a these! This winter will be tougher than engaging the community in what we new situation for everyone so we ever for our clients who are facing do and how they can help us help have been working with clients to extreme loneliness and isolation and older people in Hertfordshire. This is see what their needs are and what need all the support possible so broken down into the fundraising, they would like to see in their service please share this campaign with your marketing and volunteering and going forwards! It has been a great friends and family to help raise the within the team we have these key opportunity to speak to personally profile of Age UK Hertfordshire!\" areas we focus on. For me, it is speak to our clients and to hear all fundraising and engaging the the positive comments about the community to support us with campaigns, working with schools on intergenerational projects, writing bids and grants to fund specific projects and lots more – no two days are the same! Other members of the team’s main focus includes creating and updating information documents and the website to help promote our services and keeping our social media current with updates and information. We also work to recruit new volunteers, support them through the Age UK Hertfordshire Volunteers Newsletter Summer 2020 6

It is confusing, the name of your Before we became ‘Oh right...so what can I do to make organisation, so are you saying Age UK Hertfordshire, we were also sure that my clients are helping that Age UK Hertfordshire is not called Age Concern and Help the you? part of Age UK (the national Aged – but not anymore! An easy charity)? way to identify us as Age UK \"One key thing to remember is that Hertfordshire is by the logo – you will we are Age UK Hertfordshire – \"Very good question! Age UK notice it is the same layout at Age remembering to add the Hertfordshire is often confused with UK National’s however we have 'Hertfordshire’ on the end is really Age UK National but we are in fact a added an additional speech bubble important as this is what distinguishes separate organisation which may with the words ‘Here if you need us’ us. Clients don’t always realise that come as a surprise to many! Age UK and this can be found on all our Age UK Hertfordshire is a separate National is a national charity that documents.\" organisation to Age UK National so runs an Information & Advice line, they often leave a donation to them directs volunteers to their local Age Does it matter though as all the instead so they benefit from our years UK and runs the big fundraising money goes to older people? of service. campaigns, for example the current Cadbury campaign. They also run \"It certainly does matter! Age UK We also have a separate head the charity shops – even if the shops Hertfordshire receives very little office address and charity number are in Hertfordshire, they are run by funding from Age UK National so which can be found on all of our Age UK National. any donations that we receive make documents so if you are ever in doubt a huge difference to our income and if it is sent from Age UK Hertfordshire Age UK Hertfordshire on the other will allow us to keep running our vital or Age UK National, these will help hand is a brand partner of Age local services. In many cases, we you identify. Age UK Hertfordshire’s UK national. This means that we have had clients who have used our address is: 1 Silver Court, must follow branding guidelines, for services for many years and we Watchmead, Welwyn Garden City, example when using the colours and have made a huge difference to their AL7 1LT and the charity number is logos on our leaflets or website. We lives. We may have helped them to 1116662. operate as a local, independent claim benefits they weren’t aware Hertfordshire based charity. We run they were entitled to, provided a We also have our own separate services for older people including volunteer befriender on a weekly social media accounts and website an Information & Advice Service, basis for a number of years, or that are titled with ‘Age UK lunch clubs, a Help in the Home provided emotional support over the Hertfordshire’.\" Service, and a Befriending Service. phone. As they donated to Age UK National, their money would go them and Age UK Hertfordshire would not receive any. 7 Age UK Hertfordshire Volunteers Newsletter Summer 2020

Volunteer call out! I am an academic at the University of Hertfordshire and I am writing a new grant proposal about how sensation of our own movements changes over our lifetimes, and how better understanding of this can improve activities of daily living and reducing falls. I would very much like to engage with some older people who might like to hear about the project and provide feedback. If we are successful at being funded, it would be fantastic to include some of the community as part of a research interest group. I would aim to hold an online focus group, or I would also be happy to send a summary of the project that people could comment on by email: [email protected] IT Projects We’re helping our older clients stay \"Just a note to thank you “When I came home from connected during COVID-19 – so this very much for your kind, hospital I was feeling a winter won’t be so lonely and isolating efficient and patient help bit low and watched a With thanks to local funding from North with my tablet and movie on my tablet which Hertfordshire District Council, phone. You have taught was great, you know, it Hertfordshire Community Foundation me a lot, and unravelled and Dixons Carphone, our volunteers many problems for me.\" took my mind off things.\" have been able to provide much needed training to our clients on the use of their \"The training is great. I tablets, phones and all things didn't know what I was technology! doing before and now I If you know of anyone who would be will be able to help interested in delivering IT Training, support others.\" please contact us on: [email protected] 07376421818 Age UK Hertfordshire Volunteers Newsletter Summer 2020 8

Co-op Local Community Funding Thank you to those of you who supported our Clitheroe Health & Wellbeing Centre through the Co-op Local Community Fund throughout the last year. The fund are supporting us again this year with our Digital Inclusion Project to help our clients stay connected online. Please sign up to help us at no extra cost to you by nominating Age UK Hertfordshire as your chosen charity and Co-op will make a donation directly to us every time you shop. Please follow the link to choose us as your charity https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/44 602 “Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” — Marie Curie

...Local Charity, Local Impact www.ageuk.org.uk/hertfordshire 01707 232 272 Registered Charity Number: 1116662