Volunteer Recognition

As Volunteers week is in June, we held a virtual celebration with our volunteers and sent out gifts/certificates to all Friendship Call volunteers. We received many messages from our volunteers.

Hi Jane and Nicola
Just a quick thank you for all your time and efforts in making Volunteer Week special for us. Thank you for the afternoon tea – I was able to contact 2 long-standing friends at short notice and we were able to spend a lovely afternoon together in the sunshine enjoying the tea and cakes along with some wine, strawberries and ice-cream I happened to already have. A good time was had by all. I do hope that you are both recognised too for the work you are doing for vulnerable people.
Thanks and best wishes again from Margaret, Val and myself.
Sue

Wow, thank you all so much for the lovely surprise of the biscuits and the certificate that I received this morning, I would also like to thank you all for this opportunity to try to help others in need.  Once again Thank  you

Social Supermarket at Rotherham Minister

Since the Making Your Money Go Further project started, we have linked with social supermarket and after meeting with Christine from Time builders, MOMGF will now be in the social supermarket, on Wednesday and Thursday to help members make their money go further, give advice, and help with budgeting. The first day at Social Supermarket went really well. we had 6, 1:1 meaningful conversations, with a mix of members and volunteers. I was introduced in the morning team meeting and asked to explain what we do.

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Friendship Call Volunteer – Jade

Jade called Emily who was quite distressed that it had been 12 weeks since her covid injection and she hadn’t heard anything. This was really worrying for her.

Having gained consent and speaking with Rotherham Federation staff Jade was able to make some calls and it was arranged that the Covid Call Centre would ring Emily and book her appointment for the next day, they would be sensitive to her request as they usually wouldn’t go to these lengths.

Jade went above and beyond to assist Emily and I am sure thanks will be made in due course. Jade said it was nothing and she is just happy she was able to help , Jade followed all our protocols and was simply amazing.

Peregrin Way TARA

By Rob Gooding, Community Organiser

The Peregrin Way TARA’s committee decided to step down during lockdown after years of service to the community, working with Nicky Hayes from RMBC Neighbourhoods, we set about holding engagement events to identify new members that are interested in taking over the running of the group.

So far, we have identified several members that could fill these rolls moving forward. As part of the engagement several residents have stated that they would like to see new activities taking place in the centre, and not just the usual bingo and luncheon clubs. We are currently working with the residents to identify activities that the new group would be able to hold in and around the centre. So far, the group has mentioned gardening clubs, knit and natter’s, craft groups and potentially a breakfast club one or two days a week.

Nicky and I are going to continue to work with and support the residents moving forward to set up the new committee and gain funding to hold these clubs. The group have an AGM on the 27/05/2021 where we hope the new committee will be formed and the changes to activities can start to happen as restrictions ease and allow.

During the AGM we did identify three members that would like to take over the group and we are now meeting with the on the 2/06/2021 to discuss how the transition will happen.

Rawmarsh – New Group

By Rachel Cole, Projects Officer

Whilst out on a walkabout of Rawmarsh a few weeks ago I got chatting to some council tenants who would like some help to set up a Neighbourhood Watch group.  They are having a few problems with drugs and a couple of the residents who live on the street.  An application for a CCTV camera on the street, where people seem to be dealing the drugs, has been put in for through the Ward Housing Hub.

I have designed a leaflet and this week distributed this to over 100 houses around the area asking if other residents are interested in getting involved in this group.  Once residents have got back to me, I will organise a meeting to move the group forwards at the local neighbourhood centre on Turner Close at the end of June.  I have spoken to RMBC staff and Councillors and they are willing to get involved in this group which is great.  The local PSCO’s will also be asked to attend for their support.

I am hoping this will be successful group which once I have helped to set up, they will become active on their own.  It will also be another group using the Turner Close Centre.

Serenity Community Gardens

By Sam Dixon, Community Organiser

I was approached by one of our volunteers who wanted to support with putting together an allotment group. The group came out of an idea created by CGL (Change, Grow, Live) who support people in recovery from addiction. The idea is around having an allotment space where people can go to grow things, create a space that they can be proud of, and, most of all, be there without judgement. The focus for the group is to be around recovery, not only for those battling the issues that exist around addiction, but also those overcoming mental health illness.

There was already a group of previous CGL users eager to join the group so it seemed quite simple. The group would dig and start planting, and I would assist with the paperwork so that they could look to opening a bank account and look to applying for funding.

This group was my first!! I was a so eager to get them up and running, to be honest, in hindsight, a little too eager. Not all of the group were confident in the responsibility of taking on a formal community group, and as part of my job role I should have been more aware of their lack of experience and how that was going to play a factor. Individuals had put themselves forward to take on the committee roles. There had even been a donation made to the group that paid for the ground rent for the plot with a little left over to pay for other bits and pieces.

Very quickly there was a conflict between the key members of the group, and it seemed as though the group was doomed to never get started. Another of the group leads was also facing up to the fact that they needed to go back into rehab and therefore wouldn’t be able to give their time as they would have initially liked. This also became a bit of a trigger for other members as well and it made me realise that to move forward I would have to offer a lot of support to the committee, and check in with them all regularly.

Serenity Community Gardens are now at the stage where they have a signed constitution, with committee members planning on attending the training being offered by RotherFed and VAR. They are working closely together to research which bank account will suit their needs best, a risk assessment and a code of conduct have been drawn up, and the allotment plot is starting to take shape. The members involved so far are proud of what they have achieved and looking at the future and at being able to offer the support to others in their journey of recovery.

Ferham Community Group

By Dan Barron, Community Organiser

The Ferham Community Group started over a year ago at the beginning of the pandemic with roughly 50 members. Now the online community page hosts 357 members. Kadeer has preserved with a consistent message” be the change you want to see”. It has not always been smooth sailing with engagement on the page but Kadeer’s message is starting to get through to the community. By conversing with those who only have negative comments and speaking with services Kadeer is building a community to create positive change. This is because he leads by example and now the community are starting to take notice.

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Rotherham Gaming Community

By Dan Barron, Community Organiser

The gaming group is now at 74 members on Facebook, and Dan is now posting for the group on Instagram. I will be speaking with Benji the group moderator and community lead about finalising the venue and plans for the May 17th guidance change.

The group wants to get a physical meet up as soon as possible. We have created a poll to see what people want to do with the first tutorial painting and testing army models. We are also looking at buying some supplies and building the first gaming board to be created by the gaming group so that attendees can being to practice war gaming! We have spoken to the lanes to start confirming dates now we are out of lockdown. Benji has started a painting competition in members are taking part in. Each member will receive a model to paint, and they will be posted in a poll to the group to decide on which model is the winner.

Friendship Call Volunteer – Chelsea

Chelsea approached us upon reaching her 18th birthday during March 2021. She had previously attended a talk at Thomas Rotherham College on how to become a friendship call volunteer but because of lockdown could not enrol back in November due to being under the age of 18. Chelsea started her first calls on 22nd March 2021 and has since shown so much potential as a young volunteer. She has been very consistent, taken on any extra calls when needed. During this month, she had been asked to take an elderly lady called Maureen on permanently as her usual volunteer had gone off sick. They immediately formed a very strong bond. Chelsea approached me to ask if she would be able to Skype Maureen in the future. After some discussion, Chelsea set up a new email account so that she could protect her personal details and will now proceed using Skype calls to Maureen (Maureen is very good on Skype). I asked Chelsea if she would be willing to become our first Digital Champion Volunteer and she has agreed, she would be supporting people with their preferred choice of social media, and she will be going out and about in the community after lockdown training both tenant voice and friendship volunteers as well as any participants that may be interested. Further to this, Chelsea is a very well-spoken young lady who also volunteers for St Johns Ambulance, and she has also agreed to become an ambassador for any other young volunteers or students wishing to become volunteers. We have reported back to Thomas Rotherham College on how Chelsea is expanding her role with us. She is an amazing young lady.

Friendship Call Participant – Mary

Mary came to us as a referral from Social Prescribing in September 2020. This lady had not been very well and although active had found that her life had changed since lockdown and she had then become ill. Mary enjoys cooking and reading books and during the initial stages of her being with us she had been receiving calls from staff members up until end of January. In February she was then paired with volunteer Chantelle and they immediately began to build a rapport with conversations lasting sometimes in excess of an hour and a half. They had become firm friends over the weeks following. Social Prescribing did a follow up with Mary in April and we received an email from the referrer ‘Just wanted to let you know that I got some lovely feedback from a patient who Chantelle calls. She is very much enjoying her calls.’ This highlights how important the calls are for those receiving them and Mary never misses a call.