Rosie is a freelance writer who has recently graduated from the University of Gloucestershire with a degree in English Language. In her spare time, Rosie can be found in the countryside walking her dog, or making her way through her bookshelf! You can contact Rosie on: rosie.buckley@thewritersdiary.co.uk

Volunteering can be a fantastic way to give back to your community and do something meaningful with your free time. Studies have shown that volunteering can boost your mental and physical health and make you feel healthier and happier.

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Volunteers Week is taking place between the 1st and the 6th of June. It is an annual event where the UK celebrates volunteers and gives thanks for the contribution that they make, meaning it’s the ideal time to get involved with charitable projects in your local area.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are eight ways you can give back to your community.

1. Visit the elderly
Older people are extremely vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation. A recent survey found that 1.4 million elderly people in the UK often feel lonely. Loneliness can have a huge impact on an older person’s physical and mental health and contribute to a wide range of health conditions including heart disease and depression.

Volunteering to visit the elderly can provide a valuable source of social interaction and help tackle loneliness and isolation in the older population. According to Helping Hands Home Care: “Whether you’d like to pop and visit older people in their homes once a week for a chat, develop essential life skills in communication, or even start a whole new chapter of your life, there are opportunities in every sector.”

2. Volunteer at your local school
Schools look for volunteers to help with a wide range of activities such as listening to students read, supporting teachers in the classroom, or helping at school events. Volunteering in a school can teach you valuable skills, especially if you want to pursue a career in the education sector.

Get in touch with schools in your local area if you would like to find out what volunteering opportunities are available.

3. Serve food in a homeless shelter
Homeless shelters provide an essential source of warmth, food, and socialisation for many homeless people in the UK. Shelters are always looking for volunteers to help prepare and serve meals and helping in a homeless shelter can be extremely rewarding. Visit Crisis UK for more advice on how to become a volunteer in a homeless shelter.

4. Donate blood
Giving blood saves lives and every blood donation can save up to three lives according to the NHS Blood and Transplant. The NHS needs more than 6,000 donors to give blood at sessions across England to meet patient needs and more donors are needed urgently.

You can register to become a blood donor and book an appointment by visiting www.blood.co.uk or calling 0300 123 23 23.

5. Volunteer at an animal shelter
Animal shelters are constantly looking for volunteers and taking care of animals can be lots of fun! Being a volunteer at an animal shelter can also improve your emotional and physical health and make you feel happier. Various studies have shown that interacting with animals can lower stress levels and blood pressure.

6. Coach a youth sports team
If you enjoy being active or have skills in a particular sport, coaching a youth sports team could be the ideal volunteering opportunity for you. You’ll get to pass on your skills, share your passion, and act as a positive role model to the team.

7. Arrange a park clean-up
Organising a clean-up in your local park is an easy way to reduce pollution and fight climate change. It will also create a cleaner and healthier environment for your local community to enjoy. Pick your clean-up location and day and ask people to get involved in the event by posting on Facebook or other community platforms online. Check out this blog for tips on how to arrange a successful community clean-up.

8. Donate clothes
Most people have piles of clothes that they no longer like or wear. Donating your unwanted clothes will help those less fortunate than you and give your unloved pieces a new home. Donating clothes will also help fight climate change by reducing the amount of textile waste going to landfills.

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Summary
Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills, meet new people, and boost your health and happiness. We all live busy lives and you may find it difficult to make time to volunteer. However, just half an hour a week can make a huge difference to your community. Find out what volunteering opportunities are in your local area and start making a positive impact today!

 

Details of the ebay for change programme can be found here: https://pages.ebay.co.uk/ebay-for-change/

They are now getting ready to take on their fourth wave of sellers who will be selling on the platform in time for Christmas 2022 respectively.

Training will begin in September 2022.

If your social enterprise would like to part of the programme then you can complete an application here: https://pages.ebay.co.uk/ebay-for-change/

As part of the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport’s (DCMS) Online Media Literacy Strategy, the National Youth Agency (NYA), based in Leicester City, has received funding from DCMS to design a new module to upskill youth workers in media literacy skills, enabling them to discuss issues surrounding online safety with young people they support.

Many young people have grown up in a digital age with access to computers, technology, and the internet; making it essential that youth workers are able to effectively respond to young people’s changing needs in the new digital landscape.

The free course contains 5 micro-modules:

• How the online environment operates, includes commercial motivations behind online platforms, digital advertising, and how and why digital communities are used by young people
• How online content is generated and can be critically analysed, looking specifically at awareness of dis-information and how to fact-check to determine veracity
• The risks of sharing personal data online, centring on how personal data can be used by others and the importance of protecting online privacy
• Understanding how actions online have consequences offline, highlighting what behaviour is not acceptable online and the impact extended screen-time can have on wellbeing
• How youth work can enable young people to engage in safe and positive online engagement, brings together learning from modules 1-4 and applying this knowledge to support young people with improving their safety and wellbeing in digital spaces

Volunteer and staff within the local VCSE youth sector may wish to access this free training.

Further details and how to book can be found here.

 

Details of his appointment can be found here.

Orlando delivered his inaugural speech on 4 May 2022 at the Trustee Exchange Conference in London. Within that speech he states “ I want the work of the Commission I lead to be informed by 3 key values – fairness, balance and independence. “ You can find out more about his ideas regarding these values here.

He recognises the contribution of trustees. Explaining that

“Trusteeship requires personal sacrifices. It means giving time and energy you might otherwise dedicate to your careers, or your family, in serving your charity and the people it helps. We are all in your debt.”

He asks trustees to consider two areas where you could do something yet more for your charity.

• The first concerns your legal duty of prudence as trustees, or as you may know it, managing your charity’s resources responsibly. “ Please think on this carefully and consistently, as your charity prepares to navigate the choppy waters ahead of the cost of living crisis, and other as yet unnamed crises. “Utilising the charity commission managing charity’s finances guidance might be a good starting. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/managing-charity-finances

If your charity is based in Leicestershire, supporting local communities and  would like help with managing your charity get in touch with VAL’s helpline 0116 257 5050 or helpline@valonline.org.uk. Your request for support will then be allocated to a member of the sector support team.

• The second concerns the ongoing recruitment of trustees for the sector.  “As you will know from the research, you are statistically the most likely people to be able to recruit more trustees for your own charity. So please don’t lose sight of this special trustee superpower: advocate for your organisation, for the endorphins of volunteering, and the good work that you do. And, when recruiting new trustees, please work to make any recruitment drive as inclusive and diverse as possible, thus ensuring the continued excellence of the sector.”

VAL can provide support with recruiting operational volunteers and trustees. You can find out more about registering opportunities and obtaining one to one support here: https://valonline.org.uk/recruit-volunteers/

NCVO, in their governance round up article, describes the purpose of the new Act to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for charities to operate. It does this by allowing for:

• More straightforward amendment of governing documents where the Charity Commission needs to approve the change – the same test will now apply to all charities, rather than different tests for different forms
• Reduced rules around disposal of property, ex gratia payments, and charity mergers
• Flexibility in the way that charities can use permanently endowed funds.

The government’s implementation plan provides details of what comes into force in Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, and Autumn 2023.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charities-act-2022-implementation-plan

Some of the first provisions that come in force include:

• Section 30: Remuneration of charity trustees etc. providing goods or services to charity
• Section 32: Trustee of charitable trust: status as trust corporation

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If you are a Leicestershire county based organisation and would like to discuss any topics relating to governance of your organisation, you can contact VAL using the helpline email helpline@valonline.org.uk . Or phone number 0116 257 5050.
Your request for support will then be allocated to a member of the sector support team.

Although services will not be delivered as UAVA Ltd,  member organisations of this consortium will continue to provide commissioned services.

The new services will be delivered by organisations including Freeva, Living Without Abuse, Women’s Aid Leicestershire Limited and Panahghar.

The new contracts will build on current provision which has been in place since December 2015.

The existing helpline number, 0808 80 200 28, which is a free phone, and hidden from bills, will remain and will be for both members of the public and professionals.  This will be the main route for people to access or signpost to all domestic and sexual violence services locally.

The current professional line 0116 255 0004 will be phased out over the next few months.

Further details of the new services are as follows:

Service Name & Interventions	Provider	Eligibility	Access
Helpline & Engagement Service Helpline: 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week 10am – 4pm on Bank Holidays Advice, advocacy, information on rights, processes and option Emotional support face to face and webchat Assessment of need, risk and Barriers/ Safety planning Co-ordination of support Access to accommodation if required Support through the Specialist Domestic Violence Court Represent the victim’s voice at Daily MARAC Onward referral to other specialist services as appropriate Initial support specific to children and young people Initial assessment/support for perpetrators	Freeva www.freeva.org.uk	Services are available to: Adult and Children victims of domestic and sexual violence Family/Friends Professionals Perpetrators of domestic violence/abuse Children & Young people using violence /abuse within dating relationships or towards parents/carers. Services are available to all who reside (temporarily or permanently) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28,Online referral form via websiteWeb-chat Text phone: 07715 994 962 Email: info@freeva.org.uk
Sexual Violence & Abuse Service Individual and group support victims Support through the criminal justice system Support to help victims to cope and recover Training	Freeva www.freeva.org.uk	Available to all who reside (temporarily or permanently) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and have been subject to sexual violence or abuse and other third parties who are concerned about them. The service is available to victims of all ages	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28Online referral form via website
Leicester children, young people, and families domestic abuse service Individual and group support for children, young people, and parents. Specialist workers for young people. Practical and emotional support. Training.	Living Without Abuse www.lwa.org.uk	Resident temporarily or permanently in Leicester and with children under 18 in the household and Have experienced domestic abuse which is having a current detrimental impact on the children and young people in those families. Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28Online referral form via websiteIn person via community hubs
Leicester Domestic Abuse Locality Service (adults) Individual and single sex group support Advice clinics Support at court Training	Living Without Abuse www.lwa.org.uk	Age 16 or over and; resident temporarily or permanently in Leicester and; have experienced domestic abuse and be suffering a current detrimental impact of that. For men and women. Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28, Online referral form via website In person via community hubs
Leicester Domestic abuse perpetrator service Respect accredited programme Foundations programme Dad’s programme Partner and ex-partner support worker Training	Freeva – The Jenkins Centre www.jenkinscentre.org	Aged 18 years and over Resident temporarily or permanently in Leicester No ongoing court proceedings connected to domestic abuse Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28, Online referral form via website
Leicester Women’s Refuge 15 units of refuge accommodation in Leicester over two sites and staff on site. Regular individual support and advocacy Emotional and practical support, including with move-on into independent housing. Access 24 hours a day. Free accessible WiFi	Women’s Aid Leicestershire Limited www.wa-leicester.org.uk	Women aged 16 or over with or without children Resident or fleeing to Leicester At current risk of domestic abuse Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28, Online referral form via website
Minoritised Ethnic Communities Women’s Refuge 15 units of refuge accommodation in Leicester over two sites and staff on site, some suitable for larger families. Regular individual support and advocacy Emotional and practical support, including with move-on into independent housing. Access 24 hours a day. Free accessible WiFi	Panahghar Safehouse Ltd www.safehouse.org.uk	Women from a BME community aged 16 or over with or without children Resident or fleeing to Leicester At current risk of domestic abuse Accessible to those in employment and in full time study and with no recourse to public funds.	Access via the helpline 0808 80 200 28, Online referral form via website

Harmless’s clinical team are running a virtual event on Thursday 12 May 2022 10am to 11am to explain :

• What to expect from the Harmless Self Harm Support Service
• How to signpost and refer into their service
• Case studies and testimonials from individuals supported
• How they can work with you to ensure early intervention and care for those affected by self-harm
• The funded (free to delegates) self-harm training offer which is open to professionals working across Leicester/shire

As well as answering any questions you might have about the service.

You can book to attend the event here.

If you are unable to attend the event, but wish to signpost someone to this new local service, the online secure form can be found here.

For more information contact the organisation direct.

This year’s theme, is ‘Loneliness’.

The Mental Health Foundation, who organise the week, describe why they chose the theme. “ Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK and has had a huge impact on our physical and mental health during the pandemic. Our connection to other people and our community is fundamental to protecting our mental health and we need to find better ways of tackling the epidemic of loneliness. We can all play a part in this. Reducing loneliness is a major step towards a mentally healthy society.”

For more details about the week and how you can get involved click here.

More locally, Mind, a national charity with a network of around 125 local Minds across England and Wales, has made a commitment to work tirelessly until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets the support and respect they deserve. To help honour this commitment they have ambitions to develop support and services across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR).

They aim to develop identity, to influence, and to have impact in the local area and they will do this by putting people at the heart of what they do.

Their services and support packages are evidence-based and co-designed with people who have lived experience of mental health problems.

If you would like further information about how they are establishing a Local Mind for LLR or would like to support the organisation in any way, contact Rachel Nott, Mind Nottinghamshire’s Engagement and Development Lead  at rachel.nott@nottinghamshiremind.org.uk