Meet Gail Squires – a long-time volunteer and book enthusiast!

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As part of our work to highlight the contributions of people whose work involves or supports volunteers, we met up with Gail Squires, who has been a volunteer with Ripon Library Action Group (RLAG) since its formation in 2017 – and is now also one of the Group’s trustees. We asked her about her love for volunteering and also found out a little something that not many people know!
Please introduce yourself

Ripon Library Action Group was formed in 2017 when the then North Yorkshire County Council reorganised its library provision. Ripon Library is a hybrid library that has permanent paid staff supported by a team of volunteers.

I have been a volunteer at Ripon since it became a hybrid library. In my role, I assist the staff by ensuring that:

  • returned books are correctly shelved
  • reserved books are processed using the computer system
  • books are picked for reservation requests – including those for housebound users and book groups
  • new library members are welcomed and signed up.

I also help with numerous types of enquiries, keep the library tidy and carry out anything else the staff ask me to do!!  I am also now a Trustee of the Ripon Library Action Group (RLAG)

What attracted you to the organisation and role?

I became involved in volunteering at the library because, at the time, I was responsible for collecting and returning books for a reading group I had joined. I had just moved to part-time working hours and I wished to help to ensure that the library continued to provide its many important services.

What would you say to anyone thinking of becoming a volunteer?

When thinking of becoming a volunteer, I feel it is important to do something that you have an interest in, be it outdoors, creative arts, performing arts, befriending, becoming more involved in the local community, etc.

Find the organisation or person that can provide more information and even try out various different areas to find the one that is most suited to your interests and the time that you are able to give.

The best piece of advice given to me, once I had decided where to volunteer, was: ‘If not sure of anything – ask!’.

Finally, please tell us something about yourself that your fellow volunteers would be surprised to know

Whilst not a spring chicken myself, I have always been active, which keeps me out of mischief.  I spent my early working life nursing and then latterly in administrative roles working around my family commitments.

I enjoy keeping fit, particularly swimming, so much so that in 2015 I swam in Lake Windermere as part of the Great North Swim with my daughter raising money for the Royal British Legion and St Michael’s Hospice.

I sing in a local community choir, love animals (especially dogs), enjoy helping to look after my grandchildren (getting into mischief) and cooking – I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Michel Roux Jnr. Oh, and I am married to a former England and British Lions Rugby player!

Why are community digital hubs such a fantastic idea?

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With our popular Digital Inclusion Programme now open for new funding applications, project manager Michael Fletcher asks why digital hubs are so important to make sure no-one in the community is left behind. He writes:

Today, it feels like more and more of what we need to do is moving online. Have you ever thought about how your organisation could help your community so that everyone can learn about how to get online and get ahead in the digital world? That’s what a community digital hub is all about! Let’s dive into why setting one up is such a fantastic idea.

Not everyone has the same access to tech and the internet. A digital hub makes sure everyone, no matter what their background is, can get online and use technology. It’s all about making sure no-one gets left behind.

A digital hub isn’t just about tech

A digital hub isn’t just about tech; it’s also a place to meet new people and stay connected. People can learn how to video chat to help stay in touch with friends and family – reducing loneliness and making new connections.

Learning new digital skills can also open so many job opportunities. Whether it’s finding a new job online, learning how to work remotely, or even starting an online business, a digital hub can be a game-changer for people looking to improve their career prospects.

From finding reliable health information to using fitness apps, a digital hub can help residents stay healthy and informed. Plus, they can learn about online health services.

Support is currently available through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to provide funding to establish digital hubs along with training and ongoing support to train volunteers/staff as digital champions.

Top tips for applicants

Interested in applying? Then here are some tips from applicants who have been successful so far:

  • Clearly demonstrate the local need
  • Think about what categories of people in your community need digital support and what scale of support do you think you could provide?
  • Ask yourself if digital support can be a bolt on to existing services you provide? For example, if you run a coffee morning, could you include a digital drop-in service for people to get help?
  • Explore whether you could run a donation scheme for IT equipment to provide to those without access to a device
  • Think about whether you could broaden support, so it is available for the wider community and not just those who currently use your facilities?
  • And, if you don’t have a venue you can use, are you able to take digital support to the users, either in their home or using community venues such as village halls to make it easier for people to access?
Apply by July 26

If you are interested in learning more, please contact project manager, Michael Fletcher. You need to be quick though, as the closing date for applications is 26 July.

For all the information you need, visit the North Yorkshire Council website.

Measuring the big impact that small charities have

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For this year’s Small Charity Week, our Head of VCSE Support, Carole Roberts, delves into the tricky topic of impact measurement. She writes:

Over the past few months, our VCSE support team has been busy reviewing and refreshing our skills and knowledge around measuring impact.

Why? Because small charities are asking for our support with this – whether for funding applications, annual reporting or to help with developing new activities.

We all know that small charities across North Yorkshire can have a big impact and for this year’s Small Charity Week I thought I would share some of the effective questions that can help measure the impact of the charities you are involved with, with a challenge to give it a go.

Asking these questions of your communities – be that staff, volunteers, trustees or beneficiaries – should open up conversations and give you real evidence of the difference you are making.

See how you get on, inserting your charity’s name where I have used our fictional ‘Village Volunteers’.

  • Since you got involved with ‘Village Volunteers’ what, if anything, has changed about how you feel about yourself and your life?
  • Why have things changed? What is it about ‘Village Volunteers’ that has helped this happen?
  • Have these changes impacted anyone else, for example family members? If so, who has it affected and how?
  • Since you got involved with ‘Village Volunteers’, have any other things in your life helped or got in the way of where you want to get to – for example, children, supportive partner or poor health? If so please give details.
  • What would have happened if you hadn’t been involved with ‘Village Volunteers’? For example, how would you feel about yourself? What would you be doing?

The answers can help with many aspects of running a small charity; showing you what is effective (do more of) and how you contribute to changing people’s lives. You may also discover how your work adds value and contributes to wider changes in people’s lives. You could record the answers, summarise them or just make mental notes to use at a later date.

People in small charities are change-makers and know they are making a huge difference. But measuring this in a more formal way can be daunting, time-consuming and often falls to the bottom of the to-do list. Embedding some of these questions into your day-to-day work could be one method of hearing about the impact on those around you.

Meanwhile, look out for the support we are developing this autumn to help small charities develop their impact measurement. In the meantime, if you need a bit of a hand with measuring your impact now, do get in touch.

Helping young people have their voices heard in health and social care services

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In this blog, we hear from Zach Ransome, Community Co-ordinator at CaVCA, about their role to empower volunteers by helping them gain skills, boost their confidence and inspire them to achieve their full potential.

 

My name is Zach Ransome. I am autistic, chronically ill and non-binary and I feel empowered in my current role at CaVCA. I recently completed an Applied Psychology degree at Coventry University Scarborough Campus, and this has led me to working as a freelance community co-ordinator for CaVCA on a project we are working on with Healthwatch North Yorkshire called CORE20PLUS5.

Providing young people with a platform to have their views and voices heard regarding health care services in coastal towns is incredibly important as these are the people of the future, they are the change makers, and we need to hear their views and opinions.

As a collective we are hoping to collect data regarding five main areas of healthcare (Asthma, Diabetes, Mental health, Epilepsy and Oral health) to understand further the health inequalities within coastal towns like Scarborough and how improvements could be made.

This will be an empowering experience for our volunteers and the young people they connect with whilst undertaking the interviews regarding their access to healthcare as this will not only provide them with a platform to have their say but it will also create connections within the community and inspire confidence.

As a Community Co-ordinator, I personally support the volunteers with anything they need help with, and I hope to empower them further by providing them with skills to boost their confidence and show them what they are capable of regardless of what difficulties they have themselves.

Volunteering on this project is not just about the data, it is also about marginalised voices being heard within small coastal towns which are often missed off the map when it comes to research which is incredibly important to me and the team I am working with.

Young people deserve to have their voices heard and are often dismissed regarding ideas around health care and services provided, as a collective we are incredibly excited about this bit of research because we are encouraging young people to speak up and get involved in research within their community and I personally believe community creates connection which we should all be striving for.

Please check out the CaVCA website to find out more about this project if you wish to be involvement; we would be delighted to hear from you!

Community Connectors | CaVCA 

Equity and Inclusion in Volunteering

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In her blog for Volunteers’ Week, Hetty Nanor, Community Volunteering Project Officer at Hambleton Community Action, encourages us all to listen to our volunteers and ensure that we are supporting their individual needs.

It is interesting to realise how various voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations are passionate about sourcing funding to promote equity and inclusion across their boards. It is an undeniable fact that the majority of their goals, and the impact they make in society, could not be achieved without volunteers giving their time and experiences back to their communities.

As much as such organisations have great plans on paper, the question that comes to mind is – do their strategies put people first? What I mean by that is are they person-centred? Do volunteers enjoy the universal human right of inclusion? Are they treated fairly and supported, taking into consideration their individual needs? These questions need the right answers if VCSEs are looking to recruit and retain volunteers in the longer-term. It is evident that people choose to volunteer where they are supported and valued.

In my organisation we believe that the benefits of volunteering should be available to everyone, and that anyone who walks through our doors and expresses the interest to volunteer with us deserves to be listened to, and be provided with the support they need to thrive in their community. As a result, every week we take prospective volunteers through our onboarding process. I am an advocate on inclusion, equity and empowerment because it brings the best out of people. This takes me to my Masters dissertation in gender politics. I chose to do my research on women empowerment. The reason was that from my country of origin it was evident that there were many well-meaning charitable organisations sourcing funding to empower women by disbursing physical cash to them to invest in trades. However, my research showed that due to the patriarchal conditions in the country, the males living in the households with these women were in charge of the cash so in actual fact the women were not in control and the aim of those projects to empower women was defeated.

What am I driving at? For volunteers to be included and supported as individuals there is the need for their voice to be heard so their specific need for support can be identified and addressed. The support needs could range from ensuring volunteers are not out of pocket, providing mentoring support to build confidence, help with filling out onboarding forms, creating a welcoming atmosphere to work in, using acceptable language, holding social events just for volunteers such as quizzes, meals, tea or coffee out, providing the necessary infrastructure facilities and the list goes on. This is a quote I would like to share in the light of today’s blog:

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced” by James Baldwin, American writer and civil rights activist.

In conclusion, and from a professional point of view, inclusion is being asked to dance at a party and equity is being part of the organising committee.

I hope this piece will motivate organisations to do  their research – listening to their volunteers and providing them with support appropriate to their individual needs, recognising everybody’s capability to make a worthwhile contribution.

Happy Volunteering Week Celebrations.

Find out more about volunteering with Hambleton Community Action on their website.

Search for volunteering roles on the NCVO (the National Council for Volunteering Organisation) website. There are links to multiple volunteering websites from organisations such as Vinspired, and Volunteering Matters.

Need help with recruiting and retaining volunteer, or any other area of volunteer management, get in touch with our VCSE Support team.

Want to get in touch with fellow volunteer managers and coordinators and share advice and learning, why not join our Volunteer Coordinators Network?

 

What do a brass band, a spaniel and a plant sale have in common?  

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How to find volunteers and for volunteers to find you

By Carole Roberts, Community Support Delivery Manager at Community First Yorkshire. Carole was previously Volunteer Coordinator at the National Trust, Huddersfield Mission and Love Bread CIC.

Walking up to the Milton Rooms in Malton recently, we heard them before we saw them: a local brass band banging out some familiar tunes. A fantastic way to attract attention to the local Rotary Club’s recent ‘Involve’ event: an annual showcase for community groups to reach out to potential volunteers and a chance for local people to check out the volunteering opportunities in their area.

The main hall was jam-packed with stalls; everything from the local museum to environmental groups; all with leaflets, freebies and, most importantly, passion for their cause. This is what makes such events so powerful: meeting the people who are best placed to recruit new volunteers and to promote their own brand of social action.

In the volunteering sector, there is often talk of difficulties in recruiting new volunteers, with follow-up challenges around retainment and reward. A 2022 survey of NAVCA members showed 63% of members having significant concerns about recruiting volunteers, with 55% worried about support and retention. Having adapted to a pandemic volunteering model, we must now all adapt again to a post-Covid model. Flexibility, inclusivity, and experimentation are emerging themes. For example, joining in with one-off social action events or becoming a trustee offer up all the benefits of traditional volunteering models without the often unrealistic demands of ‘every Tuesday morning’.

Back to the Involve event and surely making the time to connect in an authentic way must top the list for effective ways to get people involved. Worried about your lack of experience or whether a role can be adapted to suit your needs? Asking the questions face to face will open up the discussion and help your decision. Are your volunteering roles interesting enough to attract new people? This is a chance to compare and contrast with other organisations. We would all find it easier to turn up for the first time if we recognise a face or arrange to meet someone. We would also appreciate clear expectations and appropriate tasks in what we choose to do.

Many people at the event were looking ahead to retirement; searching for an activity and a cause to smooth the transition from employment. People transferring their skills and experience from one sector to another; making a difference and maintaining social connection.  ‘Involve’ showcased people helping people and communities supporting communities. With so many benefits and beneficiaries, the future of volunteering looks bright.

 

Search for volunteering roles on the NCVO (the National Council for Volunteering Organisation) website. There are links to multiple volunteering websites from organisations such as Vinspired, and Volunteering Matters.

Need help with recruiting and retaining volunteer, or any other area of volunteer management, get in touch with our VCSE Support team.

Want to get in touch with fellow volunteer managers and coordinators and share advice and learning, why not join our Volunteer Coordinators Network?

 

Volunteers’ Week: “Everyone has something to offer.”

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In celebration of Volunteers’ Week, we caught up with Debby Lennox, head of community operations at Dementia Forward.

In this blog, Debby discusses her volunteering role at Dementia Forward’s Wellbeing Café and shares some of her monumental moments which surprised (and delighted!) her:

Nine years ago, I started working two days a week for Dementia Forward, recruiting and supporting volunteers. With a young family, this part-time role suited me perfectly, but also provided me with the luxury of some spare hours. Not one for either relaxing or doing the housework, I decided that, for just a few of those hours, I would offer myself as a volunteer to Dementia Forward’s Wellbeing Café.

If someone decided to analyse me, I am sure that I would come out as a ‘kinesthetic learner’, because I felt I couldn’t recruit people to a role without a proper understanding of what it entailed, and what, as a new recruit, I might find challenging. One of my first lessons came very early on, when a gentleman carer asked if I would sit with his wife, while he spoke to a support advisor. He led his wife to the table and steadied her as she sat on the chair next to me. He explained that she would find it difficult to talk to me, but that she loved ‘Connect 4’, so I set up a game.

Prior to playing I thought I was a dab hand at this game and felt I should take it easy on my opponent. However, as I quickly discovered, she was incredible at the game! So much so that when her husband re-joined us, I had my tail between my legs, and she had five wins under her belt!

This game was my fast-track course in treating everyone as an individual, getting to know their skills and maximising them, and learning that people are full of surprises. It wasn’t the only lesson I learned in my short time as a volunteer, but it is one that I hope has held me in good stead.

One of the most wonderful moments came a year or two later, when I recruited a volunteer with dementia. Tom had seen my advert for volunteers and approached me to see whether he was able to do the role as he had recently received his diagnosis. After a conversation about how we could support him and the need for open communication from both sides on how it was working, I whole-heartedly agreed. Afterall, we are encouraging other organisations to support and encourage people with dementia to volunteer, so how could we not offer this opportunity ourselves?

It was Tom’s first shift at the wellbeing café, and we had volunteers manning the kitchen, volunteers chatting and engaging people within the room, volunteers playing games and leading activities. Tom stood by the door, not yet sure of his role, until a new attendee arrived and tentatively poked his head round the door, before retreating. Tom noticed, opened the door and invited him in, with the words “Hello I’m Tom and I have dementia. What’s your name?”. The other man’s nervousness was completely gone, and the two men moved into the group, comfortably chatting.

These are just two examples of what every person I have met during my time at Dementia Forward has reiterated for me. Everyone has something to offer. Every interaction is valuable; every cake baked, bus driven, phone call made, song sung, smile offered, makes a difference. Volunteers enable an organisation to support people quickly and effectively and their value cannot be measured and should never be underestimated.

So, could that next volunteer be you? You might not think that your skills or experience would make you a great volunteer for a particular organisation. You might not really know what a role would involve, and may be nervous about asking. You might not think you fit the role that an organisation is promoting. But you might actually be just what they are looking for, they just haven’t met you yet.

To find out more about Dementia Forward’s volunteering roles across North Yorkshire, visit their website  or email debby.lennox@dementiaforward.org.uk. For further volunteering inspiration, roles and resources, head to our Volunteers’ Week 2024 page.

Happy Volunteers’ Week!

 

“I feel I couldn’t have chosen a better cause, or found a better use of my time.”

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Scarborough Dial a Ride volunteer driver, Jonathan K, shares his passion for getting behind the wheel and providing a real life line for communities:

Over the last 40 years, I was fortunate to have had a busy and enjoyable international career in catering and hospitality, which had taken me and my family to several exciting places around the world. Retirement eventually beckoned and we resettled in Scarborough, where years before my wife had been a pupil at the Scarborough Convent and her father was a bursar at Scarborough College – it was a familiar and attractive place.

I soon realised I couldn’t sit still and I wanted to find something worthwhile to keep me busy. A feature in the local paper about the exploits of Scarborough Dial a Ride, and their need for more volunteers seemed to be worth exploring further. A little over 10 years ago, I drove my first Dial a Ride bus, met my fellow staff and volunteers, and picked up my first passenger. I feel I couldn’t have chosen a better cause, or found a better use of my time.

It is evident that the service provided by Dial a Ride is a real life line to many of our passengers – be it a trip to the shops, meeting for a coffee with friends, or attending a long awaited hospital appointment – the service is secure, reliable, economical and very importantly, friendly…for many passengers, the trip out with a Dial a Ride team can be their main social interaction of the week. It’s not just a community transport service, it’s also an informal welfare and support service, much welcomed by many of our users. From my point of view the satisfaction I get from being involved is instant: our customers are rarely slow to provide opinions about our services!!

In addition to the pleasure I get from providing a service which is much needed and appreciated by customers, there is also the enjoyment and fun I get from working with the Dial a Ride staff and other volunteers. We are a very mixed bunch of folk, and the banter and opinions exchanged in the crew room adds another welcome dimension to the voluntary day.

I try to drive for Dial a Ride one day a week, and I can safely say that generally it’s the most satisfying day I have each week, and the rest of the week is pretty good too! Like any business supported heavily by volunteers, Dial a Ride needs more volunteers, so we can continue to provide these much needed services to a growing group of passengers. If you’re considering finding a voluntary role, give it a try – it’s truly rewarding, and the feedback is instant.

 

Scarborough Dial A Ride provides fully accessible, affordable, door to door transport for anyone over the age of 60, or those of any age with some form of disability, living within our 10 mile service area.

Starting in 1983 with one old, second hand minibus, we have extensively developed our services in the area with a modern fleet of fully accessible, specialised vehicles.

We now help hundreds of people each year maintain their independence by providing reliable and caring transport to go shopping, visit friends or relatives, go to church, day centres, restaurants and leisure pursuits, as well as health related appointments.

Our spacious minibuses are fitted with lifts as well as low steps and grab rails for ease of boarding. For longer journeys, our MPV cars are wheelchair accessible and provide safe and comfortable transport.

For more information and an informal chat about volunteering, please contact us on 01723 354434 between 8.30am and 5pm, Monday-Friday.

‘To be a great leader, you need to be a better follower’

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Jane Colthup, Chief Executive at Community First Yorkshire, shares her thoughts in the wake of our Ordinary Extraordinary Leaders conference on 22 May:

What a day our first leadership conference was on Wednesday. It was inspirational, and at times emotional, and to be under the same roof as so many leaders was a real privilege. There was a real buzz in the room, one of excitement to make ourselves and our organisations even better – after all, we were all gathered to learn how we can develop on our Ordinary Extraordinary Leadership journeys.

This was so much more than a conference – we had panel discussions, fireside chats and a Swap Shop plus some incredible speakers. Many of the questions posed by the delegates, I’m sure resonated with a lot of us, and while challenging at times, they gave us a lot to think about.

There was so much to capture and be inspired by. Here are my top thoughts and impressions of the day:

Aside from wishing I had an Aunt Flossie like SELFA’s Emma Pears had to inspire her with words such as ‘Rules were made to be broken’, I was blown away by the amount of talent, dedication and visionary people working in our sector.

The fireside chats with Richard Flinton, Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Council and Prof Stephen Eames CBE, Chief Executive of Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, I hope, showed a different side to them as leaders.

During our Breakthrough Moments panel discussion, we learned an important lesson from Paul McCay, Chief Executive of the Wilf Ward Trust that we should never underestimate where the power is – the PA is key! Wise words!

From Natasha Babar-Evans, Chief Executive of Better Connect, we heard that it’s alright to fail as long as you learn from it, pivot and change. It’s important that we all get out of our comfort zones as well, something that is often hard to do when we’re all so busy yet keeps our learning as leaders fresh and relevant.

Something that Valentina Hynes, founder of SVH Inc. CIC said (and you can look at her presentation here) that has really landed is, “To be a leader you must always reflect. Are you inspiring people? Are you allowing people time to breathe? Ask yourself the difficult questions.” How often are we honest enough with ourselves to do this?

The Founder Moments panel discussion revealed that we need to ‘chuck away Imposter Syndrome,’ we don’t need to ask permission and that sometimes the most extraordinary moments are when you fail – it’s what you learn from your failures that is the gold. Oh, and don’t forget that we should never buy pens, always steal them (thanks Jill Quinn, Dementia Forward – sound advice)!

I, for one, shed a few tears at the incredible presentation from Debbie North, Access the Dales and I know many of you were moved by her beautifully told story.

I know all of us appreciated the candour and honesty from Major General Zac Stenning as he talked about his role as a leader in shaping change within the Army. Although a totally different sector, there were many parallels in leadership that we can all relate to and learn from.

This was for me,  a magical day and I want to reiterate my thanks to everyone – the speakers, panellists, marketplace stallholders, contributors and, most importantly, the guests who made the day so captivating.

 

Let’s keep the momentum going. If you were able to attend, do share your favourite moments with us either by email, on social media using the hashtag #OrdinaryExtraordinary or give us your feedback in our short post event evaluation form.

Why not visit our online VCSE leadership hub which will point you to leadership development activities that can support the path you choose?

VCSE Collaborative hosts first Humber and North Yorkshire VCSE Expo

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On 22 April, Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership’s Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Collaborative brought representatives from the VCSE sector together, in Hull, for the first Humber and North Yorkshire VCSE Expo.

The VCSE Collaborative welcomed Stephen Eames CBE, Chief Executive, and Amanda Bloor, Deputy Chief Executive, Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, to engage in conversation with attendees about the VCSE sector’s involvement in the design and delivery of health and care in our region. These discussions provided insight into the challenges facing health and care, and offered reassurance that the VCSE sector is an essential partner within the integrated care system. There was a clear commitment to developing greater collaboration as we move forward, and recognition of the work the VCSE sector can deliver.

‘Conversational spaces’ held during the event were also a highlight and provided attendees with the opportunity to share their experiences, knowledge and ideas around the following topics:

  • Health Inequalities – how is the VCSE sector supporting people and communities to tackle health inequalities?
  • Integrated Care Board/Place – Exploring how the ICB connects with the VCSE at place level.
  • Communications – how does the VCSE Collaborative ensure their communications meet the needs of the VCSE sector?
  • Representation – what are the opportunities and how are they best managed?
  • Place-based Assemblies – exploring what each assembly needs to function effectively.
  • Volunteering – How do we work as a system to create a high quality volunteer offer?
  • Workforce/People – Discussing opportunities such as wellbeing, training, staff movement and placements.
  • VCSE Collaborative – what do you want to see from the VCSE Collaborative going forward?
Showcasing the VCSE sector’s work in health and care

To highlight the VCSE sector’s expertise and knowledge in the delivery of health and care across our region, the VCSE Collaborative commissioned a series of short videos to show as part of the Expo. The videos provide insight into the importance of the VCSE sector’s role in the design and delivery of health and care and capture the breath of the sector’s work across our region. View each video below:

What next?

Feedback from attendees gathered during and after the event is now being reviewed and will form an action plan for the VCSE Collaborative to deliver. This will be shared on the VCSE Collaborative website and through their newsletter.

To discover more about the VCSE Collaborative’s work, visit their website.

If you have any questions about the VCSE Collaborative’s work, please email: hnyicb.vcseteam@nhs.net