Organisation News

Autumn Workshops from VSNS

VSNS are committed to building skills in local voluntary organisations to help all of us improve the lives of people in North Surrey together. All our training is at no cost.

We're pleased to share our autumn program with you and hope that one of the sessions will be of interest - please sign up by clicking the workshop (or more than one!) and completing the appropriate registration form:

Charity Law for Trustees 15/10/21, 1pm to 4pm, Chertsey

Stay up to date with legal and other responsibilities of charity trusteeship at our workshop led by Charity Law expert Helen Harvie.

Find Your Social Media Voice 27/10/21, 10am to 1pm, Zoom

What to say, who to say it to, when and which platform to use to say it.

Volunteering and the Law 2/11/21, 10am to 1pm, Zoom

Learn about or refresh your knowledge on volunteering and the law with an overview of the current legislation relating to volunteers.

Recruiting & Managing Young Volunteers (19-25 yrs) 9/11/21, 9.45am to 1pm, Zoom

Help your voluntary organisation understand the benefits of young people as volunteers and get the knowledge, tools and confidence to recruit young volunteers (19-25 years)

Virtual Volunteering 18/11/21, 10am to 1pm, Zoom

Learn how to add a virtual component to your volunteer service by building an online volunteer community and creating virtual volunteer assignments

Organisation News / Voluntary Sector Training - 09/29/2021

Visit by The Mayor of Surrey Heath Cllr Sarah Jane Croke

"Some of the Voluntary Support North Surrey Team had the pleasure and honour of meeting the Worshipful Mayor of Surrey Heath Councillor Sarah Jane Croke this afternoon

The Mayor has taken time to personally visit and thank charitable organisations who assisted residents throughout the pandemic.

We were delighted to receive thanks from the Mayor for our significant contribution in Surrey Heath;

Alison Morey recruited and onboarded more than 350 volunteers to assist the Primary Care Network with the vaccination initiative at Lakeside. At it's peak, 111 shifts of volunteers were required each day. Colin Morey has had the unenviable task of scheduling the shifts for all these volunteers, successfully sourcing and implementing technology to assist and facilitate the process. Without doubt the Lakeside vaccination centre is an excellent example of a well run and efficient vaccination site.

Libby Holcombe supports and builds capacity in Surrey Heath charities and voluntary groups, assisting them with their front line work and also delivered PPE throughout the pandemic.

Elaine Hawes (missing from the photo) ensures that Time to Talk befriending offered a friendly voice and/or visit to those feeling most isolated. Indeed, with the support of Elaine, some visiting continued throughout the winter in gardens, at a safe social distanc

VSNS actively participated in the COVID Champions initiative, ensuring the dissemination of accurate health and wellbeing messages to local residents and recruited local volunteers to deliver oximeters across the borough.

Our Chairperson, Helen Frary, was present to receive thanks on behalf of the volunteer VSNS board who have worked flexibly throughout the pandemic agilely adapting as needs required.

The vaccination program is continuing across North Surrey, with booster vaccinations for our vulnerable residents and flu clinics. Some of our amazing volunteers have gone back to work or moved on to new challenges so we are continuing to recruit marshal volunteers. If you, or anyone you know, would like to get involved in keeping our community well, we really need you.

Please contact alison@voluntarysupport.org.uk or call 01932 571122"

Solette Sheppardson, Chief Officer, Voluntary Support North Surrey

Organisation News - 09/28/2021

Measuring Impact

You know that you are doing good things and your beneficiaries agree with you - but the only way to prove it is to set targets and collect data.

To inform your supporters, partners and funders you must measure what kind of difference you are making. Measuring your impact is essential and ensures you are achieving what you set out to achieve.

If you're new to impact measurement then go to the Inspiring Impact website and read about the impact assessment process and best practice. The Small Charities Coalition have put together a list some free and low cost impact measurement tools for when you're ready to get started:

impactasuarus.org

stateoflife.org

goodfinance.org

socialvalue.org/social-value-tools

outcomesstar.org.uk

measurewellbeing.org

Funding news / Organisation News - 07/12/2021

Time to Change

An exciting new project launching across Surrey encouraging and supporting voluntary organisations to recruit and manage young volunteers aged 19 – 25 years old.

Laura Butler has been appointed as the Young Volunteer Development Manager on behalf of all volunteer centres across Surrey. As Project Manager of Time to Change, she will encourage and support voluntary organisations to recruit young volunteers, aged 19 – 25 years old.

Time to Change aims to increase the number of young volunteers (19 – 25 year olds) in Surrey by 10% over 1 year. Initially the project will work with local voluntary organisations to help them to connect more effectively with potential young volunteers. Young people will be pivotal to defining and implementing plans.

Young adults already add tremendous benefits to some local organisations, but many organisations do not articulate and deliver an attractive offer. Young people have an abundance of energy and varied skills to bring to voluntary organisations.

Time to Change working collaboratively with the Council of Voluntary Services county wide will encourage voluntary organisations to utilise young volunteers and their skills. The project will provide training and support organisations to create, develop and promote attractive roles. Central to the direction of the project will be a Time to Change focus group capturing insight directly from young people.

Register your interest in ‘Recruiting & Managing Young Volunteers (19-25’s)’ Training here: https://forms.office.com/r/ktfMSPD0Hk

To find out more about Time to Change, please contact:

Laura Butler
Young Volunteer Development Manager

laura@voluntarysupport.org.uk

07485 349309

Organisation News - 05/19/2021

Arthur Birkby Retires as Chairperson of VSNS

Voluntary Support North Surrey announces that Arthur Birkby MBE, Chair, has resigned from VSNS board of trustees as chairperson.

Since 1996, Arthur has led and provided valuable insight and assistance to the organisation. Arthur has served as Chair since the launch of Voluntary Support North Surrey (formerly RAVS). He was responsible for the inception of the organisation and after 15 years’ service he was awarded an MBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours list for services to Runnymede.

His accomplishments included the successful merger of RAVS and Voluntary Services Surrey Heath and the establishment of Community funds for Runnymede and Surrey Heath. These community funds are a legacy and small grants for charities and voluntary groups will be available in perpetuity.

VSNS’s CEO, Solette Sheppardson, said, "We thank Arthur for his service to Voluntary Support North Surrey as chairperson and we are delighted that Arthur will remain on the board as a trustee. We have grown from a small charity to an established independent charity, improving the lives of many individuals locally. Serving the local community has been central to Arthur’s commitment and motivation throughout his leadership"

Arthur said ‘I have been the chair at VSNS for a long time and I have decided it is the right time to stand down as chairman but remain a trustee. It is healthy for the organisation going forward to elect a new chair to bring fresh energy and insight in delivering our mission together with all of our statutory partners’.

The mission of Voluntary Support North Surrey is to build the capacity of the local voluntary sector by supporting charities and voluntary groups with governance, fundraising, training, volunteering and much more.

We are delighted that Helen Frary has been elected as Chair and feel confident that her skills and experiences with the United Nations will further enrich and develop Voluntary Support North Surrey as she leads our competent and committed board of trustees.

Organisation News - 05/05/2021

Stress Awareness Month 2021

According to the Mental Health Foundation 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. Everyone experiences stress differently. Sometimes it may feel obvious when you're feeling stressed but at other times it may creep up on you. Mental health charity Mind have guidance on signs of stress and how it might make you feel.

If you feel overwhelmed and need help to get your wellbeing back, we've put together some local and national links with ideas for self care and agencies who can help you.

NHS recommended Apps https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/apps/

Stress Busters https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/tips-to-reduce-stress/

NHS Every Mind Matters https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/stress/ and https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/anxiety/

Healthy Surrey https://www.healthysurrey.org.uk/mental-wellbeing/adults/local-services

Mind Matters Talking Therapies SABP https://www.mindmattersnhs.co.uk/

Woking Mind https://wokingmind.org.uk/

Catalyst https://www.catalystsupport.org.uk/

Helplines and Crisis Contacts https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/helplines-and-crisis-contacts

Finally, why not try the Stress Management Society '30 Day Challenge’ which encourages you to pick one action each for your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing to carry out every day. It takes 30 days to turn actions into habits which could enable you to turn useful knowledge and techniques into positive change https://www.stress.org.uk/stressawarenessmonth/

Organisation News - 03/30/2021

Time to Talk 2021

Talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health. Talking about your feelings isn't a sign of weakness. Talking about your feelings is part of taking charge of your well being and doing what you can to stay healthy.

At the moment we are all worried. Don't suffer in silence - talk to someone:

Carers Support

Befriending and Loneliness

Mental Health

Domestic Abuse

If you are in crisis please call the Crisis Mental Health Helpline 0800 915 4644 - open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for mental health advice and support

Organisation News - 01/30/2021

Making sure Christmas happened in Surrey Heath #goodnews

Making Christmas happen in Surrey Heath!

For many people this year, Christmas was a time of extreme loneliness, but Surrey Heath charities made a massive effort to tackle this.

The Rotary Club of Camberley staged a Virtual Christmas Day Drop-In for two hours for anyone by themselves fancying a chat on Christmas Day.

Camberley Besom and the Rotary Club of Camberley put together 180 and 80 Christmas hampers respectively, of which 18 were made up from donations by SHBC councillors and staff. Normal food bank parcels were also available for the festive period. The Old Dean Community Group in partnership with St Martin’s Church supported local people in hardship with food parcels including vegetables donated by the local allotments, fresh pastries and a fresh chicken voucher.

Lightwater Connected, Windlesham Caring and Bagshot Care combined efforts to take part in the Windlesham Parish scheme to provide a Christmas meal for those living alone on Christmas Day. Through the support of local restaurants volunteers were able to deliver meals to nearby residents who were lonely or vulnerable.

Our two local befriending groups the Time-to-Talk Project from VSNS and Surrey Heath Age Concern supported their clients with a special gift in Christmas week delivered personally as well as a friendly call.

Camberley Alzheimer Café hosted a special Christmas Social on 21 Dec in addition to their monthly zoom meeting for anyone living with dementia and/or carers recognising the isolation that some people feel during the festive period.

Ingenuity, sharing resources and using connections to help their community is a good news story worth telling.

Organisation News - 01/11/2021

January 2021 is Mentoring Month

Mentoring can have a significant impact on a young person’s life, prospects and outlook. In addition to better school attendance and a better chance of going on to higher education, mentored young people maintain better attitudes toward school - 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs - 27% less likely to start drinking - 81% more likely to participate regularly in sports or extracurricular activities than those who do not. Being a mentor gives a young person someone to rely on, provide emotional support, educational and career guidance and generally be a guide.

Interested? Here are a few local ideas:

Forward Trust - make a difference to the lives of ex offenders and people with drug and alcohol issues

Surrey Care Trust - work with vulnerable families who need help to cope with life’s challenges or support taking their next steps in life

PACT – Prison Advice and Care Trust volunteers support prisoners resettling back through practical and emotional support

or have a look at some of the many and varied mentor roles on our volunteer website

Organisation News - 01/11/2021

who are we_ what do we do_ who do we help_ how do we spend our money_

Funders Read Your Charity Website

These days, funders look at your website when you make an application. This is your window to the outside world and it should be current, easy to find, and up to date.

Good website content can:

Demonstrate professionalism to funders
Show how wisely and economically you spend your budget
Demonstrate the impact of your projects and services
Showcase your volunteer and community involvement
Generate traffic from search engines when your site matches relevant queries
Measure what interests your site visitors by using website analytics to be more strategic

Make sure that who you are and what you do is up-to date. Be prepared for funders to check out your website for background information about your projects, beneficiaries and services.

Show the impact of your organisation's work. Create a space on your website where you feature content that describes work you’re doing, whether in the form of statistics, video, photos, testimonials, stories, or a combination of them all. A variety of content will create compelling impact pages.

Images get your audiences attention - studies show that people only remember 10% of what they hear once 72 hours have passed. However, if you pair a relevant image with your material, people can remember 65% of the information after three days. Humans process images at an incredible speed which makes them the perfect way to communicate in today’s short-attention world.

Read The Beginners Guide to Nonprofit Website Content for content inspiration

Funding news / Organisation News - 12/15/2020