2024 January newsletter

The Hertfordshire Volunteer Fair and Big Help Out Event organised by GoVolHerts returned to Hitchin Market Place, on Friday 7 June with almost 30 charities and organisations represented. Each year, The Big Help Out runs a national campaign that champions volunteers and highlights their positive impact. This event coincided with Volunteers’ Week celebrating its’ 40 th Anniversary. The sun came out and many people stopped by to chat to stallholders about their charity work and how to get involved as volunteers. One stallholder had over 60 people interested in becoming a volunteer, and many others were encouraged to look at the opportunities to further their career choices or gain work experience. Take a look at some of the photos from the event on Google Drive We were visited by local dignitaries including the Deputy Lieutenant and The High Sheriff of Hertfordshire. They each spent several hours speaking to each stallholder, we really appreciated their time and dedication to spend time at our event. We also would like to extend a huge thank you to the Town Rangers at Visit Hitchin, who helped with setting up stalls, and supporting us throughout the day. Stalls included: Barnardo's Blind Veterans UK Celtic Harmony CPRE Hertfordshire, The Countryside Charity Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Garden House Hospice Care GoVolHerts Groundwork East HCC Shared Care Hertfordshire Gardens Trust Hertfordshire Mind Network Herts Sport and Physical Activity Partnership Hitchin Pantry MCR Pathways Mind in Mid Herts North Herts & Stevenage Community Transport Service NSPCC NYAS - National Youth Advocacy Service ParkPlay (Active in the Community CIC) Pets in Need Herts Reach Out Riding for the Disabled RNLI St John Ambulance Stand-by-me Bereavement Support The Red Shed The Triangle Community Garden Turning Point GoVolHerts is a free one-stop hub for volunteering in Hertfordshire which supports people in finding their ideal volunteering opportunity by connecting them with 610 volunteering opportunities with over 380 charities via their website www.govolherts.org.uk . It is a project funded by Hertfordshire County Council and operated by North Herts and Stevenage Community Voluntary Service. This event has been made possible by the support of Visit Hitchin.

Designed for Chief Executives, organisers and leadership representatives of VCFSE groups which are based or work in North Hertfordshire. Leadership representatives of infrastructure organisations, funders and statutory agencies that work with the VCFSE sector operating within the North Hertfordshire district. Discover more about the event and register your place

Herts Inclusive Theatre (HIT) is a charity with a mission to make theatre inclusive to all. Running weekly sessions for children, teens, and adults during term time, HIT operates across five locations in Hertfordshire and one in North London. Volunteering with HIT could see you helping to run sessions that include drama games, script work, and devising, or you could be helping to stage a performance at venues such as The Old Town Hall or the Gordon Craig Theatre. We’ve put on productions of Hairspray, Grease, and shows written by the participants themselves in recent years, just to name a few. All our sessions and performances are designed to be accessible and inclusive so anyone and everyone can join in – including you! HIT would welcome volunteers at any of our locations: Watford, Stevenage, Hertford & Ware, Harrow, and Borehamwood, but we are currently in particular need of volunteers for our Hemel Hempstead group, which runs on a Saturday morning. To be a volunteer with HIT, you need to be enthusiastic, empathetic and share our love for making accessible theatre. We will provide you with all the training you’ll need. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, contact [email protected] . If you’d like to learn more about HIT, visit our website: https://hit-theatre.org.uk/ or go to our GoVolHerts Profile page