Retail Volunteering: A Vital Contribution to the Charity Sector and Community

We are proud to announce the release of our heartfelt film celebrating International Volunteers Day on Thursday December 5th, 2024. The film celebrates the transformative power of volunteering, highlighting the stories of local volunteers and offering an intimate look at how giving back through small acts of kindness can have a big impact on communities. Volunteers are the backbone of countless organisations, a theme brought to life in this film, through interviews and real-life stories. It sheds light on the invaluable contributions of volunteers, showcasing how small acts of kindness can make a significant impact on local communities. The film features four remarkable local organisations supported by these volunteers: Garden House Hospice , Hitchin Pantry , CHEXS and British Schools Museum . The volunteers featured work across a range of roles, from providing end-of-life care at hospices to tackling food access through community pantries. The interviews reveal the personal rewards of volunteering, with contributors reflecting on how it strengthens their connection to their community. GoVolHerts offers a free platform for charitable organisations to showcase their volunteering opportunities and events, enabling prospective volunteers to connect directly with over 400 charities. Find YOUR volunteering moment and sign up for our Volunteer Fair taking place on 22nd January 2025!

Every November, befriending services and supporters from across the UK and beyond come together to recognise befriending and the positive impact it has in our communities. This year marks the 12th Befriending Week and we are so excited to celebrate with Hertfordshire Volunteer Managers and Befrienders! But what is Befriending? Here's what the Befriending Network say: Befriending is a relationship supported by an organisation to enable meaningful connections. It is a planned social interaction which can take place in a 1:1 or small group settings. Befriending might be: Face-to-face befriending, taking place in the home or community. Distance befriending, including telephone and video calls, letter writing, and gaming. Befriending can be diverse in its delivery but shares a common goal of enabling meaningful connections. This connection can be between people with shared or different life experiences. Befriending will achieve positive outcomes and prevent negative ones, for individuals and communities. Befriending reduces loneliness and social isolation by increasing connections. The befriending relationship has boundaries. This begins with an organisation matching individuals together and then providing ongoing support to both befriender and service user. The befriending relationship will be monitored by the organisation and supported at all stages, including managing the ending. The befriending relationship is nurturing, enriching, and trusting. Befriending is predominantly provided by trained and supported volunteer befrienders. Befriending Networks estimate that in 2024 over 85,000 people have been supported by nearly 30,000 befrienders. These befrienders give well over 1 million befriending hours a year, making an enormous difference in people's lives. A huge 'THANK YOU!' to these amazing volunteers! “We know that befriending changes lives and strengthens communities. We hear of life changing stories of human connection, made possible by dedicated volunteers, compassionate coordinators, and resilient befriending services. Befriending benefits the health and wellbeing of individuals, increases social connection, and adds value to people’s lives.” – Susan Hunter, CEO, Befriending Networks Could you be a befriender? Are you… Interested in other people? A good listener? Reliable? Able to give a small amount of time regularly? If this is you, befriending could provide you with friendship, access to a range of different activities, increased self-confidence and even a new direction in life! Discover opportunities to become a befriender at the link below.

The Letchworth Garden Shed lends out tools, games, appliances, baking equipment, and all sorts of kit for a nominal fee, so everyone can do more without buying more. They are busier than they expected they'd be! They're now looking for new 'Shedders' to help them run their library of things. Libraries of Things are, essentially, a way of sharing more and wasting less, as a community. It's been a steep learning curve since they opened last August, but they've been thrilled (if slightly overwhelmed) by the uptake. They're looking for more people to join the team and keep this growing resource running smoothly. Their Shedders run the Shed during opening hours, processing returns, issuing loans, giving DIY advice here and there, and explaining the libraries of things concept a lot (it's a new but growing movement in the UK). They run all sorts of making-, mending- and skills-workshops as well, which the Shedders help out with. There's also quite a lot of tea, both making and drinking, involved! If you're interested, get in touch and they can set up a couple of no-strings 'taster sessions', for you to come along and get a feel for the place and how things run.