www.voluntaryimpactbucks.org

Charities benefit from newly formed support group

Hundreds of voluntary and community organisations in Wycombe District will be the beneficiaries of a new consortium formed by the four organisations which currently advise and support them.

Voluntary Impact Bucks has been formed to provide a coherent, countywide service to the thousands of charities, community groups and voluntary organisations in Buckinghamshire, while continuing to deliver a strong local service within their own districts. The members of Voluntary Impact Bucks within Wycombe District are The Priory Centre and Volunteer Focus.

The Priory Centre General Manager, Bill Reid, says: “We will continue to offer training, IT support, funding advice and all our usual services to our many member organisations in Wycombe. At the same time, our colleagues in Volunteer Focus will provide full volunteer centre services to hundreds of potential volunteers and the organisations which need them. Voluntary Impact Bucks will ensure equal representation, training and development opportunities to the whole voluntary sector throughout the county in a co-ordinated and cost-effective way. But we in Wycombe are not going to lose our separate identities and we shall retain our vastly experienced trustee boards. Voluntary Impact combines the reach and economy of countywide opportunities with the personal, local delivery valued by many of our members.”

For further details contact the Volunteer Centre on 01494 451700; . The four organisations forming Voluntary Impact Bucks are:

• Wycombe District - The Priory Centre (Council for Voluntary Service) and Volunteer Focus (Volunteer Centre Wycombe District)
• Aylesbury Vale - Vale Volunteers - (CVS and Volunteer Centre)
• Chiltern and South Bucks Districts Voluntary Action Chiltern & South Bucks (CVS and Volunteer Centre)

A teacher from the School contacted us with a suggestion to turn a poorly used piece of land adjacent to the school into a ‘sensory garden’ intended to give young pupils a visually stimulating space for recreational purposes. A team from The Royal Bank of Scotland moved in and with the help and support of pupils and teachers from the school spend several weekends hard at work. Members of the team used the opportunity to get to know one-another better and discovered the enjoyment of creating the garden from scratch for the benefit of the community. Many discovered new skills and all went back to their ‘day jobs’ refreshed and re-invigorated.

The garden is used every day and the school and its pupils have benefited from the co-operation of the corporate and charity sectors. Please contact us on if you are looking for an opportunity to help your community or have a project in mind.

Before…

After…

Manager

Rosemary Parker

Tel: 01494 451700
Email:
11 Priory Road High Wycombe Bucks HP13 6SL

Community Development Manager

Ray Sylvester

Tel: 01494 451700
Email:
11 Priory Road High Wycombe Bucks HP13 6SL

If you are a group or organisation connected to volunteering within the Wycombe District and have a website, we would be happy to add a link for you. Please send details of your organisation and website address to us.

• do-it.org.uk - “do-it is the leading volunteering website in the UK. Thousands of people every week find opportunties on do-it and then contact their local Volunteer bureau for details on how to volunteer”.
  http://www.do-it.org.uk/youthnet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=445
• TimeBank is a national volunteering campaign raising the awareness of giving time through voluntary work, inspiring a whole new generation of volunteers. TimeBank appeals to people like you who know that their time and skills are in demand - but just don’t know what to do about it or where to start.
  Voluntary work, Volunteering… if this is what you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place.
  www.timebank.org.uk
• Buckinghamshire County Council’s website provides a wide variety of information on services, and what’s happening in the Buckinghamshire area.
  www.buckscc.gov.uk
• This is the official guide to Wycombe District, the comprehensive one-stop-shop guide to District Council services & more.
  www.wycombe.gov.uk
• The Priory Centre is an independent registered charity set up to provide a resource for local charitable voluntary groups & organisations within Wycombe District. For more information follow the link.
  www.priorycentre.org.uk
• Volunteering England is the local voluntary organisations rooted in urban and rural communities throughout the country.
  www.volunteering.org.uk
• Community Fund gives Lottery money to charities and voluntary and community groups.
  We give grants mainly to help meet the needs of those at greatest disadvantage in society and also to improve the quality of life in the community.
  www.community-fund.org.uk
• The WEA is a national voluntary organisation & registered charity (No. 314001) providing education for adults. We are committed to providing everyone with a chance to take their learning further. Learning for Life.
  WEA Thames & Solent, Walton House, Walton Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP21 7QQ. Tel/Fax: 01296 483648
  Website: www.wea.org.uk
  Email:

What if I only have a limited amount of time to give?

The amount of time you give is entirely up to you. Some organisations need volunteers on a regular basis, for example once a week, once a fortnight or even once a month, while others only need help occasionally. The length of time also varies from a whole day to just an hour or two. The VolunteerCentre is able to advise you on the type of voluntary role that will fit in with your interests and the time you have available.

What if I don't have the right skills or qualifications?

Don't worry - many organisations train volunteers. This means that volunteering can be a good way to learn new skills such as teaching, advice giving, counselling and much more besides.

Is there an age limit?

No - most organisations can use the help of volunteers of all ages and some organisations work specifically with young volunteers, such as Wycombe Youth Action and the Millennium Volunteers Project.

I'm currently unemployed; will volunteering affect my benefit entitlement?

No, as long as you are free to seek paid work and attend interviews. Don't forget that volunteering can be a good way to gain work experience that may help in finding paid employment. Volunteering can also help improve your confidence and self esteem which will help you in your search for a job.

I would like to volunteer but I am not sure what is available. Where do I start?

Just get in touch with the Volunteer Centre! As the Volunteer Centres covering the Wycombe District, we have information about approximately 170 charities and groups locally that need your help. We can advise you on what would best fit in with your time and interests.

How do I contact you?

You can register your interest or ask another question by using the registration form

Alternatively, for other ways of getting in touch, visit the Contact Us page.

Community Development

New skills for a brighter future.

Ray’s role is funded by the Big Lottery and is aimed at volunteer recruitment for the black and minority ethnic and young socio-economically disadvantaged groups.

He offers much needed support and help to communities and individuals who traditionally have been overlooked in the voluntary sector. Ray is able to offer advice, help and volunteers for a number of projects, breaking down barriers in the process.

For example, he has over the last two years been involved with key development issues in the local community, one of them being REACH, which received funding for a computing suite at the Hilltop centre, successfully opened in August 2007. This facility is designed to provide a valuable range of post-16 educational programmes aimed at a wide range of participants.

His other projects include partnerships with local agencies such as community development officers, schools and church groups to access ‘hard to reach’ sections of the community where social and economic status tends to discourage volunteering. This has brought about recognition of new skills, increase in self-esteem and general confidence. Examples of this are the provision of food and hospitality to a group of young, predominately BME students by 27 members of a local church and help with local music events targeting the young and socially disadvantaged run by local key community workers with the help of volunteers. Many more of these events are planned.

Our community newsletter GIVE (Getting Involved in Voluntary Enterprise) has been designed to reinforce awareness and knowledge of community initiatives and is intended as central hub for community news and volunteering. The fist edition has proved to be a very important addition to our project remit. The newsletter, together with our other initiatives, has been instrumental in raising awareness and identifying the skills of those traditionally averse to volunteering.

The Gardening and Decorating Project

Volunteers hard at work.

The Volunteer Centre Wycombe District is launching two new special projects locally. They are looking for gardening and DIY enthusiasts with some spare time that are willing to help older and disabled people living on low incomes in the community.

The Gardening Project offers basic gardening help with mowing lawns, trimming shrubs, planting bulbs perennials and annuals, forking-over beds etc.

The Decorating Project will offer a basic service - you could help to paint walls and brighten up someone’s home.  No woodwork painting or wallpapering will be involved, and the Project Co-coordinator is always available to help and advise.

So, if you would like to get your gardening gloves on and enjoy the outdoor life, or alternatively wield a paintbrush indoors, the Volunteer Centre would be pleased to hear from you. It’s a good way of meeting new people, getting fit, and having fun.

If you are a member of the community fitting the above criteria, and would like your garden tidying or a room refreshing, please get in touch, we are happy to help.

Volunteer Centre Wycombe District is an independent, registered charity that supports and promotes volunteering in Wycombe District.

To fulfill this purpose the Volunteer Centre:

• provides an information and advice service for people who may wish to volunteer
• helps organisations and charities working with volunteers to publicise their needs
• links offers of voluntary help with the needs of these organisations
• advises organisations and charities on the recruitment, selection and retention of volunteers
• encourages good practice in working with volunteers
• promotes the benefits of volunteering

Volunteering helps people to play an active role in the local community and everyone should have access to opportunities to volunteer.

Volunteer Centre Wycombe District is affiliated to Volunteering England and is accredited under the Volunteering England Quality Assessment Scheme.

We are supported by Buckinghamshire County Council & Wycombe District Council, The Big Lottery and The Bucks Foundation.

Privacy Policy

The Volunteer Centre always operates within the Data Protection Act 1998 in order to protect the privacy of its volunteers and other contacts.  We have adopted a Data Protection & Confidentiality Policy, a copy of which may be viewed on request.