Willing volunteers to help with tea/coffee and general kitchen duties, wash-up etc at a pensioners lunch club in Wick on Wednesdays

Kingdom Companions is a befriending service for vulnerable, perhaps lonely or socially isolated adults who need support to achieve a goal for themselves. This might be getting back into the community, travelling independently, or becoming involved in volunteering themselves. Volunteers are asked to provide friendly, relaxed, practical, and encouraging support to the adult on a one-to-one, regular basis for up to 16 weeks. It could be within the adult's own home or in the community. There are roles all over Fife for community befrienders who have a couple of hours a week/fortnight to help someone with this. Could this be you? Befriending can be a terrific way to build confidence and skills for jobs such as social care or customer service, as well as helping you to get out, feel good about helping others and even go to new places. Your travel and other out-of-pocket expenses will be reimbursed. FVA aim to match you with someone who lives in your local area. You will get detailed training, as well as ongoing support. Get in touch now!

Our tea party hosts are a vital part of the Re-engage team. Tea parties provide a lifeline of friendship for our older people, and the regular, warm, friendly chats and companionship provide a vital link with the outside world from which they have become isolated. Re-engage needs enthusiastic volunteers to work as tea party hosts. This is a flexible, voluntary role that can easily be fitted in around your own lifestyle and availability. As a volunteer host you will run a local Re-engage tea party one to two times a year. You will host a group made up of volunteer drivers, the group coordinator and older guests in either your home or a community venue. The tea parties will last around two hours and will usually take place on a Sunday afternoon. You must be comfortable socialising with people and providing guests and other volunteers with refreshments. You will need one reference and to complete an ID check for this role. Tasks include: • Welcoming a group of older guests and volunteer drivers into your home or to the community venue. • Providing and serving refreshments for your group – usually food and drinks for afternoon tea. • Liaising with your group coordinator to ensure dietary requirements and the older guests' needs are met prior to the tea party. • Informing the group coordinator of any safeguarding concerns or issues you might have. • Following all guidance in your host training modules to ensure that the tea parties are enjoyable, appropriate, and in line with our charitable aims. The number of older guests attending your tea party will be confirmed by the group coordinator prior to the group meeting so you have plenty of time to plan. It is important for the older guests to have access to a downstairs toilet. They will also require seating; a combination of lounge chairs and hard back chairs is fine. Don’t worry if you don’t have chairs for all the drivers as they will be circulating and helping you if required, so you can enjoy the afternoon too. A lot of stairs can present problems, although just a few steps are usually manageable. Experience required: No experience necessary however we are looking for hosts with the following skills and attributes: • Organised • Good conversational skills • An enthusiasm for making genuine connections with older people in your community • A friendly, patient, and empathetic approach • Passion for entertaining, providing food and refreshments • Basic understanding of food hygiene • Basic computer literacy (including the ability to use email)

Being a Community Facilitator is all about delivering a variety of lifesaving first aid skills in community engagement workshops and projects, within local communities, and primary and secondary schools. A lot of these projects involve talking about and demonstrating the basics of first aid to community groups that can include children, young people, and vulnerable adults. An example of events you could be delivering a first aid talk and demo to, are primary and secondary schools, small university groups, local community groups, charities, summer fairs, shopping centres. Some of the skills you could be teaching include how to provide CPR and apply a defib, different bandages and how to use them, and basic information on various health conditions. Not only that but all the training needed, is provided by us at no cost to you! A fantastic opportunity to help. All volunteers make a real difference and are greatly appreciated.

Would you like to support people who have served in the Armed Forces? You don’t need a military background, just the ability to listen, some basic I.T and communication skills. If so, this could be the role for you. *What is a caseworker? Caseworkers visit clients to work out what type of help they need. Next, they find the right sources of support and arrange for clients to access it. This might be funds for special equipment for someone with a disability, adaptions to a property so an older client can remain at home or funds for a rental deposit. Caseworkers also sign-post clients onto specialist local services for advice on benefits, housing, mental health, debt, finding work etc. *Why do we need you? Volunteer Caseworkers are the lifeblood of SSAFA, supporting a growing number of people in need of financial, practical and emotional support. Clients come from all backgrounds and age groups and may have served in WW2 or in a more recent conflict like Iraq or Afghanistan. Our trained volunteers listen without judgement to assess and provide tailored support to help people navigate life in and beyond military service. We need you to join your local SSAFA team to help us achieve this. *When would you be needed and where would you be based? The essential part of the role is visiting clients at home or in a care home setting. There are a range of times available to volunteer and all help is greatly appreciated. *What does this role involve? • Contacting clients and arranging to meet them at a mutually convenient time • Meeting clients and completing a form to assess their circumstances • Sign-posting clients onto local services providing specialist advice • Applying on the client’s behalf to military and non-military sources of charitable funding • Keeping in touch with the client so they know how their case is progressing • Keeping in touch with your branch so they know your availability • Volunteering within the standards and values of SSAFA including observing our policies such as the Volunteering policy and data protection policy (these will be covered in your training and local induction). • Excellent support and relevant training is provided to all volunteers. A great opportunity to help. All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. If you wish to volunteer/for further details please contact Julie Silva (Branch Secretary, Grampian) at email: Julie.Silva@grampian.ssafa.org.uk or telephone: 07879846200. More information about SSAFA is also available at https://www.ssafa.org.uk/

We are looking for volunteers who can help at our busy reception area with tasks such as answering the phone, welcoming people to the centre and signing them in. Other tasks may include photocopying, recording some monitoring information, taking in payments for groups and other small admin duties.

The Volunteer Befriender helps residents who feel isolated or unable to get out very easily on their own by giving time on a one to one basis to help a person maintain social contact, provide companionship and reduce loneliness and social isolation. Volunteer befrienders build a positive relationship with an individual and visit them on a regular basis in their own flat. This could mean spending some time with a person for an hour or two every week/fortnight, we also encourage getting out and about for a coffee or short walk. Generally, befrienders are there to chat and get to know someone, have fun. Support the person to continue with existing interests, whilst encouraging them to embark on new activities.

The aim of ‘Friends’ is to help improve the quality of life for our customers and address loneliness and social isolation. We are looking for friendly, outgoing and organised volunteers who will provide a safe, consistent and reliable support service to help customers experience companionship/social interaction on a regular basis either on the telephone, in customers homes or on group outings. You will spend time with your befriendee and simply chat, listen and discuss various topics of interest making the service fun and interesting. You will also have to provide project staff with information on how the time spent with befriendee is going and attend volunteer meetings. Timings - by arrangement. Please enquire.

A kitchen worker is required to assist staff in preparing meals for our older people’s lunch club and snacks for the toddler groups. The centre cooks all food on a daily basis on site and this position entails all areas from preparation to serving. Other main duties relate to dish washer operation, kitchen surface cleaning and table setting and cleaning. All of these activities to be conducted to agreed standards. Regular contact will be made with centre users, staff and other volunteers, therefore good communication skills are required as well as the ability to be adaptable and work as part of a team.

We need you! If you enjoy having a chat, trying new things and developing your skills then this is the opportunity for you. Older adults (55+) in Dundee can become lonely and isolated through no fault of their own and that’s where Community Companions come in. Two hours a week can make such a difference to an isolated older person. Whether it’s out and about or visiting someone in their home this can be at a time that suits you. Volunteers are matched with people based on similar interests and hobbies. Full and ongoing training and support will be given to help you develop your skills and knowledge. Becoming a Community Companion not only improves other’s wellbeing but also your own. You’re never too old to be a volunteer! If you have what it takes to make a difference get in touch we want to hear from you!