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2017/18 2017/18 ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL REPORT SUPPORTING AND PROMOTING HALESWORTH AND DISTRICT WITH HELP FROM VOLUNTEERS LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS Name: HALESWORTH VOLUNTEER CENTRE Registered Charity Number: 1001776 Registered Address: Waveney Local Office London Road Halesworth Suffolk IP19 8LW Bankers: Barclays Bank plc Halesworth Independent Examiner GJ Shephard FCCA Chartered Certified Accountant 76 Corton Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 4PP Governing Document Constitution adopted 8th November 1990. Amended 23rd May 1996, 14th June 2006 & 22nd June 2011. Summary of Main Purposes: The objects for which the Halesworth Volunteer Centre is established are to undertake voluntary work in education, social services, and similar charitable activities amongst those classes in need thereof. Trustees: The following served as Trustees of the Halesworth Volunteer Centre during the year ended 31st March 2018: Karen Austin (Chair) Mary Henry Clare Ludwig Richard Austin team building relationships with the organisations and individuals with whom Chairman’s we now work closely. Report We remain committed to delivering high quality service within the projects we Supporting independence is at the heart of deliver. With support from the Comic Relief what we do and what we are about. Most of Core Strengths fund, we have improved our our work is about helping others to maintain internal structures and systems and a re- their individual independence, as they get organisation of staff roles will give us scope older or face temporary difficulties. for expansion in the future. This is part of an ongoing commitment by Trustees to The Community Car Service enables people strengthen our governance. to get to the doctors, visit friends and make many other routine but important We are, as always, indebted to all our journeys, when there are no other practical volunteers and to our wonderful staff alternatives. Our assisted shopping service team who so ably shape and co-ordinate provides extra help when it is needed. More our work. Their efforts ensure that we can recently, through Isolation Busters, we are provide continuing and vital support within providing friendship and support to some of our community, where it is most needed. the many members of our community who We are also immensely grateful for all of live alone. This personal connection - the the individual donations we have received, opportunity to share interests and engage given in gratitude by our service users with the outside world through others - can and their families. And to other local be as important for personal health and organisations and businesses who have wellbeing as a visit to the GP. fundraised on our behalf. In particular I would like to mention Ian and Sue at As an organisation we have always worked the Triple Plea, who continue to support hard to retain the local and independent the Community Car service through their identity for which we are recognised and monthly quiz. HVC regularly enters a couple trusted. However, securing continued of teams if you would like to join us. funding for our work is the biggest challenge we face, especially with the loss of On a personal note I would like to thank our only core cost grant. This will be the first my fellow Trustees for their continued of many challenging years. I am therefore and much valued support and friendship. delighted to report that after magnificent I am also very grateful to Emma for the work, we have been successful in securing re-newed energy and positivity she has a number of significant awards from both brought to the Centre in her first full year of local and national sources. This included a office. We are all very excited about times large grant from the Postcode Community ahead. Trust, which enabled us to launch Isolation Busters. I may add that all of this would Karen Austin not have been possible without the whole Chair of the Trustees 1 Activity Report 2017-2018 Community Over 11,400 Befriending and Car Service journeys this year! support for people • An average of 6800 living at home miles driven every month • 30 volunteer drivers supporting I can’t thank you and your over 300 passengers this year team enough for all of the support you’ve provided to PURPOSE OF TRIPS “the people we’ve worked 12.4% 8% Halesworth with. You’ve certainly Visiting friends 0.3% Day Centre improved the lives of the “ and family Hospital visits people I’ve worked with 55.9% and you’ve definitely made Shopping and personal my life easier on a lot of business occasions!! You guys do an amazing job!” Community Care Practitioner, 8.4% Suffolk County Council Hospital 2.2% 12.8% Adult Social Care appointments Other Medical appointments I don’t know what I would do without the car service, C is always so cheerful and “helps me in so many ways.” 2 Activity Report 2017-2018 Isolation Busters Jensen 136 Isolation Buster visits. makes a real 15 people living alone supported difference with dog walks, trips to the seaside My name is and lots of cups of tea. Jensen and I am 10 years old. I visit a lovely couple and I take Mr P for a I have been lucky to have such long- walk. Sometimes we stay after and lived parents but it has sometimes I let my owner have a cup of tea and been a struggle. Knowing my mother a chat. I love Mr and Mrs P, it is a had someone to talk with and visits to privilege to know them. look forward to helped enormously.” “ Karen Kerridge has worked at HVC for over 13 years, she Keeping reflects on Isolation Busters. healthcare local “Isolation Busters is new for Our ‘Meet and Greet’ team of volunteers us, it is our first nationally have ensured that Phlebotomy, Diabetic funded-project and it focuses Eye and Aortic Aneurism Clinics can on responding to what people take place at Patrick Stead Hospital. want, not what we have always Without our support, people would have done. There are so many people to travel to Beccles or Southwold to who feel lonely and cut off from receive these vital health services. their community and the flexible, tailored made support that this project offers helps to overcome Our Volunteers Over Our volunteers make this. The wonderful kindness, all the difference. 70 compassion and dedication of our volunteers volunteers never ceases to amaze 15 new volunteers joined us me.” 9 Isolation Busters 6 new drivers 3 Activity Report 2017-2018 Our commitment to Increasing recognition local voluntary and of our work community work We were delighted that Geoffrey Our Social Pharmacy project Probert, High Sheriff of Suffolk made funded by Waveney District an Isolation Busting visit to one of our Council will showcase the families. It was great that the work great work that voluntary and of our volunteers is recognised in this community groups do in our area. way. We already have an event planned for local groups with over 25 We were delighted to come third organisations listed to attend. in this year’s vote for the Hopkins HVC volunteers support a number Homes Suffolk Charity of the Year. The of local organisations: prize £1000 is already supporting our Isolation Busting work. • Halesworth in Bloom • HACT bus Thank you to all the local people who • Halesworth Day Centre have helped us through their generous • Halesworth Museum donations and gifts this year. We are • The League of Friends also really grateful for the continuing • Rayner Green Resource Centre support of Waveney District Council Fond farewells organisations in Halesworth and, as Ted Miles and Elizabeth Lovett were one of our befrienders, always went 2 of our first drivers and spent many out of her way to provide that extra years as dedicated volunteers, much bit of help and support. Each had a loved by everyone they supported. great impact on our organisation and Marlene Smith volunteered for many we miss them. Thank you Marlene, Ted and Elizabeth. 4 Active in the Community Our aims for 2018/2019 Community Cars community. Our Community Car Service is at the Through this heart of all we do. Our drivers are scheme, we often the first people to see when will people passengers are getting frail and need attend Halesworth Day Centre, extra support. We therefore need to the Sociable Soup Lunch project in adapt our service to meet people’s Rumburgh and local events and ‘dos’. changing needs. We are doing more trips for shopping and personal We will continue to support local business, these trips often take more groups and organisations in whatever time but are vital in ensuring that way we can, whether it is providing free people have food in their cupboards. transport to a community event, taking Recruiting more drivers has never part in roadshows or talking to local been so important. organisations. We are aiming to publish a special directory of local groups and Projects like ‘Let’s Get Together’ organisations so that we can make sure help reach out to people living alone, that anyone contacting HVC can find using our Car Service and Volunteers the support or service that best fits to help people re-engage with their their needs. Keep on Isolation Busting Improving our Image Our Isolation Buster Project, funded We want to do more to tell by the Postcode Community Trust, has people about the great work made a great start and we want to we do. Improvements to our keep on Busting. We will be recruiting website and our social media more volunteers and working with local pages, will, we hope, promote organisations to ensure that more and our services and the great work more people living alone can access this that other organisations do in our vital service.

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