Spring FareShare2019 Slices A healthy slice of FareShare volunteer news Issue 2 Spring ‘19 Hello... FareShare Slices and welcome to the Spring edition of our volunteer magazine. We’re excited to share the results of our volunteer survey (pg 6). It’s great to get a sense of why people give us their time, energy and expertise, as well as what we could be doing to make your volunteering experience even better. We’ll be running the survey every year, but don’t worry if you didn’t get the chance to respond this time. We always want to hear from you, so if you’ve got any feedback, Hannah Feld comments or suggestions, please do get in touch. Hannah Feld Volunteering Development Officer A force to be reckoned with 020 7394 2462 With 21 Regional Centres and 1,200 [email protected] volunteers, together we’re making a big difference to charities across the UK. Thank you! Central & South East Scotland Cymru South Wales East Anglia East Midlands Glasgow & The West of Scotland Grampian Greater Manchester Hull & Humber Kent Lancashire & Cumbria London Merseyside North East Northern Ireland South West Southern Central Sussex Tayside & Fife Thames Valley West Midlands Yorkshire Spring 2019 In this issue Photo courtesy of Comic Relief Network news Updates from across the UK 2 A brainpower boost for every child How FareShare helps to give 4 pupils a healthy start The results are in… We share the responses to our first volunteer survey 6 Volunteer spotlight Meet FareShare Northern Ireland’s Ciara Doherty 8 Fun and games Puzzles for your tea break 9 Two minutes with… We catch up with Rob from Sussex 10 2 FareShare Slices Record breaking rowers raise £10,000 for FareShare Two dedicated fundraisers became ‘accidental record breakers’ – after becoming the fastest female pair to row across the Atlantic, as part of the 3,000 miles Talisker Whiskey Atlantic From left: Adrian Logan, Meabh Austin, Siobhan Rocks, and Nicola Stewart from MacPac which sponsored the award Challenge. Best friends Jemma Rix from Chelmsford and Lauren Woodwiss from Stratford-upon-Avon completed Northern Ireland scoops the incredible challenge in just 50 days. Rowing the Atlantic East to food waste prize West, they started at La Gomera and, FareShare Northern Volunteer Manager after battling searing temperatures, Ireland took home Siobhan Rocks fatigue, ocean storms and 40 foot the Food Waste and Development waves, crossed the Antigua finish line Prevention and Manager Méabh on 5 February. Management Austin. In total the duo raised £30,000 for prize at 2018’s Méabh said: their three chosen charities: Cancer Sustainable Ireland “Winning the Research UK, sports charity the Awards. The award award is a Mintridge Foundation and FareShare. was presented testament to the by broadcaster fantastic work Adrian Logan at done by the entire the Crowne Plaza team in FareShare Hotel in Belfast Northern Ireland, and was collected especially the on behalf of staff hard work and and volunteers dedication of all at FareShare the volunteers.” Northern Ireland by Radio 4 appeal raises funds for FareShare In March food writer is one of the reasons I and presenter of Radio support them.” 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet, FareShare’s Head of Jay Rayner made an Fundraising, Lindsey appeal on behalf of Cape, said: “With an FareShare on Radio average listenership 4. The appeal raised of 1.3m, not only £39,500. Speaking did the appeal help after the broadcast he us to raise a huge opportunity to get the said: “FareShare does amount of money, word out about our a cracking job, which it’s an unparalleled work.” Spring 2019 3 FareShare hits our screens for Comic Relief Eagle-eyed viewers who make sure that food visited FareShare West will have spotted some that would otherwise Midlands and charity familiar faces on this have gone to waste ends member Brasshouse year’s Comic Relief Community Centre to when FareShare see how FareShare’s Southern Central food makes a was featured on difference. He saw the Red Nose FareShare volunteers Day telethon on delivering fresh food Friday 15 March. that the charity then Comedian and used to create meals actor Sir Lenny for its youth club and Henry visited staff Photo courtesy of Comic Relief café. Jenn Harrison, and volunteers at CEO of Brasshouse, the warehouse to find up back on the table.” told Glyn: “Our out how FareShare gets FareShare membership good quality food to Earlier that month, as means we can provide frontline charities. He part of the Comic Relief good food to people in said “FareShare are an warm-up, Saturday need in the community.” amazing group of people Kitchen’s Glyn Purnell Jamie Oliver’s cookery classes a smash with charities In January 2019 TV chef Jamie School is now being rolled out Oliver joined up with supermarket across the UK, in partnership with chain Tesco to launch a new FareShare, and aims to deliver programme to help charity cooks training to chefs from 1,000 find more ways to use surplus food. FareShare charities. The Tesco Community Cookery Jamie Oliver said: “I’ve written these recipes to arm all those amazing community cooks with the tools to create something delicious and balanced for people who need it the most. It is all about giving, otherwise wasted ingredients some love and transforming them into tasty, nutritious meals. For me, every dish we cook that reduces food waste is a winner!” 4 FareShare Slices A brainpower boost for every child FareShare Slices caught up with Angela Dodsworth, School Business Manager at Whitecotes Academy in Chesterfield, to find out how their breakfast club helps set pupils up for a day in the classroom. Shockingly, one in five “Our breakfast club helps them learn other children in the UK now is open and inclusive important life skills live in a household to all pupils, from as well, they all get where food is scarce. those with difficult stuck in making the To give children who backgrounds to those breakfast together, might not otherwise with parents working buttering the toast and get breakfast a healthy irregular shift patterns pouring their cereal. start to the day, who can use it for “Having the breakfast FareShare supplies childcare.” club means that if a hundreds of school child comes in just breakfast clubs “We use the before 9 o’clock across the UK with breakfast club as the and is looking a bit fresh fruit, bread hook to get them in peaky we can check if and cereal. early, fed and ready they’ve had breakfast Whitecoats and, if they haven’t, Academy in to learn” we can make sure Chesterfield started they have something its breakfast club in The breakfast club has to eat.” 2007 and receives a made a remarkable A healthy filling regular delivery of difference to breakfast helps food from FareShare attendance levels at children do well in East Midlands. Angela the school. the classroom. Angela Dodsworth, School “We have children says: “The impact the Business Manager, whose attendance breakfast club has on explains that, due to is poor and who are the children is easy to the clubs popularity, often late,” says see. The teachers can almost a quarter of the Angela. tell which days the pupils now attend. “We use the breakfast children have been “The school is based club as the hook to at the breakfast club in a deprived area of get them in early, fed and which days they Chesterfield,” she says. and ready to learn. It have not, as they’ll Spring 2019 5 be late for class or find it hard to school would have to make cuts from concentrate.” other parts of the budget to afford “We know that, for some “Some children to run breakfast clubs, such children, when they leave as school trips. Angela says: won’t have school in the evening “Based on the number of they won’t have another another meal until children now attending meal until they arrive they arrive back the clubs, we could never back here for breakfast here for breakfast do a weekly shop to buy in the following morning.” the following all the food in the volume Without surplus food morning.” we need. It makes a huge from FareShare, the difference.” 6 FareShare Slices The results are in... We wanted to find out more about our amazing volunteers, so, in December, we launched our first annual volunteer survey. Here’s what you told us. All in all, the results were positive. An Gender of volunteers incredible 99% of those who completed % the survey said you would recommend Prefer not to say FareShare as a place to volunteer, with 1% 77% of you saying volunteering at Female FareShare makes you happier. 33% of you feel very or extremely valued 85% as a volunteer at FareShare. of you said Male 66% volunteering has 67% made you feel fitter. Employment status % Unemployed or seeking work 31% thought volunteering Retired has improved your 34% 64% confidence. of you said that volunteering at 76% FareShare has made you feel more satisfied with your In work life. Prefer not to say 22% 7% In education or training 7% Spring 2019 7 What motivates you to volunteer? % 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% waste To keep fit For social life Because it’s fun and friendships To help tackle food For work experience To develop new skills Because I feel happier To make a difference to vulnerable people You said, we listened The volunteering survey is a great Many of you also told us you’d like way for you to tell us how we can to vary your role.