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Volunteers Week takes place 1-7 June every year and sees charities and voluntary groups get together to recognise the contribution volunteers make to our communities every day. Volunteer Centre Western Isles can help you say thank you to your volunteers!
We are hiring! We are looking for a Development Worker (Uist) 17.5hrs
‘Voices Scotland’ is a free and flexible workshop for people, employees, groups and communities who want to explore Health & Social Care issues of importance to them.
Year of Young People >
Volunteer as part of Year of Young People 2018 throughout the Outer Hebrides – you never know where it could take you! Watch local girl Eleanor Nicolson’s volunteer journey, produced by the Wee Studio.
For Volunteers >
Find out what you can offer in your local area
Volunteering is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Do you know how you can benefit?
Under 25? Find out more about youth volunteering and how you and your community can benefit.
For Organisations >
We offer a range of free Volunteer Management Training through our Training Programme which runs across the Outer Herbrides.
We run Volunteer Network meetings for volunteer managers. The VOLNET meetings are very informal and offer managers a chance to share practice and network.fr
You can download template Volunteer Policies here or contact us for support to develop your organisations volunteer policies.
Today was the last of the Intergenerational visits between Stornoway Primary P4A and the Thursday Club at The Failte Centre and it was clear to see the benefits of these visits both for the children and the adults.
Throughout the year pupils sang songs, spoke about some of various topics which included school days, toys and holiday times past and present as well as the Iolaire disaster which included reading out the lovely Iolaire poems the pupils wrote in school.
It was lovely watching the pupils relax more into the visits as the year went on, communicating so easily while building realtionships with the adults.
The pupils were presented with their Callanish Awards for their input and as a special treat were all presented with a lovely Failte Centre harris tweed pencil case full of pens and pencils especially made by the very talented Christine Mckee.
Pupils put together a collage of pics from the year long visits and presented them in a lovely frame along with a plant and chocs to Donald Mckee for all to enjoy as thank you for allowing them to visit and be part of the Thursday Club group
Many thanks from the Volunteer Centre to all at The Failte Centre and Miss Macleod, class teacher for a great team effort.
We look forward to introducing the new P4 to more Intergenerational visits when the new school year starts in August
Community Conversations on Transport Service Redesign
All communities in Lewis and Harris affected by proposed service redesign have an opportunity to express their views on community transport and have them considered by the Comhairle at its meeting on 26th June 2019.
To do this, you can email your comments to:
conversation@cne-siar.gov.uk
by midday on Tuesday 25th June 2019
Also, a series of Community Conversations will be held on the 24th and 25th of June, as below, and all members of the community are welcome to attend.
For anyone who cannot attend the Community Conversations, more information is available on the Comhairle’s website:
www.cne-siar.gov.uk/news/2019/june/community-conversations-on-transport-services-redesign/
Delighted that TSIWI received an EFQM 'Committed to Excellence' Award at Scottish Awards for Business Excellence 2019 today!
Volunteer Centre Western Isles are one of the 6 partner organisations that make up the Third Sector Interface Western Isles (TSIWI) and currently chair of the partnership.
Pictured at the awards in Glasgow today picking up the award in behalf of the TSIWI are Sheena Stewart, Uist Council of Voluntary Organisations (UCVO) and Eoin Macneil, Voluntary Action Barra & Vatersay (VABV)
@ucvo
@Guth bharraigh
Third Sector Hebrides
Harris Voluntary Service
Congratulations!
Another great way for schools and groups to be able to help out. Read on for more info
Get in touch if you have any questionsWhilst our main focus and indeed fundraiser has been Tassimo drinks pods over the last few years we have recently started collecting your used crisp packets.
We take all sizes, brands and multi bag outer packaging.
Crisp packets take over 30 years to break down. Over 100 million are eaten in the UK daily!
You drop them off and we sort them before sending off to the recycler. Every 3kg (approx 400/500 packets) is enough to wrap 3 patients in bubble wrap whilst being flown to a major trauma centre by Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex. This simple yet effective measure allows for patients to maintain their core body temperature and is key in the chain of survival.
Who would have thought eating something so yummy would do so much good for not only sick and seriously injured patients but our environment?
If you are a company/school/club/scout group etc and want to start your own collection then please send us a message. We pay for the postage and all money you raise goes directly to Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex.
A great volunteering opportunity for any keen knitters out there.
Names can also be given to the Volunteer Centre, Stornoway and we would be happy to pass on
Phone us on 01851 700366 or e mail details to lewis@volunteeringwesternisles.co.uk
A little past our Volunteers' Week celebrations but another celebration all the same. It was lovely spending time with this very welcoming knitting group.
Carol Ferguson, Trust Housing nominated Margaret Eaves for our Clisham Award for her outstanding contribution to volunteering which Margaret had no idea was about to be presented to her
Carol said, "The groups’ older members along with Margaret are instrumental in passing on skills or helping lost skills come to life again, and helping to combat Loneliness and Isolation in the Elderly."
Margaret told us, "Every Monday afternoon a group of tenants get together to knit and chat and are often joined by other tenants when it’s time for a cuppa. Previously, tenants who can no longer knit have come along to the group to draw or colour.
They like to knit items for various charities and have recently donated a big bag full of baby hats to the maternity ward at the Western Isles Hospital. Hats and cardigans for premature babies were previously sent to Glasgow Children’s Hospital – Special Baby Care Unit.
Other knitted goods have found their way to Moldova, courtesy of the local Blythswood Shop."
It was also good to catch up with Carol to hear about the sponsored walk herself and other colleagues completed to raise money for a portal for the tenants to use. Well done to all involved.
Well deserved 👍🏻
A huge well done to the Point Brownies who cleared a huge amount of rubbish from Knock shore this week in just an hour! The Volunteer Centre provided litter picking kits and volunteer tshirts for the event 🙂 The girls also received special beach clean badges. Well done girls! Point Brownies
Point/An Rubha Noticeboard
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Can you help out on Wed 19th June?
Anthony Nolan Trust wants volunteers to help out for a few hours at a one-off event in the Nicolson Institute on Wednesday 19th June. The Trust helps people with certain types of cancer who require stem cell treatment. Volunteers will work alongside members of the Fire and Rescue Service to take contact details and saliva samples from young people in the Nicolson who want to register as potential stem cell donors with the Trust. Donors on the register who are a compatible match for a cancer patient will be asked to donate some blood, from which stem cells are extracted. This is a truly life-saving act of generosity. Contact the VCWI for more information about the event. Volunteers must be 16+ and are not themselves being asked to register with the Trust.
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY
Do you have a couple of hours to spare a month? CHSS and Trust Housing on Matheson Road, are looking for volunteers to help out at the very successful Physical Activity Group, which takes place on Thursdays at 11am and then again at 2.30pm (one hour for each session). They play games such as Boccia (Italian bowling!) and Indoor Curling. The group is thriving and thoroughly enjoyed by all residents. There is not much training required, other than getting to grips with the rules of the games and supporting residents to take part! If you are interested or would like to find out more, please contact Sonja MacLeod on 07860271590 or contact your local Volunteer Centre in Stornoway. 01851 700366 or email lewis@volunteeringwesternisles.co.ukAnother 2 fantastic sessions with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Western Isles today.
The tenants skills are so improved that we had draw after draw today, and some of the closest Boccia matches I have seen!! Scotland Team here we come 🧿🏴
Our Champion of the Day below 🥇
Thank you as always to our Volunteers and see you all next week.
Alzheimer Scotland Western Isles Volunteer & Supporters Gathering. MSP Alasdair Allan opened with thanks and recognition of the strong tradition of volunteering in the islands. A great crowd - We couldn’t do it without you 🙏 @alasdairallan @VolunteeringWI @alzscot @VolScotland
4Our own Kate from the Harris Volunteer Centre @VolunteeringWI
Kate from @VolunteeringWI tells us what #generationhange means to her: ‘giving our young people a chance to become more involved in their local community and find out about issues affecting the rural population’ #ypi
End of P4A, Stornoway Primary year long Intergenerational visits to The Failte Centre @VolunteeringWI
Huge succsess! More plans for next school year
#intergenerational #GWT #stornoway #westernisles
More Volunteer Week celebrations #volunteersweek #volunteerscotland
#westernisles
Belann O’Brien from the Western Isles Volunteer Centre presenting the esteemed Clisham Award for outstanding volunteering. Well done Katy Martin & Jacqueline Jackson!! 💜💜#VolunteersWeek2019 #daw19 @VolScotland @VolunteeringWI @alzscot 2
Very much looking forward to your event. Happy Volunteers' Week! @VolunteersWeek
Getting ready to celebrate with our volunteers and supporters tomorrow who all do so much to help us locally 💜
Lovely goodie bags kindly donated from Isle of Lewis candle company. @alzscot @VolunteeringWI @VolScotland @alasdairallan 3
Anthony Nolan Trust wants volunteers 16+ to help out at an event in the Nicolson Institute on 19th June. Volunteers will help take contact details and saliva samples from young people who want to register as potential stem cell donors with the Trust. Contact VCWI for more info.
Call into the Volunteer Centre, Stornoway @VolunteeringWI we are happy to give you more information on how you can become a volunteer with Western Isles CAB @WesternIslesCAB
CAB volunteers work at the heart of the community. The Stornoway office needs more volunteers: can YOU help? Contact Norah norah.macphee@lewiscab.casonline.org.uk or phone 01851 705727 to find out more. Thank you!