British Red Cross seeks 10,000 volunteers for local crises

The ‘community reserve volunteers’ would offer practical help in the event of a local calamity

The British Red Cross has launched a campaign to recruit 10,000 volunteers who would be able to help others if a crisis hit their local community.

The charity is hoping to recruit 10,000 “community reserve volunteers” by the end of 2019. They would be available to offer practical assistance initially in areas that have been affected by major flooding, including north Wales, Somerset and Cumbria.

But the Red Cross said it hoped the volunteers could help with the response to other major incidents in the UK, such as the Manchester and London terror attacks or the Grenfell Tower fire.

The charity said it hoped to have teams of potential volunteers in place in areas prone to flooding and weather-related emergencies by this winter.

Volunteers would be contacted by text message in the event of a major emergency in their local area.

Simon Lewis, head of crisis response for the British Red Cross, said the scheme was a way for people to help others in their communities by registering their willingness in advance.

“Through the events of this year, including the Manchester Arena and London Bridge attacks and the Grenfell Tower disaster, we’ve seen extraordinary compassion shown by ordinary people from local communities when a crisis hits,” he said.

“We would call upon people only at times of major crisis, which we hope won’t happen often. But when it does and extra help is needed, people will have the opportunity to do small things that make a big difference. There are many different ways of helping your community, but this is a new one.”

Volunteers, who must be over 18, can find out more information and sign up here.

Source link

Norfolk Carers Support receives £10,000 to help Young Carers

Posted: 29th June 2017

Norfolk Carers Support has been awarded a £10,000 grant by the Masonic Charitable Foundation to help up to 100 young carers in Norfolk.

There are an estimated 10,000 Young Carers in Norfolk alone. These children have a range of caring responsibilities ranging from cooking, cleaning, emotional support, personal hygiene and medical or nursing care for a family member.

It can be a very lonely and confusing role for a child, and is often hidden as children do not wish to be seen as being different from their peers, or do not even recognize themselves as Young Carers. Young Carers miss many of the opportunities of a normal childhood and often struggle academically, which will inevitably impact on their future as adults.

This grant will allow the Norfolk Carers Support charity to continue with their Young Carers Project. This gives Young Carers regular free time away from their caring role and the chance to meet other young people in similar situations. As well as having fun, it is an opportunity to receive emotional support and a range of practical advice and assistance from specialist staff.

There are two age-related groups, aged 6-12 and 12-16, which meet for two hours every fortnight together with nine activity day trips and two residential trips every year.

Catherine Bibb from Norfolk Carers Support said:

 We are very grateful for this generous grant from Norfolk Freemasons. The grant will allow our Young Carers Project to continue making a positive impact on the lives of Young Carers in Norfolk, supporting them to develop healthy coping strategies, achieve their goals and reducing inappropriate or excessive caring.

Jack Jones from Norfolk Freemasons said:

“We are very pleased to be able to help Norfolk Carers Support. The work they do is hugely important and can make an enormous difference to the lives of these vulnerable children.”

 

 




Source link

Young Gloucestershire receives £10,000 to help young people get into work

Young Gloucestershire has received £10,000 to help young people from across the country to get into work.Gloucestershire Freemasons, Tim Henderson-Ross and Derek Gunningham, visited a group of young people undergoing a 12-week work-development programme.  The group of under-25’s, all currently not-in-work, were completing a community project in Quedgeley to transform a children’s play area, but downed tools to receive their visitors and explain how the project works.

The group discussed the skills they were developing through the programme and their hopes for the future with the Freemasons who were hosted by Young Gloucestershire’s youth-worker, Tristam Meyrick. Tristam has worked alongside the young people while arranging a series of two-week work placements.

Ben Kittner (aged 24) currently taking part in Young Gloucestershire’s programme, said:

The Freemasons were genuinely interested in what we were working on and were keen to hear our views and our hopes for the future.  I said that working with Young Gloucestershire has really built my confidence and this community project has helped me see that I do have skills an employer would be looking for.

Young Gloucestershire Fundraising Manager, Karl Gwilliam, said:

“This generous, and vital, support from the Freemasons will enable YG to continue its work-based training to disadvantaged young people.  This donation allows us to continue a successful mentoring programme, matching young people to volunteers from the business community who teach young people the skills only gained from being in work.”

Tim Henderson-Ross Head of Gloucestershire Freemasons, said: “We were very impressed with the determination of the young people we met to get into the workforce. Young Gloucestershire are doing an excellent job and we are very pleased to be able to help them.”

About Young Gloucestershire

Young Gloucestershire is a countywide charity that supports disadvantaged young people (aged 11-25) who are facing challenges in their lives.The charity provides training & development, practical support and community involvement to young people across Gloucestershire.

Source link