Community Biodiversity Fair 2025 - Norwich October 4th

Local NHS Trusts and voluntary sector organisations across Norfolk and Waveney are appealing for willing volunteers to get involved and support their local community as services face increasing pressure over the winter period. The Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (ICS) is hosting a series of volunteer recruitment events this November for individuals to find out about current volunteering opportunities and hear about new developments where volunteers can support their local services from their own homes. Voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations from across Norfolk and Waveney have been instrumental in creating innovative ways of supporting volunteer recruitment and training over the past two years, making volunteering easier to access. Roles vary from patient facing roles in a busy hospital environment to new initiative digital roles which can be carried out entirely online. People new to volunteering can now also gain skills and confidence through Voluntary Norfolk’s free Volunteer Passport supporting them to find the right role for them. For those individuals looking to join the NHS, an innovative new standardised induction session has been developed through a partnership of six local trusts and Voluntary Norfolk, to ensure a comprehensive and engaging session will be launched in November. Both options ensure that volunteers receive quality bespoke training so they can start their volunteering journey with confidence. Volunteering offers a fantastic way to support health, social care and voluntary sector teams who are under increasing pressure to deliver the best possible care to patients and service users this winter. New recruits will be overseen and guided by clinical teams to support patients make a speedier recovery. To find out more about volunteering, please drop-in to one of these sessions: Wednesday 9 November 10.30am – 12.30pm at Blackfriars Room, St Andrews Hall, Norwich Thursday 17 November 10.30am – 12.30pm at King’s Lynn Town Hall, Saturday Market Place, King’s Lynn PE30 5DQ Thursday 24 November, 10.30am – 12.30pm at Great Yarmouth Town Hall, Hall Plain, Great Yarmouth NR30 2QF

Eddi started as a volunteer with Equal Lives and is now employed by them. The role enabled Eddi to work independently and gain valuable skills and experience.

You may choose to volunteer for a variety of reasons. It may give you the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around you, or it may provide you with an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge. The main thing is that you find your volunteering role both challenging and rewarding. Here are some things you might like to consider: Why – have a think about why you want to volunteer. This will help you to choose a role or opportunity that matches what you hope to get out of volunteering What – draw up a list of the things you would like to do in a volunteering role. If you would like to use the skills and experience you already have, make sure you can describe what they are. If you want to learn new things, what do you want to learn? Which – you may already have an organisation or cause that is close to your heart, but if not, do some research into the organisations that are looking for volunteers to see if you like what they are doing. Have a look at their policies and procedures for volunteers if you want to check what training or support you might get. When – decide how much time you have to give to a volunteering role and whether a regular time would suit you or if you would prefer to volunteer as and when needed. If you haven’t volunteered before, you might like to try some short-term or one-off volunteering to start with to see if volunteering is for you. Who – if you hope to meet new people through volunteering, check out whether the role you are interested involves meeting other people. Some organisations have made sure volunteers are still able to keep in touch online, even when their volunteering has moved to being done from home. If you would prefer to volunteer with other people, look out for roles suitable for groups or families. Where – volunteering happens all over the county and in many different locations, indoors and outside. Many volunteer roles have changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and there are many more home-based roles at the moment, which expands the areas you might like to consider, including volunteering for national charities. Some volunteering is still happening in person with precautions, and you need to decide whether you would be happy with this. If you feel unsure about what kind of volunteer role would suit you, the Voluntary Norfolk Volunteering Team is happy to talk though your ideas and offer support with making the best use of the Get InVOLved Norfolk platform. Please get in touch: [email protected]