Inspiration
Welcome to our blog! Here you'll find a whole range of stories, ideas and resources all about volunteering.
If you'd like to narrow your search, please use the categories panel on this page, or click on a tag after any blog.
Sutton’s Community Awards 2020 celebrates the people who make Sutton a great place to live, work and bring up a family and who have gone above and beyond in the face of COVID-19.
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This is a live Zoom recording of an event which took place on Wednesday 14th October 2020 at 4pm. This event was joined by staff, volunteers and supporters from voluntary and community organisations across Sutton, to thank all volunteers in Sutton for their amazing and ongoing contribution.
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Joint Statement from Alison Navarro, CEO Community Action Sutton, Anita Maullin CEO, Volunteer Centre Sutton, and Nicola Upton, CEO Age UK Sutton
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Volunteers living in Sutton helped deliver more than 5000 food packages to Suttons' vulnerable and severely ill. Marta Rocco, Volunteer Centre Sutton's Volunteer Delivery and Development Manager, explains their role in coordinating volunteers to provide essential support to the shielded community
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With lockdown easing and shielding guidance changing, you may have concerns about the kind of support you'll be able to access in the next few months. We wanted to assure you that there will continue to be support available for you, no matter what your circumstances.
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From managing 150 volunteers to managing 733 volunteers during Covid-19: #SmallCharityBigImpactDay 19th June 2020
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What to donate and where to donate it
11:48, 07 May 2020
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Today we are launching a Covid-19 appeal to support the ongoing work of Sutton’s Voluntary and Community Sector in response to the impact of the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak.
10:35, 04 May 2020
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One of our long-standing MAPS mentors shares her experiences
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Between the 1st and 24th December, we’re bringing you a new volunteering opportunity from organisations in Sutton and beyond
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We are fundraising to give young care leavers in Sutton a Christmas to remember
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Congratulations to one of our longest standing MAPS Mentors, Derek Terrell, who was awarded Outstanding Volunteer at the 2019 Sutton Community Awards
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We celebrated the impact of volunteering in Sutton with a public event at the Sutton Central Library
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Find out who was shortlisted for this year's Sutton Community Awards
11:44, 27 Sep 2019
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Read Edina's story about her volunteering journey into full time employment
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Do you know an individual or group that deserves special recognition? Nominate now for Sutton's Community Awards
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Pat Stanley, Volunteering Development Manager, shares the key take-aways from our July Volunteering Forum
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For Refugee Week 2019, our Community Engagement Coordinator, Marta Rocco, reflects on her own volunteering experiences supporting refugees
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. Home-Start Sutton would like to thank Sue Elson
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton, starting with a thank you to one of our own volunteers
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. Sutton Carers Centre would like to thank Jean Sharpington.
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity would like to thank Denise Clarke.
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity would like to thank Valerie Allsopp.
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. The Dreaming Tree Project would like to thank Bambina.
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. Sutton Community Works would like to thank Vicki.
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. Home-Start Sutton would like to thank Diana Broad.
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton and beyond. Jigsaw4u would like to thank Jacqui O'Connor
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. Age UK Sutton would like to thank Rob Campion.
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. Age UK Sutton would like to thank Sue
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. St Raphael's Hospice would like to thank Jenny Watkins
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Throughout Volunteers' Week we're sharing 'thank you' messages to volunteers from organisations in Sutton. Our MAPS team would like to thank Caroline Magin
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"I have volunteered forever" read Mary's inspiring story
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There are currently around 850,000 people in the UK with dementia. Dementia Friends is a programme led by the Alzheimer’s Society to change people’s perceptions of dementia and to create dementia-friendly communities.
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Volunteers' Week is a chance to celebrate and say thank you for the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK.
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Spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. And doing these things as a volunteer will benefit you even more!
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For the fourth year running, Volunteer Centre Sutton is delighted to support ShareTheMiracle, a community initiative collecting chocolate eggs to donate to those less fortunate at Easter.
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Our Young Commissioners help shape Healthwatch Sutton's recent survey into young people and mental health
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Your free online volunteer recruitment platform just got better!
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Tuesday 27th November is #GivingTuesday and to celebrate we want to share with you some very festive volunteering opportunities in Sutton this Christmas as well as ways you can support local giving initiatives.
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Andrew and Sue met volunteering in 1971 and have just celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary!
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With this funding, our two organisations will work together to deliver a programme across Sutton’s voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector. We will build and develop the capacity, skills, knowledge and experience of the sector, helping to transform Sutton’s communities.
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Between the 1st and 24th December, we’re bringing you a new volunteering opportunity from organisations in Sutton and beyond
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Afraid of leaving the house and struggled to cope with the demands of school life, he turned to MAPS for support
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She needed help to process her abusive childhood experiences
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But a love of fast cars and a mentor helped him find a way forward
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Unable to see a future, she turned to MAPS for help
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A brief summary of some of the findings from our recent research pilot looking into the effects of volunteering on health and wellbeing
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Our volunteer management system, Volunteer Connect, has recently had some useful updates - find out how these changes benefit your charity or group!
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Guest blogger Sorrel Parsons of Superhighways shares her top 5 free and easy-to-use apps to help small charities better demonstrate their impact. Part of our new Digital resources blog series!
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Pat, our Volunteering Development Manager, relates the story of Myra, one of the participants in our prescribed volunteering project, who said that volunteering helped her health recovery.
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Pat, our Volunteering Development Manager, relates the story of Patrick, one of the participants in our prescribed volunteering project, who said that volunteering is the connection between his old world and his new world.
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This Trustees Week, many organisations will be celebrating their trustees who volunteer their time and skills in governance. Trustees make a huge impact - why not look into becoming one yourself?
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We asked Judith Smith, Pastor of Horizon Church Sutton to write a guest blog about the positive experiences her church has had hosting Employer-Supported Volunteer teams at her church building, from which several community projects are run. She shares about the impact of ESV, some of the challenges and her top tips for any organisation thinking of hosting an ESV team.
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We at Volunteer Centre Sutton are thrilled to announce that we've been awarded a Big Lottery Fund grant to develop our work to support those who are socially excluded in the London Borough of Sutton.
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Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) has great potential for growth. Volunteer Centre Sutton hosted its most recent Volunteering Forum around the topic, hearing from the experiences of a charity who has accessed ESV support and a business who has empowered its staff to provide it, and discussing the way forward for ESV in the London Borough of Sutton.
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Matt (Digital Inclusion Coordinator) interviews Helen Gasparelli (Mentoring & Advocacy Manager) about her recent Employee Volunteering (EV) experience.
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Volunteer Centre Sutton’s Citizens Commissioners are excited to welcome former members of the Sutton Youth Parliament to join them to represent the voice of young residents in the commissioning decisions of Sutton Council.
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69-year old Noreen has lived in Sutton for almost 5 decades and spent 3 years at Volunteer Centre Sutton helping people find volunteering roles that match their skills and passions. She told us how this gave her a new purpose in life
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VCS's Volunteering Development Manager, Pat Stanley, has 15 years' experience training in the voluntary sector and advising organisations in developing Good Practice in Volunteer Management, Here, she asks some important questions of those managing volunteers.
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Petrica is a mum of 2 teenage boys who has lived in the area the whole of her life. After thinking about volunteering for years, she took the plunge on New Year’s Day, 2010
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Priya volunteers at the Refugee and Migrant Network in Sutton, where she teaches English as a Second language to adults
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Volunteer Centre Sutton is the operational name of Sutton Borough Volunteer Bureau | Company type: Charitable incorporated organisation | Company number: CEO19319 | Charity number: 1048978 |