VOLUNTEERCORNER

THE NSPCC is the UK’s leading children’s charity, specialising in child protection and dedicated to protecting children today to prevent abuse tomorrow. We’re the only UK children’s charity with statutory powers, which means we can take action to safeguard children at risk of abuse.

We’ve been protecting children for more than 100 years.

Over the last five years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, volunteers and staff, we helped to make more than 6.6 million children safer from abuse.

We’ve developed new services to help families, campaigned to change laws, shared information about abuse and how to recognise it, and developed new tools for children, parents and professionals.

We work with schools, providing our Speak Out Stay Safe safeguarding programme to an amazing 90% of Primary schools, as well as training and consultancy services and a range of other lesson resources and information to support schools.

We also provide therapeutic services and support for children and families and conduct groundbreaking research and campaign for change.

We offer national helplines to offer advice and support for anyone worried about a child and our Childline service provides support and advice to children and young people, 365 days a year. Volunteering takes place on weekdays during school hours and during term time.

There is a minimum commitment of two school visits per month, at schools in Wokingham Borough and surrounding areas.

We need people to help us protect a generation of children from abuse and neglect. As a Speak out. Stay safe. volunteer, you will visit primary schools to deliver Speak out. Stay safe. workshops to children in Years 2, 5 and 6 that teach children about the different types of abuse and how they can speak out and stay safe.

Our Speak out. Stay safe. workshops are age-appropriate and memorable and need an energetic and enthusiastic person to deliver them to primary school children in Years 2, 5 and 6.

You’ll work alongside other Speak out. Stay safe. volunteers to make sure that at the end of each session the children feel empowered and know who they can speak out to if they are worried. Signing up to be a school service volunteer, is a very rewarding role but it’s also a big commitment, which requires a lot of training and you will need to deliver a minimum of two school visits every month.

We’ll also need to do some routine safeguarding checks, including an enhanced criminal record check and at least two satisfactory references with at least one covering a period of five years or more with no gaps.

It’s nothing to worry about, and we can answer any questions you have about this. For this role, we can only accept people over the age of 16.

The Wokingham and Earley Transport Scheme is run from the Wokingham Volunteer Centre and provides transport mainly for the hospital, the doctors, dentist and physiotherapy appointments.

We also provide transport for social trips such as shopping, lunch clubs and other social activities.

Drivers will be called on an ad hoc basis and they then help the clients get to and from their desired destination and in most cases, help them to attend their appointment.

The scheme does make a huge difference.

We are looking for a volunteer on Monday mornings to take telephone requests from clients for transport to essential medical appointments, shopping and social trips and to enter all the booking into an online booking system, to liaise with volunteer drivers to allocate the drives effectively and to update the system whenever necessary regarding any changes to client/drivers situations.

Training will be provided on the booking system (CATTS.) Time Commitment is 10am– 1pm on Mondays, plus possible other ad hoc cover for holidays and sickness if possible. Essential skills; Good IT skills, excellent communication skills and an empathy for elderly or other clients with health problems.

Volunteer travel and parking expenses can be claimed. Based at our offices in Wokingham Town Centre.

As ongoing training is involved, this role is aimed at volunteers who can commit on a long-term basis only.

Formed In 1951, the Rotary Club of Wokingham has a long history of helping many people in the local, national and international community.

Organising the annual fireworks display and torch procession, regularly running Pig Racing at both May Fayre and Winter Carnivals, Play Your Cards Right, Mulled Wine and mince pies, luxury hamper raffles, Christmas collections to give food parcels to those who desperately need it, concerts for school children, Kids In activity days for children and young people with additional needs…

These are just a selection of what we are up to tight now.

We raise a tremendous amount of money for charities and good causes, and we also have a lot of fun at our regular social events and club meetings.

So why not come along to say hello!? If you have a passion for volunteering and helping others - you’re perfect for becoming a Rotarian, as “Service Above Self” is at the heart of what we do.

Date for your diary

Our next Volunteer Recruitment Fair is being held at the Wokingham Town Hall on Saturday, February 10, from 10am-1pm.

The event is free to the general public and no booking is required, please just drop in at any time for an informal chat with local charities about volunteering.

To find out more about volunteering in general, visit our website www. volunteerwokinghamborough.org.uk or call us on: 0118 977 0749, or email: volunteer@wok-vol.org.uk