Aim

We want to set up a volunteer hub to match the many willing and fabulous volunteers with the groups and individuals looking for help.

Who are we?

We are a community based charity working in the most deprived ward in our council area.  The Centre has always relied heavily on volunteers to run its various activities but during the pandemic we have doubled the number of volunteers and have been overwhelmed by the willingness of so many people to get involved.  All of our Trustees are local and have a strong commitment to the Centre which has been running for around 10 years

What do we do now?

We are currently busy running a Community Larder providing fresh food, hygiene products, cleaning materials, masks, hand sanitiser, pet food, nappies and craft kits to our local community and surrounding villages.  We have provided nearly 3000 packs during the last year and at Christmas provided toys, Christmas food and gifts to all.  This week we have added school holiday breakfast and lunch packs for  more than 50 local children.

(Two of our volunteers sorting donations for the Community Larder)

We host Grow 19 (a specialist provision for learners aged 18 - 25 with learning disabilities) a and a workplace nursery.  

In normal times we run a range of different activities, projects and support groups to try to improve the well being of our local community.  These include a Community Cafe with a lunch club for the elderly, free afterschool clubs for local families, training courses, work experience opportunities (including the learners from Grow 19), Community Cinema, keep fit, chair based exercise classes, smoking cessation, digital cafe sessions, toddler groups...... we try to offer something for everyone.  

(Volunteers at a Family Craft Day funded by Clarion Housing)

What next?

We are always looking forward to find ways of improving what we do and helping build resilience, capacity and cohesion in the local community.  It is clear from the pandemic that there is a huge untapped army of volunteers wanting to do something to support their community.  Our aim is to harness that goodwill.  There are also many people who have lost their jobs (and sadly will continue to do so) and many more who are suffering from poor mental health as a result of the effects of isolation, reduced incomes and all the other stresses of the last year.  We know from work we were doing before the pandemic that volunteering can be a route into employment for many people either directly or indirectly.  It raises self esteem, gives people a feeling of self-worth and reduces loneliness and generally improves well-being. 

There is no organisation in the area that provides an easy access into volunteering or which records requests for volunteers in an attempt to match supply with demand.  That is what we propose to do.  We already help one local charity by administering their DBS checks for them. 

We propose to use the East Malling Centre (who have kindly agreed to provide office space free of charge) as a base and wish to employ a part time Volunteer Coordinator for a six month pilot project (extending to 12 months if funds become available).  The Coordinator will be provided with a new lap top, Zoom license, telephone etc and be expected to hit the ground running and build relationships with staff and partner agencies.  There will be a budget for carrying out DBS checks on prospective volunteers, for training courses for volunteers (for example Food Hygiene, Health and Safety), volunteer handbooks, promotional materials and consumables.  

Who are our partners?

We work closely with a range of different partners and are a leading member of the "East Malling Partnership" which brings together the agencies working in the area.  

 1)) Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council  are very supportive of the concept of a volunteer hub.  Cllr Mark Rhodes, Cabinet Member for Communities, said " The Centre has been an asset to the Community of East Malling and for a number of years".  "A dedicated Volunteer Hub will bring additional benefits, not just to residents of East Malling, but also the surrounding area.  We know that volunteering provides people with a chance to connect with others in their local community, helps raise confidence and self-esteem, improving both physical and mental health.  Volunteering also provides many people with skills and experience to assist them into paid employment.  These opportunities are critical in an increasingly competitive job market."  

2) Grow 19  Is a specialist education provision for young adults (18 - 25) with learning difficulties.  It's aim is to ready their learners for the world of work.  The are based in our Centre and we work closely together already.  They are very excited by the prospect of the volunteer hub as can be seen from the letter below:

 The development of a volunteer hub in the East Malling and surrounding area would be a proactive and co-ordinated way to support both local people, charities and a range of organisations.   In turn this would lead to greater capacity for community and personal development, as well as providing an opportunity for skill sharing, development and potential employment.

 Grow 19 is a specialist college for learners aged 19-25 with SEND offering vocational and living skills programmes. Our learners have learning difficulties and Autism and learn in a practical way.  The volunteer hub would benefit Grow 19 in the following ways:

 Learners would:

• have the opportunity to volunteer within a range of organisations, which raises self-esteem and aspiration
• develop their work related skills and personal attributes
• develop their social communication
• be able to learn from others, to support them in preparing for employment or interviews
• be able to actively participate in their community in a safe and organised way

 Grow 19 Ltd would:

• be able to offer volunteering within Further Education and Special Needs Education
• enhance our CEIAG (career education, information, advice and guidance) offer 
• deliver training to support the volunteer hub in functional skills, education and aspects of SEND
• be able to develop a pool of volunteers, familiar with the organisation to be able to support our initiatives 
• offer potential recruitment and career development opportunities 

 Grow 19 would fully support the development of the volunteer Hub .....  This initiative really could make a big difference to the area and people individually as it would be structured,  inclusive and equitable.

3) St James the Great Academy .  The Academy serves a large area of social housing and is attended by children from 3 - 11.  We work closely with the Academy and we have discussed recruiting volunteer readers and also a volunteer to work alongside the Caretaker . 

4) Communigrow is a charity based locally involved in making horticulture accessible and encouraging community involvement.  They too are very supportive of our bid and have offered the following endorsement :  

"As secretary and trustee of Communigrow I have had contact and worked with Liz Simpson and the East Malling Centre over several years.  I endorse and support their project to set up a Volunteer Hub and am confident that it will be well run and very useful for those living in the area who wish to volunteer.  We will be recruiting our volunteers through this Hub."

5) Clarion Housing is the main provider of social housing in the area and we work closely with Clarion Futures (their Charitable Arm).  We are working with them to develop a "volunteer journey",  job description for the coordinator and they have agreed to offer financial help and job advice for tenants taking up volunteering opportunities as routes into work or to improve well being.  They have offered us some funding to help with the initial set up but we need more to make sure we can employ the right person. 

This project successfully funded on 23rd March 2021