News and information for volunteers from Home-Start Barnet and the Harrow Project

MAY 2017

DEAR VOLUNTEER,

MESSAGE FROM KIRPAL

A warm welcome to our May 2017 VNU. I’m delighted to share with you that our performance for the financial year end March 2017 has been extraordinary. We have seen a 48% increase in our support for families from the previous year, resulting in 581 families with 1783 children accessing Home-Start services. That could not have been achieved without your help. Hence I personally want to thank each one of you for volunteering your time, skills and wealth of experience.

Such a heavy workload brings its own challenges and we have had to contend with our share, including investing in new IT systems, revisiting our retail strategy and closing the charity shop down. The latter has been a very difficult decision as we had to let go of Shannon Kelly. Add to that we said goodbye to Shayo Fadipe who handed in her resignation for personal reasons. I wish both Shannon and Shayo all the best for the future. We are also missing Helen and Grace who are on sick leave but we hope to welcome them back soon.

Going forward there are lots of new things coming up including Community Health Champions project, Wellbeing pilot and some of you that have been here a long time will be aware it’s our 20th anniversary of supporting families in Barnet this year. We are planning a tea party in July and other events later in the year, so watch this space as you are all invited

Farewell dinner to our volunteers from The Loft

NEW VOLUNTEERS

A very big welcome to our new home-visiting volunteers who have just finished the prep course. We are really looking forward to working with you – welcome to our team!

SUMMER LUNCH

We are delighted to invite you to our Volunteer Summer Lunch which will take place at Stephens House, 17 East End Road, N3 3QE on Thursday 8th June from 12.30 – 2 p.m. There will be a hot lunch, and a variety of delicious deserts. Please come along and join us as we would like to thank you for your hard work and commitment over the past year. Please call the office if you would like to attend.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY HEALTH CHAMPIONS LIVING IN GRAHAM PARK

Do you live in Grahame Park? Community Health Champions provide support and motivation to Grahame Park residents, helping them to achieve healthier lives by raising awareness of health and healthy choices. You would provide support to others by making contact with local people, listening, encouraging healthier lifestyles and signposting. Full training will be provided. For further information please call Luci.

TRIP TO WILLOWS FARM

As part of our funding from The Big Give we took two coaches filled with our families on an Easter trip to Willows Farm. It was a sunny day and everyone had a great time. Thanks to all of the volunteers who came along to help.

TRAINING MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING – 3RD AND 4TH JULY AT STEPHENS HOUSE, FINCHLEY CENTRAL

We have organised some fantastic workshops for you. Firstly we are offering Mental Health First Aid training, a two day workshop which a certificated course run by MHFA England. You may have heard about the one day Youth MHFA course that Theresa May is now rolling out to every secondary school in the country to try and tackle mental health in young people. Mental Health First Aid is an educational course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help a person who may have a mental health issue. In the same way that we learn physical first aid, MHFA teaches you how to spot those crucial warning signs of mental ill health. Developed in Australia in 2000 it has now been rolled out across 23 countries and teaches people to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues, provide help on a first aid basis and effectively guide someone towards the right support. The cost of training is usually £300 per person but we are offering this for £25 to cover the cost of the book and certificate that you will receive. We have very limited places so please call the office if you are interested.

SUICIDALITY TRAINING - 14TH JUNE AT ONESTONEGROVE COMMUNITY CHURCH, EDGWARE

We have arranged from Rosemary Lamaison who is a parent specialist, counsellor, health education tutor to run a workshop. This will offer ideas on talking to someone who is feeling suicidal, to a bereaved person or someone experiencing loss through divorce or separation. She will also give pointers on how to help parents talk to children experiencing loss. The workshop will be from 9.30 – 1 p.m. Please ring the office to book a place.

LBB CHILDREN’S SERVICES TRAINING PROGRAMME

As volunteers you are able to access the local authority training. Please have a look at the link and if you are interested go ahead and book direct, letting me know so that I can update your training log. Please note that if you book and do not attend there will be a £50 charge that will be payable by you.

To access training programmes for the Children's Workforce in Barnet please click on the following link: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/wwc-home/workforce-development/learning-and-development-opportunities/interagency-training-programme.html

FUNDRAISING – A MESSAGE FROM JESS

I can’t believe I am now in my third month with Home-Start, everyone has made me feel so welcome. I am rapidly learning how effective a good network of people can be, and what a great, mobilised group you are! Attending Luci’s Volunteer Prep course has been the perfect way to learn more about the organisation, and it has been brilliant to meet a fantastic group of new volunteers. There have been lots of initiatives for me to get involved with. Home-Start attended the opening of the new Oak Furnitureland store Brent Cross. They kindly gifted us a spectacular cake in the form of an old London bus. We sold slices of the cake at our Grahame Park Easter party.

Left to right – Kirpal, Ramona (volunteer), Jess (Fundraising Manager) Shop Manager and Mayor of Barnet

Thanks to all those volunteers old and new who came to my first fundraising brainstorm. Barbara, Bekki, Sadette, Marcia, Huma and Hema you have some great ideas. We are kicking off with School Mufti Days. This is a fantastic way for schools to support their local community as well as educate children about the importance of caring and charitable gestures. Our Volunteer Ambassadors or a member of staff will be available to come in to school and give an ‘importance of charity’ assembly. Please drop me a line if you have contact with a school that could get involved, my aim is to get 10 schools on board this year.

Fundraising Stories

Well done Cathy, Huma, Angela and all the parents at The Grahame Park Group who raised an amazing £402.15 at this year’s Easter Party. It was a great community event. Thank you, Bekki, for raising £250. The money you raised has been pledged to our Big Summer Give.

Events Calendar

14th May Super Hero Run, Regents Park. A group of 12 staff and volunteers are aiming to raise £1500 as part of ‘The Big Summer Give’ 15th- 19th May Big Summer Give ‘Family Outings’ Appeal. Money donated during this week is DOUBLED by The Childhood Trust and will go towards giving our families great day trips during the summer holidays. Watch out for the countdown and donate link that will appear on our website and Facebook page.

24th June – The Gauntlet Games http://thegauntletgames.co.uk

This Obstacle Course guarantees to be a fantastic challenge event. Do you work for a company who fancies a great team building event like this? Would they like to raise money for Home-Start? We’d love to have them on board. If you have any fundraising ideas or would like to take part in our challenge events or take on a challenge of your own; be it a bike ride, skydive, run or walk please just let me know. I am here to help. Finally, please join our Facebook page to keep abreast of everything that is happening at Home-Start. Thanks Jess

ITEMS WANTED

We have a family who are in need of a moses basket, so if you have one to donate, please call Suzanne in the office.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Volunteer Summer Lunch 8th June Stephens House

Suicidality Workshop 14th June OneStonegrove

MHFA 3rd and 4th July Stephens House

Luci x