As you can imagine, with schools closed, Spark! has cancelled all work experience and employability events until further notice for the safety of our students, work experience hosts and volunteers – we know thousands of young people will miss out! However, it’s not all sad news, the team are creating some virtual activities and we need your help to get it going.

We are currently looking at supporting young people’s careers education virtually. Would you or a colleague be willing to volunteer and help a young person achieve their ambitions? This may include conducting a virtual mock interview or mentoring a young person.

If so, please email us to volunteer <mailto:info@sparklondon.org?subject=Virtual%20volunteering>  and pass our details on to colleagues looking for volunteering opportunities, or if you’d like to have a chat please call to find out more on 07852470177.

Both the local authority through the H&F Community Aid Network (www.lbhf.gov.uk/hfcan) and the NHS offer volunteering opportunities, or you may have a local Mutual Aid Group that you could contact to help our nearby residents (https://covidmutualaid.org/).

Working alongside the rest of the voluntary and charity sector in Hammersmith & Fulham at this time, Homeline at BCH is offering support through its staff and local volunteers to residents who don’t have friends or family close by to help them.

Professionals can refer residents in need of support with loneliness or shopping support to us.  Email homeline@creightonhouse.org

Ways we can help you:

  • Volunteers can make regular friendly phone calls two or three times a week where an older person can ask for help if you need it. Staff follow up these calls daily.
  • Volunteers can do shopping for older, vulnerable people.We will take payment (where possible) over the phone later based on a receipt.
  • Volunteers can collect urgent supplies or prescriptions
  • We can provide useful local information about what support is available
  • Staff can make referrals for further support if needed

Call 0207 385 9689 option 1/ email homeline@creightonhouse.org

Ways residents can help us:

Volunteer with us

We are still looking for local volunteers who are willing and able to go out to do a small shop for an elderly neighbour. We also need volunteers with the internet and a phone who can log into a cloud database and make telephone befriending calls on a weekly basis for us.

Email jradusinovic@creightonhouse.org to enquire about volunteering with us.

Healthwatch Hammersmith & Fulham is now recruiting for a permanent Operations Manager to lead the delivery of the service. Click here.

Healthwatch Hammersmith & Fulham is the independent champion for people who use health and social care services. We exist to ensure that people are at the heart of care. We listen to what people like about services, what could be improved and we share their views with those with the power to make change happen.

Healthwatch Hammersmith and Fulham is also looking to establish a Shadow Committee of local people to help lead and guide our workplan. We are looking for individuals with local knowledge, experience, and a real passion for helping local people get the best out of their local health and social care services.

You will be responsible for helping to guide the future of Healthwatch Hammersmith and Fulham and establishing the basis for building a large local membership from all communities entitled to health care in the Borough. Healthwatch Hammersmith and Fulham needs strong leadership to enable it to make a real difference.

We expect the Shadow Committee to complete its work in 3-6 months after which it will hand over the new long term Healthwatch Hammersmith and Fulham Committee. We would expect there to be a considerable overlap between the membership of the Shadow Committee and the future arrangement.

Please see the role or the permanent committee member as an example of key tasks and responsibilities here.

If you are interested in joining the Healthwatch Hammersmith & Fulham Shadow Committee please email marzena@healthwatchhf.co.uk or call 0203 8860 830 to request an application pack.

Do you currently have volunteers who aren’t able to do what they usually do for you? If so, and they’re able to, Volunteering Matters are coordinating the volunteering efforts of the sector and are asking for yours and their help. Find out more and sign up.

West London Business has launched a dedicated business support helpline to field queries from local businesses that are struggling to navigate support from government and banks, as well as siginificant business change.
Our evolving resources at coronavirus.westlondon.com, in tandem with the knowledge from a team of skilled and experienced home-based volunteers, are supporting business in the sub-region like never before.

We’re still recruiting volunteeers looking to make a real difference in supporting your local business community and provide business leaders with the information they need to make informed decisions at this testing time. If you have experience suitable for any of the roles below and have time to help from home, please contact us today.

Business Support Volunteer (front-line)
Are you an experienced business professional who can help answer business owners/ managers queries over the phone? Find out more

**NEW** Business Support Volunteer (second-line)
If your talents are better suited to aiding follow-up queries and support, we’re looking to bridge the gap between the Information & Research Volunteer team and the Front Line support volunteers. Find out more

Volunteer Information & Research Officers (Limited vacancies remain)
Are you able to help us identify and interpret the details of the latest government support in this fast-moving crisis? Find out more

 

The DHSC has issued a call for evidence relating to volunteering. Any insight you can offer from the frontline would be really helpful in informing their policy decisions. They’ve asked for any data/evidence to be submitted to Matthew.Siddons@dhsc.gov.uk, ideally by the end of the day on Wednesday 15 April. Click here.

Volunteering will be crucial in the response to coronavirus and people have not been stopped from doing this. However, volunteering that requires going out of the house is now only permitted in certain circumstances.  

Please check this latest government guidance on what you can and cannot do at the moment (section 7 in particular) – Guidance on volunteering

Despite a raft of new measures announced by the government to support businesses through the Coronavirus outbreak, the national business helpline is stretched to its limit in responding to queries around the range of available options.

West London Business are gearing up to launch a dedicated business support helpline to field queries from local businesses that are struggling to navigate support from government and banks, as well as siginificant business change.  This will also offer more bespoke insight on support from our local authorities.  To deliver the project we are bringing together a team of skilled and experienced home-based volunteers.

This is a chance for you – or perhaps a friend or colleague – to make a real difference in supporting your local business community and provide business leaders with the information they need to make informed decisions at this testing time. If you have experience suitable for either of the two roles below and have time to help from home, please contact us today.  The first volunteer training session will be a webinar this Sunday evening.

WEST LONDON NEEDS YOU!  

Business Support Volunteer (Front-Line)
Are you an experienced business professional who can help answer business owners/ managers queries over the phone? Read more

Volunteer Information & Research Officers / Knowledge Manager
Are you able to help us identify and interpret the details of the latest government support in this fast-moving crisis? Read more

E-mail jacquie.wright@westlondon.com if you, a friend or colleague are interested in the Business Support Volunteer role and for Information & Research/ Knowledge Management e-mail andrew.dakers@westlondon.com

The NHS is looking for up to 250,000 Volunteer Responders to help up to 1.5 million people who have been asked to shield themselves from coronavirus because of underlying health conditions. As of Wednesday afternoon more than half that number have signed up. This is not intended to replace the vital work charities or community groups are doing but is an additional service. You can register your interest here