May 13 - Everything Epping Forest

Everything Epping ForestPage 4 of 23Loughton Foodbank is being run as a franchise of the UK Foodbank charity The Trussell Trust that partnerswith churches and communities to open foodbanks that provide three days nutritionally balanced nonperishablefood to people in crisis.Loughton Foodbank will be facilitated by a team from St Mary's Church, Loughton, and Restore CommunityChurch Debden.Heather Dent, voluntary Loughton Foodbank manager, has volunteered at Redbridge Foodbank in Ilford overthe past year.She said: "Foodbanks provide a welcoming, non-judgemental environment to people in the community whohave been referred by a care professional and issued a food voucher because they are facing a real crisis atthat point in their lives."They will be welcomed and met by friendly volunteers who can help sign post them to other organisations thatare able to offer advice to relieve their situation whilst receiving a food parcel to relieve their food hunger."It is amazing to see how this movement is benefiting people so that no one feels lost, last or least."By just simply giving your time or donations to a movement which is physically helping people in ourcommunity, we can slowly help to change our part of the world. You never know, it could be your neighbourwho is in crisis."She added: "Having contacted some care professionals in the area I gained understanding that there arepeople in Epping Forest currently facing crisis. I approached my vicar and Restore Community Church toconfirm they would support the project. They said absolutely!"We have confirmed a volunteering management team and are busy preparing our food storage facility and thepaperwork and checks which go with it. It is inevitable that we will run out of space very quickly therefore weare looking to businesses, churches, schools, individuals and other organisations within our Epping Forestcommunity to help support the hidden hungry in our community."Already Waitrose Buckhurst Hill have offered support to hold our first supermarket donation day and we areone of three charities in their 'Community Matters' scheme for May. Also Specsavers in Loughton haveconfirmed their staff will volunteer and also provide an area for donations."It is a real encouragement to have local businesses already on board which goes towards creating a genuinecommunity spirited approach."I would love to hear from anyone who could helpfully donate a shopping trolley, lockable filing cabinet, mobilephone package for Foodbank enquiries, printing service for marketing materials, funding/grants, nonperishablefood or their time to volunteer running the Foodbank sessions."Any enquiries can be made by emailing info@loughton.foodbank.org.ukA website page is under construction www.loughton.foodbank.org.uk and the Foodbank will be launched at theend of June.Volunteers 'worth over £1.3m a year' to hospice4.12pm - 29th May 2013VOLUNTEERS who give their time freely to St Clare Hospice are worth more than £1.3m a year to the charity.That is how much the hospice estimates it could cost the charity if it had to pay for all the ways that the 526volunteers support St Clare.The figure is released by the hospice ahead of National Volunteers Week (June 1-7).During the week, staff will be holding thank-you get-togethers to show volunteers how much they areappreciated. A combined event is planned for later this year.Volunteers save the hospice money in so many ways - by manning the Hastingwood reception, helping in theseven charity shops, and giving their time in the day therapy and inpatient units.This is in addition to the thousands of pounds raised by supporters through a host of community eventsthroughout the year.Voluntary services manager Chris Crump said: "As a very busy hospice service it would be impossible for us tofunction without the dedication and support of our volunteers who operate alongside staff in a complimentaryway engaging in all aspects of our hospice, retail and fundraising work."Without this collaboration we would be unable to sustain our services or develop the high level of care weoffer patients, their families and carers."Throughout the year St Clare Hospice volunteers have given 100,000+ hours of their time, a wage equivalentof more than £1.3m!"St Clare Hospice events during National Volunteer Week include Epping Forest District Council chairman MarySartin volunteering at the hospice's Scarlet shop in Buckhurst Hill on Monday (June 3) and volunteers JanFinal (from Harlow) and Betty Newton (from Arkesden, near Saffron Walden) representing St Clare Hospice ata Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, June 6.During the week long service awards will be presented a number of people including:Reception - Brenda Sullivan (10 years) and Joy Godfrey (5 years).Epping shop - Joyce Chidley ,Sally Pecover and Olive Towns (10 years). Katherine Caten and Dot Whatley-Harris (5 years).Fund Raising - Hazel Lodge and Christine Searle (5 years).Debden shop - Carolyn Kyle, Angela Ross and David Webster (5 years).Buckhurst Hill shop - Gillian Feeney and Angela Poulton (5 years).Hospice appeals for volunteer drivers10.46am - 28th May 2013ST Clare Hospice is appealing for more volunteer drivers to help transport day therapy patients to and from thehospice.Volunteers are vital cogs in the wheels that make St Clare Hospice work and, for patients attending daytherapy sessions, volunteers who come and pick them up then drive them home at the end of the day from thehospice are essential.Some 180 patients received day therapy at the hospice in the last year and the vast majority are picked up byvolunteers like Rod Beale and Gill Richardson.Rod Beale, 68, who lives in Harlow, became a volunteer driver almost three years ago, at a time when he wassuffering from prostate cancer. He has since been given the all-clear.He got in touch with St Clare after watching a television programme on volunteering.He said: "St Clare was advertising for drivers and so I got an application form and took it from there."Since then he has made himself available five days a week, often providing transport for the same peoplebuilding up friendships along the way.Rod said: "I get the satisfaction of seeing them enjoy their day when they come up for day therapy. They'realways telling me about the wonderful meals they get there and I say that's not fair because I don't get any!"During his illness Rod found the journeys were a chance for him to offer support to others, and for the patientsto talk with him.As well as providing the transport Rod is able to lend a listening ear and offer reassurance to patients,especially those who are going to day therapy for the first time.Rod said: "You do get a good rapport with patients. People can find it difficult to talk to their family membersabout their illness. They feel they can't talk to their families. They're frightened of their illness." Gill Richardsonworked as a nurse and a nurse practitioner at a GP surgery.She first became involved with St Clare through the Ongar Friends of St Clare Hospice and was the group'streasurer. She started as a volunteer driver about seven years ago."I enjoy meeting people. I can talk with them about their worries and it gives a lot of them the chance to talk toother people."Gill, who lives in North Weald, volunteers regularly one day a week and is available at other times too."It's just 90 minutes in the morning and the same in the afternoon," she said.Thanks to the dedicated efforts of drivers like Rod and Gill, the hospice is able to provide its day therapyservice to many people, but it still needs more people to come forward to get involved as a volunteer driver.Rod said: "There are people who are unemployed and it gets you out and about meeting people." Beforestarting to transport patients, volunteer drivers must complete an induction programme.There will also be volunteer group meetings and training to attend.The volunteer drivers collect the patients from their homes to arrive at St Clare between 10am and 10.30am,and collect them from 3pm to take them home and may also be called on to collect patients for out-patientappointments and drive them home afterwards.01/07/2013