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As part of Volunteers’ Week a huge debt of appreciation is being paid to the hundreds of volunteers
across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who are working hard to support people during the
coronavirus pandemic.
Volunteers have always been a crucial part in supporting communities and individuals across
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, working alongside councils and other organisations to help and
support people.
The coronavirus pandemic has shone an even brighter spotlight on their work and encouraged thousands more people to volunteer.
In addition to the many people who have supported their local mutual aid group and community
groups which have been set up and adapted to provide local support, the Countywide Hub put a call
out for people to consider volunteering to support the work of the hub and the many essential
services that people still rely upon, such as social care. Just under 2,500 people got in touch and we
have been able to deploy a large number of them into volunteering roles across the county. This has
included additional support to care homes, community groups and voluntary organisations.
In addition, the Countywide Hub has been working with the district and city councils to see how
volunteers can support their work. So far, 500 volunteers have been assigned to projects across the
county and have supported in providing food and medicine deliveries, but also linked into
established networks, for example local community transport services and the voluntary and
community sector.
Close to 200 people in total have indicated they are willing to go into care homes and many are now
going through either personal care or general care home support training.
Matt Oliver, part of the team leading the work of the countywide hub, said: “Never before have we
seen so much support for our community and we have been truly overwhelmed with the number of
volunteers who have come forward. The amount of people who have offered their time and help
has outnumbered the calls for help around the county, at a time when calls for help are so high.
"During Volunteers’ Week in particular, we want to thank those volunteers who have been helping
neighbours and strangers get through this crisis. Our support for the most vulnerable people could
not have been delivered without the support of volunteers who have helped with practical tasks like
grocery shopping and collecting prescriptions for people who are housebound or self-isolating.
“On behalf of the councils of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and the people you have helped, we
say a great big thank you.”
With the number of people wanting to volunteer being greater than the level of demand, a team has been set up to help people who have not yet been assigned a role to access volunteering
opportunities where they live, to support the efforts taking place now around the pandemic and
longer term.
As part of this, a survey has been sent to all these volunteers asking if they would be willing to
volunteer long term and if they would be keen to support other voluntary and community groups,
charities or organisations such as the police, NHS or other councils. So far, of the people who
responded, 87% are keen to help during the next three months, and 66% would be willing to
volunteer long-term.
For more information about volunteering in general and to find local opportunities you can visit or
contact your local volunteer centre, or search via https://do-it.org/. Alternatively, you can visit the
NCVO (National Council for Voluntary organisations) web page ‘I want to volunteer’ for everything
you need to know to get started or you can also search for volunteering opportunities in your local
area on the Volunteering Matters web pages.
Around 500 volunteers are supporting residents in Godmanchester during the Covid-19 crisis and
had responded to nearly 1,000 requests for help by the end of May.
The work of the volunteers is coordinated by the town mayor and town clerk, the Godmanchester
Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group, Godmanchester Community Timebank and district and county
councillors.
Mayor Dick Taplin said: “I am immensely proud of how so many people have come forward to
volunteer to support local residents. We have street coordinators covering nearly every road and
hundreds of volunteers offering support.”
A couple receiving support said: "Many words have been used and similarities drawn with regards to
the pandemic and times gone by. As one enduring shielded lockdown, it would be that of a silent
army working with the threat of being exposed to the virus to help others and for no gain. The relief
of those few words on an app on my mobile saying "no problem will drop your things off in a little
while" brought a palpable belief in humankind. I hope we can maintain this sense of community
spirit but whatever the future holds for now all I can say is 'thank you'.”
Appreciation and thanks are being paid to the volunteers across Peterborough giving up their time
to support others during the COVID-19 crisis.
Volunteers have stepped forward to support the Peterborough Coordination Hub, ensuring that
services crucial to supporting residents can continue, such as the work of Peterborough Foodbank.
Through the Coordination Hub, volunteers are linked to an organisation and role based on their skills
and experiences, with the hope this will encourage them to continue volunteering.
Roles are varied, with some volunteers providing emotional support for those struggling with the
current experience of isolation, for example, seven people have been matched as telephone
befrienders, working with the organisation Caring Together. Other roles include completing more
physical acts in order to support communities during this time, such as volunteering with
Peterborough Foodbank and Family Voice to aid in the packaging and delivery of food parcels.
Even now as restrictions begin to ease, the work of the volunteers remains vital. To begin re-opening
our city in a manner that is safe for our communities, volunteers will be taking up marshalling and
information support roles, ensuring that the crucial social distancing and safety measures are
adhered to.
Of course, as these services and industries begin to recover, many volunteers will return to their
place of work. However, Peterborough City Council will be working with PCVS Volunteer
Coordination Forum to coordinate volunteering opportunities as the city moves through the COVID19 recovery period.
Wendi Ogle-Welbourn, executive director for People and Communities, who is part of the team
leading the work of the hub, said: “Volunteers are always such a large part of our community, but
during this Volunteers’ Week we want to say an especially big thank you to everyone who has given
up their time to help others throughout the pandemic. Without these volunteers, the much-needed
support for the vulnerable and shielded could not have been carried out.”
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March Amateur Boxing Club has been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
Established 70 years ago, March Amateur Boxing Club provides boxing training, including general fitness and a gym for children aged eight upwards and adults. The club is run entirely by volunteers and achieves remarkable results with little funding, relying entirely on the goodwill of the volunteers, who are clearly committed to not only the club but also the success of its individual members.
There are 10 coach volunteers, who come from a variety of backgrounds and have gained All
England Boxing coaching accreditation at their own expense. Overall, it has around 250 active
members, of which around 150 attend in any week.
Representatives of March Amateur Boxing Club will receive the award from Julie Spence, OBE QPM,
Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, later in the year.
The Lord Lieutenant said: “The selfless giving of their time, skills and enthusiasm has been rightly
recognised by Her Majesty the Queen, who has awarded them the Queens Award for Voluntary
Service - the nation’s top award for Volunteer led organisations.
“I must also congratulate the nominator because, without their initiative, this brilliant organisation
would not have been recognised. So, if you know a volunteer led organisation that goes above and
beyond with their care and commitment - we are a county full of amazing people doing amazing
things - please nominate them.
“Today however is March Amateur Boxing Club’s day and a big well done to them.”
More information on the Award can be found at https://www.gov.uk/queens-award-for-voluntaryservice - any group of two or more people that has participated in voluntary work for more than three years can be nominated for the award. Full details on how to nominate are available at
http://qavs.direct.gov.uk/ and nominations for the 2021 awards close on 25 September 2020.
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Roy Harold served in a number of fire services, including eight years with Cambridgeshire, but retired as chief fire officer and head of public safety at Norfolk County Council in 2017. He is
currently volunteering with Team Rubicon, a charity made up of military and emergency service veterans, who are helping central and local government manage Covid-19 across the UK via
Operation Re:ACT.
"I recently retired after 30 years tearing around in fire engines to other people’s disasters, but I’m now, along with six billion others, living right in the middle of a disaster that’s put us all on the firing
step, shoulder to shoulder in the same trench, facing the same common enemy.
“The way people have come together has been frankly humbling, especially for someone who used to see ‘spontaneous volunteers’ as one of the challenges of emergency management. It’s become
clear to me that people stepping up to help their fellow humans is not only a great thing, it’s also a deeply ingrained shared common instinct.
“That sense of solidarity and concern for others is the bedrock on which we’ve built the response to Covid. Grassroots self-help kicked into gear much more quickly than could ever have been organised centrally. The coordination hub, local and central government and charities have provided critical organisation and direction, but that has simply harnessed the huge energy provided by ordinary people stepping up.
“So, thank you to all the people who have put leaflets through their neighbours’ doors offering to help, to the dog walkers, shoppers, prescription collectors and friendly chatters out for their daily
exercise.
“Thank you to posties, refuse collectors, delivery drivers and shop staff. Especially, thank you to the 120 people who turned up at very short notice to meet a bunch of strangers in a carpark and then
visited over 3,000 shielded residents to check if they needed anything. Thankfully, the vast majority were being looked out for by family, friends and neighbours, but a few were in need of support
when a volunteer knocked on their door.
“Finally, I’d like to say thank you to all the wonderful people I’ve encountered because of coronavirus.”
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In her new series of videos, Val Thomas, Deputy Director of Public Health at Cambridgeshire County
Council and Peterborough City Council, gives some top tips and advice on how to keep safe when
volunteering in the community.
The videos cover volunteering to walk dogs, do some gardening, taking out deliveries and some
general advice.
To see the top tips and advice videos, click here.
Traditionally during Volunteers’ Week, Cambridgeshire Constabulary celebrates the achievements of all its volunteers and says thank you at events.
But this year things are lower key, especially as a lot of people aren’t able to continue volunteering
as their roles may have been temporarily stood down or they are personally shielding.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary is using Volunteers' Week to highlight the support it has been receiving with many people continuing to volunteer, in a uniformed role as a member of the Special Constabulary or in other roles. Specials have continued to contribute massively, providing more than 5,000 hours of volunteering in April alone!
Phil is a police support volunteer (PSV) who’s usually involved in role-play with police officers in training. He has stepped forward like many other PSVs, Neighbourhood Watch coordinators and
members of the public, supporting the work of the hub by visiting residents who are shielding.
He said: “I’ve been lucky enough to be offered the perfect excuse to get out on my bike during lockdown, welfare checks on some of our vulnerable residents who can’t be contacted. I’ve enjoyed doing something useful, talking to the people I’ve met and it’s been really pleasing that the ‘system’ seems to be working for all of them. Being able to chat with those who were isolating alone and reassure them that help if they needed it was at the end of the phone seemed to be very welcome.”
This weekend is also National Specials Weekend and Cambridgeshire Police is saying thank you to all
those people who dedicate their spare time to helping police in the county.
Being a Special brings with it professional training and the opportunity to gain unique skills and
experience that can be used in all walks of life.
If you want to join them, find out more here: https://www.cambs.police.uk/apply/Jobs/Jobtypes/Special-constable
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Volunteers at the Linton Community Help Team have been working round the clock during the lockdown to support fellow villagers with a cheerful and can-do attitude.
So far, they've helped 109 households through a food hub and by providing social contact and dog walking services, collecting more than 200 prescriptions and shopping. They’ve also delivered more
than 5,000 village newsletters and flyers.
Yannick Auckland, co-lead for the team, said: "There's a sense of partnership with local agencies coming together but what is most inspiring is the cheerful and can do commitment of the volunteers and the lovely connections made between villagers of all ages and situations.
"An example of this is one young boy, Zach, 7, who has been helping his mum Gabi deliver flyers etc
and who has met one of the elderly isolated villagers through this. On the last visit, seeing Zach’s own toy boat, the gent insisted on giving him his own model boat. Not a man of many words but clearly touched by the kindness of others."
Gabi said: “When the lockdown started I was really hit hard. I’m an outgoing person, I thrive on the interaction with others and enjoy being surrounded by friends and family. So getting involved in the
local community has really given me a purpose.
“The welfare calls have been bringing me so much joy, but also a good insight of how much we can all contribute to our community. I think this period has left the most vulnerable members of our
community even more isolated and at risk than before, and it means the world to me to be able to make even a small contribution to their welfare.
“It’s amazing how quickly you can create a special bond, even when you can only have a quick conversation sitting two meters apart. And how mutually beneficial that relationship is. We’ve
definitely built relationships that are going to last beyond this period of lockdown.”
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When lockdown began Isleham Cricket Club recruited a team of 140 volunteers who have been supporting more than 300 households with the help of the parish council.
So far, they have collected and distributed over 500 prescriptions for the Stapole Medical Centre in Soham and completed over 400 errand requests on behalf of other residents, ranging from trips to the shop, dog walking, to cutting grass.
They also helped a school to remove unwanted furniture to allow for the bubble arrangement needed for it to re-open safely.
But it’s not just practical services volunteers have carried out. For those residents who had recently lost loved ones prior to lockdown, working alongside social services and NHS Mental Health, the volunteers have been offering emotional support by providing crucial social contact as well as fulfilling errands.
With permission from Isleham Parish Council, the team also converted a phone box into a hub for
food and gifts. The phone box is full of non-perishable goods and children’s games and toys and is
open for anyone to give or remove anything they wish.
Councillor Mark Goldsack, county councillor for Soham North & Isleham, said: “The people in our
village have really stepped up. The neighbourhood response has been truly uplifting and we hope to
encompass this and maintain the contact, support and friendships we have developed during the
lockdown.”
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During lockdown, 3.3 million people aged over 70 have reported that their access to essential items like groceries and medication have been affected.
Volunteers for Age UK Cambridgeshire & Peterborough form an invaluable part of our community, offering services that are otherwise inaccessible.
Volunteers such as Angie and her two children, Izzy and Matt, from Ellington, Cambridgeshire, provide essential support to older people in their community through their work with Age UK. They have supported several older people with their food shopping, collecting prescriptions and simply offering phone calls to keep them connected.
As well as supporting older people, Angie has also been making scrubs and face masks for the NHS
and other key workers. “When lockdown started, we just felt like we needed to do something –
particularly as we’re all fit and healthy,” Angie said.
“Izzy was finishing off her dissertation for university, so it was really nice for her to have a reason to
take a break from everything and do something positive too.”
Matt will be starting an engineering apprenticeship soon but hopes he will be able to continue
volunteering with Age UK to support older people.
Melanie Wicklen, Chief Executive of Age UK Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Angie, Izzy and Matt for the fantastic work that they do, as well as all our incredible team of volunteers.”
To support Age UK Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, find out how you can donate here so our
volunteers can continue to provide vital services to our older community.
With the support of over 80 voluntary groups, town and parish councils and businesses across the
district, Fenland District Council’s COVID-19 response hub is continuing to help elderly and
vulnerable members of the community during the coronavirus pandemic.
Although lockdown restrictions are beginning to ease, groups such as the Fenland Association for
Community Transport (FACT) are powering on – and planning how they can continue to offer the same support long-term.
FACT usually provides a dial-a-ride and befriending service, but the past ten weeks has seen its
dedicated army of volunteers provide a shop and drop service to people across Fenland and as far
away as Sawtry, Huntingdon and St Neots.
Since they started, the volunteers have tallied up more than 2,700 shops – totalling over £62,000
worth of shopping! They shop and deliver an average of 60 food orders every day and were
managing almost 100 orders a day at its peak.
They also collect and drop off around 20 prescriptions a day and bring cheer to many stuck at home
in isolation.
Gary Christy, trustee and chairperson of FACT, said: “The team is doing a great job supporting the
community and also supporting each other, helped by generous donations from local people of cake, which have kept the energy levels up, and wonderful messages of thanks and gratitude.
“Some people we visit say it ‘makes their day’ to see us and members of the public will spot us in
Tesco and say what a great job we’re doing. It makes it all worthwhile.”
If you need FACT’s shopping or prescription delivery service please contact the community response
hub on 01354 654321 or FACT directly on 01354 661234.
Anyone wishing to volunteer with FACT can register via the Cambridgeshire County Council COVID19 coordination hub.
For more information on FACT, including making a donation or becoming a member, visit: www.factcambs.co.uk
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People across the county took to their doorsteps last night to clap for volunteers.
Acting Police and Crime Commissioner, Ray Bisby, asked people to join him at 8pm to clap for
volunteers in support of the invaluable contributions our local volunteers continue to make to
support their neighbours during Covid-19.
Although in many places the clap for carers came to an end last Thursday, it was hoped people
would join in one last time and make an extra effort to thank our volunteers.
Councillor Steve Count, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “There are hundreds and
hundreds of volunteers willingly giving up their time across Cambridgeshire and Volunteers’ Week is
a good chance to recognise them and show your appreciation.
“We’re all in this together and it’s absolutely true that the volunteers are making a difference
between just coping and coping well, so a personal, huge thank you from me.”
Councillor John Holdich, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “Volunteers have always been the backbone of our city and support people to an extent which many will never appreciate. But in
recent weeks the coronavirus pandemic has shone an even brighter light on these volunteers,
including the many who have so willingly signed up to help others during these most difficult times.
“So please, if you know someone who is volunteering, take time to show them how much you
appreciate their efforts this week.”
Both council leaders have recorded video blogs about Volunteers’ Week. You can watch Councillor
Count’s here and Councillor Holdich’s here.
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Robin Sutton is the chairman of Cambridgeshire Neighbourhood Watch Association (CNWA) uniting the six districts of Cambridge, Peterborough, Fenland, Huntindonshire, East Cambridgeshire and
South Cambridgeshire. The association has over 1,700 coordinators who organise Neighbourhood
Watch schemes in this area.
Robin became chairman of the CNWA at an exciting time for Neighbourhood Watch. He explained: “Our focus has been preventing crimes such as burglary which in turn improves wellbeing. Crime prevention and support for victims of crime continues, but we are now encouraging residents to be neighbourly by being kind, sharing and supporting each other.”
CNWA has a valuable and supportive partnership with Cambridgeshire Police which brings many
benefits. Members, who live in the communities, offer neighbourhood policing much in return.
CNWA is part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership to help prevent
residents becoming victims of scams. Its coordinators help scam victims to report the crime and will provide emotional support. They also visit victims of burglary and provide toolkits for members to help understand modern crimes such as domestic abuse, terrorism and cybercrime.
Robin said: “COVID-19 has presented all of us with many challenges. We have been working with
councils and the police making prescription deliveries, basic shopping and welfare visits. In
Peterborough for example over 160 welfare visits have been made. One of our coordinators, who
has made 29 welfare visits so far said, ‘I have found providing Covid-19 support to the shielded
community a very rewarding, and worthwhile, experience’.
“Recently, our lives have been turned upside down. Neighbourliness has never meant so much to so
many. I am inviting you, and your communities, to join us in sharing what it means to be a good
neighbour. If you would like to know more about Neighbourhood Watch visit our website at
www.ourwatch.org.uk.”
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Thanks to the hard work of volunteers, the Care Network has been able to expand its services to
support communities through the Covid-19 crisis.
For over 30 years it has been working across the county to help people stay healthy, independent
and in touch with their community. Now, with the support of its volunteers, it has been able to
address the issue of loneliness caused by the lockdown through the Check and Chat service.
The service was launched at the beginning of lockdown and offers support to anybody over 18 who
has been adversely affected by the lockdown restrictions, with 27 volunteers taking calls from those
that don’t require more intensive support. So far, over 100 people have been supported.
The Check and Chat volunteers have been going above and beyond to support people, with many
volunteers finding the service mutually beneficial.
One volunteer, Pauline, reported that the calls were of as much use to her as they were to her client.
As time went on they found they had a lot in common so when lockdown measures eased, they met
in their local park for a face to face, socially distanced, chat. Pauline is now the first volunteer to
meet face to face with her client and has offered to take on more check and chat clients to further
make connections.
The Check and Chat service is available weekdays, 9am to 5pm. If you feel that you, or anyone you
know, may benefit from the service you can get in touch with team for free on 0330 094 5750.
The Hemingford Hub has more than 140 volunteers helping in excess of 260 residents across the villages of Hemingford Grey and Hemingford Abbots.
The hub would like to recognise three very active volunteers for their dedication:
Camille Altman (or Cammy), collects and delivers prescriptions. She has been shopping for nine households and picking up over 150 prescriptions for more than 70 people. Many of the elderly appreciate seeing a regular friendly face and are happy to open the door when she calls.
Cammy said: “I love the way the community has pulled together to help and support each other,
giving back to the generation that made our lovely village what it is today. I hope we will keep the
community spirit alive after this.”
Liz Freitas and Denise Felstead have been delivering the papers. Working seven days a week, Liz
delivers 147 papers a week, and Denise delivers 85. Together with shopping for others and helping
out with medicines, their dedication is endless.
Liz enjoys making sure the people on her paper rounds are okay. She said: “They have all been so
grateful and friendly, it’s been a pleasure to help them out. I'm hoping the world doesn't go back to
'normal' and people stay a little more caring.”
Denise always chats to people on her round and keeps a watchful eye in case things don’t look right.
She said: “The people I look after show their appreciation in lots of lovely ways. I've had an email
from one gentleman's daughter thanking me for looking after him. I've made new friends in the
village, which feels good. When a form of normality returns, I will miss the people on my round.”
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Joe Gilbert is a specialist personal adviser in Cambridgeshire County Council’s corporate parenting
team, providing support for care leavers. Here he talks about how young people in care are being
supported by volunteers and others during the pandemic.
“When the severity of Covid-19 became apparent, we became concerned about the struggles of
many of our young people. These are ‘our children’ that we as Cambridgeshire County Council and
Peterborough City Council are corporate parents to, that have been through the care system and are
now trying to live independently.
“Many already struggled with finances before Covid-19, but this was now amplified with jobs not
materialising, redundancies, furloughing, isolation and awaiting benefits. These young people often
have no other family or limited social circle to support them in the same way that many others their
age might be supported.
“We appealed to the community for donations and received a fantastic response of food and
hygiene products and started putting together emergency relief hampers. These have been a lifeline
to our young people and are still going strong.
“We applied for grant funding through Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and were successful
which has helped us make this sustainable and to date we have delivered over 100 relief hampers to
our care experienced young people.
“Many of our young people also live in semi-independent accommodation with no internet or
laptops, so when many of their courses became virtual, we had a real risk of many of our young
people dropping out of their courses. We have been very lucky to receive grant funding for laptops
and connectivity devices which again has been another vital life-line for our young people through
this pandemic.
“Both of these initiatives have been adopted by our personal advisers and social workers who have
been more than happy to volunteer their time to help make and deliver hampers across the county.”
Cambridgeshire Search and Rescue has put in a total of 1,252 hours of volunteer time this year,
continuing to support the police as well as providing assistance to communities during lockdown.
Cambridgeshire Search and Rescue is made up of 40 active trained members and volunteers who are available 365 days a year. Whilst supporting Cambridgeshire Constabulary, as a specialist search
team, they can be called upon to search for high risk vulnerable missing people.
The team is also part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Resilience Forum (CPLRF) and
supports the community in a number of ways including helping with extreme weather conditions
and flooding, door knocking to reach vulnerable people that maybe cut off from their water supply
or helping in the event of a serious aircraft accident
It is the charity’s part in this forum that led to it taking up new services when lockdown began.
Since the end of March, the charity has been providing drivers and vehicles to deliver food to
shielded people. In May alone, volunteers have driven over 8,500 miles to make more than 580 food
deliveries. The volunteers have also supported with welfare checks to the home of people identified
as vulnerable who we have not yet been able to make contact with.
These volunteers have continued to go above and beyond to ensure the safety of those in the
community, extending their services even further to ensure the most vulnerable are supported
during this difficult time.
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