Volunteers across Norfolk are being thanked for their work throughout the pandemic
It's part of National Volunteers Week
Last updated 4th Jun 2021
Volunteers across Norfolk are being recognised for their work as part of Volunteer Week.
Throughout the year, volunteers have helped tens of thousands of people get their Covid jabs and brought essential food and medication to people who were isolating.
They’ve also made thousands of other people’s lives more bearable during lockdown, by organising online activities and making befriending phone calls to check on people’s welfare and mental health.
This Volunteers Week, Voluntary Norfolk and Community Action Norfolk (CAN) are paying tribute to the thousands of volunteers across Norfolk who have made a difference in the past year, in formal volunteering roles and through Good Neighbour Schemes and Mutual Aid Groups. They’re also encouraging more people to step forward to continue this legacy.
Alan Hopley is CEO of Voluntary Norfolk:
“It is no exaggeration to say that, as a country, we could not have got through this past year without volunteers.”
Christine Wall is a retired biochemist from Ludham who signed up to volunteer in summer 2020. It was in response to the county-wide recruitment drive for volunteers to help with the Covid response.
Christine’s volunteer role is home-based, and she spends one morning a week supporting the Norfolk Health & Community Care NHS Trust, initially by phoning patients to make sure they have had their flu vaccinations:
“It’s very flexible and I am able to fit my volunteering around my own availability.’
Tracey Allan, who leads CAN’s Good Neighbour Network added her praise of volunteers saying ‘Good Neighbour Schemes have played a vital role in the community response to Covid being on the front line of supporting their neighbours and proving how important it is to have a co-ordinated, local, support network.
There are currently 20 schemes in Norfolk with 465 registered volunteers, helping on average 423 households a month. Over the past year, Good Neighbour Scheme volunteers have carried out almost 12,000 requests for help.
Katy Jones is from Voluntary Norfolk and says it’s about being part of something important and big in our community:
“Knowing you’ve made a difference to somebody’s life is such an important part of how we feel about ourselves.”
Come Singing is another voluntary organisation, led by Heather Edwards with a core team of just a dozen volunteers.
The organisation delivers free singing and music sessions to over people living with dementia in and around Norwich, in care homes, sheltered housing, general and specialist dementia hospitals and in large community groups. Heather says:
‘Covid and lockdown restrictions meant we were unable to run face to face singing groups, but the need for our support was greater than ever, with clients experiencing increased anxiety, isolation and loss of contact with their peers. We abruptly had to change the way we worked.’
Volunteers had to stay in touch by phone, interactive newsletters and creative activity packs. Another volunteer delivered Skype singing classes to a care home and creating video tutorials.
Heather added: “The volunteers have been incredible this past year and have made a real difference to people’s lives, keeping them connected and bringing them some joy and fun in these difficult times. I am so very proud of them.”
To find out more about volunteering opportunities in the area, click here.