Volunteer Centre Glossop
| 73 High Street West, Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 8AZ | |
| Tel: | 01457 865722 |
| Email: | info@gvb.org.uk |
| Web: | gvb.org.uk |
Volunteer Centre Glossop is a charitable organisation established to enhance the quality of life for the people of Glossop and the High Peak by promoting the value of volunteering.
It seeks to ensure that volunteer opportunities are available for all, and is committed to providing ongoing training and support for the volunteers.
The Centre also works to identify the unmet social and/or economic needs of the community and to establish projects to meet those needs.
Core Activities
Volunteer Centre Glossop places the needs, rights and issues of volunteers at the heart of all its activities. The commitment to ensure volunteering opportunities are available to all translates into the following activities:
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raising awareness of the benefits of volunteering to both the community and the individual
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advertising the diversity of volunteering opportunities available
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helping potential volunteers identify those projects that are of most interest to them
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helping projects devise good volunteering policies and practices
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providing training to volunteer using agencies on recruiting / supporting / deploying volunteers
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providing training for volunteers
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acting as an advocate for volunteers experiencing difficulties
Practical Help - Volunteer Centre Glossop offers a range of support services to local volunteer-involving organisations, including various office services, room hire, volunteer recruitment and organisation registration, reference materials and training.
Projects
Car Scheme Service - a team of volunteer drivers help people with disabilities, older people, sick children, people with learning disabilities and people with mental health problems to attend medical and similar appointments. Generally the driver stays with the passenger and brings them home again if required. A charge is made to the passenger to cover the cost of the volunteer's petrol.
Glossop VIPs (Visually Impaired Persons) - a self-help group to plan social activities, network, raise issues of concern and visit places of interest. Meets monthly, with a membership of 30 people of different ages.
Hands On! - Youth Workers assists young people aged 12-21 years find suitable placements or establish their own community-focused projects. Groups work together on issues of interest over a set time period, the aim of which is to provide more places to go and things to do in the Glossopdale area. Alternatively, the group can work towards one-off events, raising awareness of issues important to them.
Out & About Club - provides an opportunity for elderly and disabled people to socialise and go on day trips - approximately 14 every year. Volunteers provide help to those members who are wheelchair users or who have difficulty getting around unaided.
Talking Newstape - a team of volunteers puts together a tape of local news each week for distribution to 100 blind or partially sighted listeners. This service is entirely free to the recipients and is managed by a team of volunteers.
Time Out Sevice - a weekday service for elderly and disabled people, enabling them to get out of the house, do their shopping, meet friends, socialise and learn useful information about other local services.
Management and Staff
Volunteer Centre Glossop is run by a management committee of volunteers made up of local people with an interest in promoting and developing volunteering in Glossop and the High Peak. The management committee are responsible for shaping the overall ethos of the Centre and offering support and direction to the paid staff and volunteers that run the Centre and its projects on a day-to-day basis.
The Centre Director has the responsibility for managing all the current employees. In addition to the Director there is an Office Manage, a Volunteer Co-ordiantor and six managers for individual projects, each of which has responsibility for managing the volunteers that are involved in their project.
Funding for the Centre comes from a number of sources. Fundraising is continual as the Centre strives to meet its aims. The Centre is always looking for new funders, and is particularly keen to work with local businesses to help them fulfil their corporate responsibility aims.
Premises
The Volunteer Centre is located centrally in the main high street of Glossop with a shop-front presence. The ground floor has a large reception area with combined office space. Further offices are on the upper floor, where there is also a meeting room accommodating up to 8 people. A chair lift is available to negotiate the stairs.
