Volunteer Centre Dundee

Royal Voluntary Service Update

The Royal Voluntary Service in Dundee is pleased to continue to provide a lifeline to our vulnerable, older people (over 50) and or their carers. 

The support we have been providing (during the COVID-19 health emergency) and will continue to provide includes companionship (telephone befriending) calls and welfare checks (Safe & Well phone calls), help packs of essential food and toiletries– providing vital food for those struggling to pay for daily necessities. Read more about existing services here. 

For further information on any of the services mentioned please contact: Michelle Manzie, Service Manager michelle.manzie@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk or 07834 753386.

For referrals for services or enquiries about volunteering for Royal Voluntary Service, Dundee City, please contact either Irene Wallace, Service Coordinator 07917 183548 Thursday or Friday – or email at Dundeehfh@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk. 

Shopping and Prescription Support

Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action has now started a voluntary shopping and prescription service, thanks to the wonderful volunteers helping to provide this.
 
If you would like a volunteer to do your shopping for you, you can arrange this either by completing the form online at: www.getlocalsupport.org or by calling the Dial-OP line, weekdays between 9am and 5pm on 305757.
 
It has set up an invoicing system to allow you to pay for your shopping after it has been delivered in response to people telling them they were worried about running out of cash at home and having to go out to withdraw money in order for volunteers to do their shopping for them. This is an alternative for the people who are no longer able to pay with cash and hope that this will allow them to continue to get the shopping in that they want without having to leave the house or put themselves at more risk.
 

Sacro showcase event

Yesterday, I was pleased to attend the Sacro showcase event at the Dundee Voluntary Action offices in Constitution Road.
 
Sacro is a national community justice voluntary organisation working across Scotland to make communities safer by reducing conflict and offending.
 
It was very interesting to hear about the good work Sacro is undertaking in Dundee and across Tayside, particularly its youth restorative justice service.
 
You can find out more about the work of Sacro here.

Festival of Volunteering Launch @DunFestVol2015

I was pleased to be at the well-attended launch of the Dundee Festival of Volunteering yesterday in the City Square.
 
You can find out more about the many activities taking place this coming week as part of the festival by visiting the festival’s Facebook page.   Don’t forget our West End Litter Pick as part of these activities – next Saturday!
 
Some photos from yesterday’s launch :
Large turnout for the launch day!
Some of the stands setting up in the City Square
With the Bonnie Dundee Britain in Bloom 2015 finalist banner
Graham Cross of the Bonnie Dundee group
Lillian Malcolm and Gordon McDonald of the MS Society’s Dundee Branch

Volunteer Champions Team Awards

From the Volunteer Centre Dundee :
 
Volunteer Champions Team Awards – New for 2014!
 
If you know a team of young volunteers aged 12-25 who have gone above and beyond expectations – we want to hear about it! 
 
The Volunteer Champions Team Awards will recognise the efforts of teams of young volunteers who have done something extraordinary!  This award is for a team of young people who have come together to work on a specific project or activity for the benefit of the local community. To be eligible for nomination, teams must meet the following criteria: 
 
•    All volunteers must be between the ages of 12 and 25.
•    Young People must have worked together to complete the minimum number of hours. 
•    The activity must have an agreed outcome – whether it’s raising money for charity, doing a beach clean-up, or running an event, for example.
•    The award can be for one off projects or teams who volunteer regularly.
•    There must be a minimum of 4 young people to make up a team.
•    If there are between 4 and 6 young people, they need to have gained 100 hours of volunteering collectively. If there are 7+ young people, they need to have gained at least 200 hours of volunteering collectively.
•    The Volunteer Team must have gone above and beyond expectations and made a difference to their communities.
 
To nominate a team, click here.     Closing Date: 1st September 2014 at 5pm – so don’t delay! 

Dundee Festival of Volunteering 2014 – Time2Give Coffee Afternoon @DunFestVol2014

This morning, I took part in a number of council meetings, starting with the School Parking and Pupil Safety Working Group, at which I again raised the issues at the West End Campus (Victoria Park and St Joseph’s Primaries and Balgay Hill Nursery School) and also praised the work of the community police and parking attendants in tackling the road and pupil safety concerns.    
 
I am pleased to report that safety barriers are to be erected over the summer holidays at the entrance lane to the schools and the car park, to avoid unauthorised vehicles gaining access.
 
Other morning meetings included a discussion about the project plan for the new Roseangle playpark – achieved thanks to the wonderful fundraising efforts of the playpark campaign and the local community, a meeting about the Dundee Festival Trust and the Mills Observatory and a councillors’ briefing about community asset transfer.
 
This afternoon, I had the pleasure of being at the very well-attended Time2Give Coffee Afternoon at Blackness Library as part of the Dundee Festival of Volunteering 2014.    Here’s a couple of photos from it – below:
An excellent turnout this afternoon
Local mental health guitar group RockDee performed and were excellent

Dundee Festival of Volunteering 2014 @DunFestVol2014

I am pleased to say that the West End figures prominently in this year’s Festival of Volunteering, including Community Spirit Action Group‘s litter pick, Time2Give‘s Coffee Afternoon at Blackness Library, Starter Pack‘s Open Week (Perth Road) and Bridge FM‘s Open Evenings at Ninewells Hospital.
 
You can download the full brochure with all the details here.

Dundee Festival of Volunteering – Brochure launched!

The Dundee Festival of Volunteering takes place during the first week of June and the festival brochure is now available and can be downloaded here.
 
It is great to see the large number of events that are taking place right across the city and the West End figures prominently in these, including:
 
* An older people’s drop in event 
* A Tayside Museums event
* Skillshare’s Bicycle Repair Class
* Starter Packs’ drop in events
* Bonnie Dundee Group litter pick – Perth Road, University Campus, Seabraes and the Science Centre
* Graffiti clean-up  – in the Douglas Street area

West End Community Council

Last night at the West End Community Council meeting, there was an interesting presentation by Pat Greenhough of the Volunteer Centre Dundee about the work she is doing to promote services for older people in the West End and in other parts of Dundee.
 
Pat is looking to set up a West End older persons’ steering group and if anyone locally is interested in taking part, they can contact her at the Volunteer Centre at info@volunteerdundee.org.uk or by phoning 305705.

Dundee’s Festival of Volunteering

As we fast approach 2013, I am highlighting the forthcoming Festival of Volunteering in Dundee in the first week of June.
 
I have already been in touch with West End Community Groups Community Spirit Action Group and West End Community Council about how the West End can take part and we are agreed that our participation in the shape of a community-led graffiti and litter tidy would be worth undertaking.
 
If you are interested in helping, please e-mail me at community@frasermacpherson.org.uk – many thanks.