Your Monthly Volunteer Update - March 2021 - Horton Housing ...
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Your Monthly Volunteer
Update
March 2021
Welcome to your monthly volunteer update!
Dear Volunteers,
Welcome to your March update.
Later this month, the clocks go forward, symbolising the start of
springtime and summer as the days get longer and the nights get
Contents shorter. I have always loved this time of the year; it feels rewarding
The difference you after the long and cold winter months.
make
Page 2 The latest government announcements have shown that we are very
close to putting the pandemic behind us as we look to get back to
Training updates some sense of normality. The vaccine rollout is going smoothly so far,
Page 4 and I encourage you all to book your appointments as and when you
are eligible to receive one.
New ideas to try at
home Soon, I hope to be welcoming you all back to the Training Centre for a
Page 5 very long overdue catch up, but until then we still need to follow the
guidelines to try and keep everyone within the community safe and
Keep up to date on well.
Social media
Page 6
As always, I hope you find this update full of useful inspiration and
Latest news information to support you while you volunteer with us.
Page 7
Get in touch
Page 10
Esther Douglas
Volunteer Service Manager
07525 667895
1
The difference you make
Stimulate and reward your community with Citizen Coin
Citizen Coin Bradford are digital community coins that can be earned by people getting
involved in social projects around the local area.
With these coins, users can help support Bradford businesses through discounts at local
and City centre retailers, meaning the more volunteering you do, the more rewards and
offers come your way.
As an organisation, Horton Housing have signed up to the scheme and are proud to
promote Citizen Coin, rewarding the tireless work of our volunteers as we look to forge
stronger communities.
To register, simply sign up by downloading the free Citizen Coin app where users will
receive two Citizen Coins. After that, you will be able to start earning, redeeming rewards
and continuing to make a positive change.
For more information, visit https://bradford.citizencoin.uk/.
2
Donations see a large increase
The number of items being donated to our organisation in recent months has increased
greatly. Household items such as kitchenware and crockery, clothes, children’s toys, tinned
food, bedding, sofas and toiletries have all kindly been donated so far, as well as money
which is being used to purchase starter packs for clients moving in to new tenancies.
I would like to thank all our volunteers who have played a key part in this, either donating or
helping to sort through the donations and distributing them across our services. With
donations collected via our Local Giving page, we were also able to purchase a number of
new duvets, cutlery and a toaster which will help make a huge difference for clients.
If you have, or know of anybody who has, items that you’d like to donate, please contact me
for more information. Or visit the donations page on the website:
https://hortonhousing.co.uk/donate-make-a-difference/
3
Training updates
Horton Academy training courses
It is really important that you complete your core training in your first six months of
volunteering with us. Even during these periods of lockdown, the courses can be
accessed remotely online. It is our responsibility to ensure that you are able to carry out
the roles you have been recruited to do.
If you are looking for something to keep you occupied during lockdown and you have
access to a PC, tablet or smartphone then please log in and complete the modules listed
below. If you have any questions or need help with logging in then please contact me.
Mandatory courses for volunteers are:
• Professional Boundaries
• Health & Safety
• GDPR
• Data Protection
• Basic Personal Safety
• Equality and Diversity
You can log in to Horton Academy at home (if this is your preferred way of completing
training) via the link below using your name e.g. josephb and password:
https://hortonhousing.learningpool.com/login/index.php
4
New ideas to try at home
Why Is Walking So Good for You?
Ahead of Horton Housing’s Walking Group’s much anticipated relaunch, Margaret
Hughes discusses the benefits of exploring the great outdoors on foot.
First of all, it is low impact with a low risk of injury. Walking can also help develop and
keep bones strong. If you didn’t already know, walking is one of the few sports that uses
the whole body, the more you do, the more you will improve your muscle tone and the
stronger you will become.
They say that walking gives you a boost, something that I definitely agree with. Whether
you work or not walking can easily be incorporated into your daily life and can boost your
immune system, helping to fight/lessen the risk of Type 2 Diabetes and other life changing
conditions.
Regular walking helps redirect your focus and concentration away from stressful
environments and situations and releases tension. This should result in a more relaxed
disposition and calmer state of mind and can help reduce symptoms associated with
depression, anxiety and self-esteem.
Try taking a 15-minute walk every day in your lunchtime (if you work). Switch off your
phone, we know that might feel scary, and just enjoy wherever you are walking. You will
feel a great sense of freedom to be off the main grid even for a short while, we guarantee
you will want to extend that time… just be in the moment and enjoy! Remember walking is
cheap - it needs no expensive equipment, is accessible to everyone and doesn’t need any
gym membership, just take a step to the big outdoors!
If you already go walking or feel that you would really benefit from starting to do regular
walking, you will be pleased to hear that we are planning to start up a walking group again,
hopefully in April when restrictions are further reduced.
Remember that it is a great way to spend time with your friends, meet and make new
friends whilst reaching your walking goals. Sharing ideas and experiences helps reduce
loneliness and makes for a better day.
Contact Esther Douglas for more information.
5
Keep up to date on social media
If you’re not already on social media, why not sign up and follow us to keep
up to date with the latest volunteering opportunities, news and events and get
to know other Horton volunteers.
‘Like’ us on Facebook ‘Follow us’ on Twitter
Horton Housing Horton Housing Association
Association volunteers volunteers
@hortonvolunteer @HHAVol
Horton Housing Horton Housing
Association Association
@hortonhousingassociation @HortonHousing
‘Follow us’ on Instagram
Horton Housing
Association
@hortonhousing
6
Latest news
Jack finds full-time employment
In the third part of this series, we spoke to former media and communications volunteer Jack
Douglas on his experiences volunteering and how it helped him land a full-time role at Horton
Housing.
“I graduated from university in the middle of the pandemic,” he explained. “I was struggling to
find work and felt like I wanted to expand my skills and experience.”
Starting in August, Jack began volunteering with the media and communications team,
helping to create website and social media content, as well as producing monthly volunteer
newsletters and designing infographics.
“After a brief break, it was nice to get back into the flow of having a daily routine. It was good
doing what I enjoyed doing; producing Facebook and Twitter posts, writing articles and being
creative editing video content for the YouTube channel.”
Since Jack started, our social media engagements and amount of blog content across the
website has increased, with new graphic designs accompanying the majority of our posts.
Gaining more experience with a housing association that supports people helped him settle
in quickly and propose new creative ideas.
“Being involved at an organisation that makes a positive difference in the community was
really rewarding for me. Especially during the pandemic, where times have been tough for
everybody, hearing and telling people’s stories has been very important.”
7
Now as a full-time member of staff, he believes that his time spent volunteering with the
organisation meant that he was more than happy to take up a position.
“When the opportunity came up, I knew it was something that I wanted to go for straight
away. Having essentially done the role for a few months beforehand, I felt comfortable with
the work and liked the organisation and what it stood for,” he commented.
In what has been a very challenging year, the most rewarding aspect of volunteering is
seeing the benefits that come from the work you do, according to Jack.
“I’d certainly recommend volunteering, here definitely but just in general as well,” he
commented. “It’s great to see how your time and effort can make a difference. I expanded my
skillset and knowledge of the area I want to specialise in long term, as well as developing
personally and seeing things from new perspectives.”
8
Volunteering opportunities
9
For the latest volunteering opportunities, visit the volunteering section of our
website. Roles are updated on a regular basis.
https://hortonhousing.co.uk/volunteering/current-opportunities/
I would love to know what you think about your volunteer
newsletter!
Please get in touch with me via the details below to give any feedback, or if you
have any news stories or suggestions for future issues.
Get in touch
Esther Douglas
Volunteer Service Manager
Email:
volunteer.applications@hortonhousing.co.uk
Write:
Volunteer Service Manager
Horton Housing Training Services
Bewick House
16 Eldon Place
Bradford
BD1 3AZ
Phone: 07525 667895 or 01274 753348
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