Age UK at the Big Help Out
This week (3-9 June) is Volunteers’ Week, and one way to get involved is to join The Big Help Out event, which takes place this weekend, between Friday 7 June and Sunday 9 June.
The Big Help Out is an online platform, available as a web browser or a downloadable app. It brings some of the country’s best-known charities together to encourage people to sign up as volunteers to help their local communities.
The app allows you to contact groups or organisations near you and find out what options are available for volunteers. It also allows you to organise your own community events and contact others who would like to get involved. More than seven million people took part in last year’s Big Help Out – getting together to make a difference in their local area.
Age UK East Sussex is one of those joining the initiative, and it invites residents of East Sussex to try their hand at volunteering across a variety of roles. It is a locally focussed charity dedicated to supporting older individuals through services including befriending, practical assistance and social activities. The organisation aims to combat loneliness, promote independence and improve the well-being of older adults in the community. They say:
As well as providing much-needed support, volunteering also enables people to gain valuable new skills, confidence, experiences and friends. Age UK East Sussex offers many services, some of which include:
- Befriender Volunteering: to make sure that older people can access the services they require.
- Macmillan Home Support Volunteering: to ensure people diagnosed with cancer can access timely and practical support in their homes.
- Social Prescriber Volunteering: which involves working closely alongside employed colleagues, doctors and nurses in GP surgeries to help people over 50 engage with local services.
- Age UK East Sussex Shop Team: the five shops and two furniture stores are reliant on volunteers to help raise vital funds for the charity’s work and services.
- Information & Advice Line Volunteering: you will provide administrative support and assist with client enquiries.
To learn more about volunteering opportunities with Age UK East Sussex, pop in for a chat at one of the below venues on Friday 7 or Saturday 8 June, between 10am and 2pm.
- Age UK East Sussex Furniture Warehouse – Ranalah Estate, Newhaven
- Age UK East Sussex Furniture Warehouse – Maple Road, Eastbourne
- Age UK East Sussex Shop – 54 Cliffe High Street, Lewes
- The Isabel Blackman Centre, 3 Winding Street, Hastings
You can also visit ageukeastsussex.org.uk or call 01273 476704. Take The Big Help Out Pledge and commit to volunteering between 7th June and 9th June. To find out more, visit thebighelpout.org.uk.
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