Spring Meeting 2017

30^th March 2017

Thank you to everyone who came to our Spring Meeting at Alia Future Business Centre, Peterborough United Football Ground. We welcomed just over 100 attendees to our event.

Jason Ablewhite, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough gave an overview of his role, the police and crime objectives and the work being done to have a joined up approach to prevent and reduce crime with local agencies such as local authorities, health, the Probation Trust, fire and rescue service and the criminal justice system. Our audience was interested to learn and asked a variety of questions, particularly in relation to the rise of cyber-crime and vulnerable older people.

It is useful here to give the contact details:

If you suspect any frauds or scams report it by calling Action Fraud on 0300 1232040 see their website click here.

Our own Information Officers at Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can assist and support older people call us on 0300 666 9860 and follow the link  to our website page for more information on keeping safe click here.

After a short break we heard from speakers on our theme for the day The Value of Volunteers.

Beverley Young, Communications and Campaigns Manager introduced giving interesting statistics. Did you know:

• Office for National Statistics recently estimated the annual value of regular formal volunteering to be £23.9 billion.
• Volunteering England put the annual output figure for all formal and informal volunteers at £45.1 billion. 
• The DWP and the Cabinet Office recently estimated that the wellbeing value to frequent formal volunteers themselves is around £70 billion per year. 
• People of all ages volunteer.

The latest figures from the government’s Community Life Survey  released on 20 July 2016 show that;

• 41% of people reported volunteering formally (through a group, club, or organisation) at least once a year
• 27% of people did so at least once a month. (with those aged 65-74 the most likely to volunteer this frequently).

Beverley also gave an overview of the many volunteering opportunities that are available and examples of the diverse range of skills and talents that volunteers have offered and how these individual abilities have been utilised by our charity.

Carol Cook, Volunteering and Befriending Manager, gave an informative insight into the role of befriending, the area in which the majority of our volunteers volunteer. The role is very rewarding and can be of significant benefit to both people in the relationship, the person receiving a befriender/visit and the volunteer. 

Hazel Sibthorpe, a volunteer with us since July 2013 in our befriending service, spoke movingly and candidly about her personal experiences visiting older people at home, offering friendship and support.

We also heard from volunteers Barabara Holdich and Pam Kounougakis about their roles at one of our friendship clubs. Barabara and Pam are both founder members of Glinton Friendship Club volunteering for over 15 years, welcoming older people to the club and ensuring everything runs well, from opening up to providing teas and entertainment. Pam expressively read a poem A Song for the Unsung Heroes (reproduced below*).

Volunteers are integral to our charity and we could not deliver many of our services without the kindness and dedication of volunteers. It was wonderful to hear directly from our volunteers, who are so inspiring.

Our Charity's President Dr Stephen Webster (a volunteer) gave thanks to our many volunteers in all their roles.

We then broke for lunch and time to chat with each other and admire the amazing elevated view the room offered of Peterborough United football pitch.

Jason Ablewhite met with knitters taking part in our Big Knit Campaign and had a go at knitting a little hat along with Gloria Culyer (CEO), Dr Stephen Webster and Alex Alexander (Trustee). Shown here in the photo with Christine Wildman (Big Knit Co-ordinator at The Lindens Knit and Natter Group).

After lunch Mike Petty Cambridgeshire researcher, lecturer and historian, gave an entertaining talk on Fenland from 1600 to Present and Future. The audience were keen to ask the historian local information questions, which Mike knowledgeably answered.

More photographs from the event can be viewed on our Facebook page click here.

Volunteers are not paid because they are worthless,

                  but because they are priceless.

Our thanks to everyone who attended, all our volunteers and staff who helped to organise and host the event.

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.

* Poem read by Pam

                  A Song for the Unsung Heroes.

The Volunteers are the rocks on which this world is built.

They wait there, still and silent, beside the loose and shifting silt.

They conjure time from nothing, can make youth from the old.

They can turn plain water to crystal, can change dullest grey to gold.

They can find answers to each question without even trying,

They produce amazing banquets without ever buying!

They sit by the door, they sweep the floor.

They mix and bake, they ice the cake,

They serve the tea, they collect the key.

They wash the plates, they bring their mates,

They pick the flowers, they find more hours.

They fix the lights, mend laddered tights,

They take the snaps, they give huge claps.

They put out chairs, know what's and where's,

They sell the tickets, sort out sticky wickets.

They get raffle prizes, love to give surprises!

The silent majority, whose presence is certain,

Who stand in the wings, in the shade of the curtain.

Behind the scenes, behind the screens, who writes tributes to those?

Who shun the praise, but who spirits raise...

Our unsung volunteer heroes.