Covid-19 Volunteering

It is not well publicised but there is a large but quiet army of volunteers helping out in communities across Buckinghamshire to help those affected by Covid-19 and with the vaccination rollout programme. Without these kind people giving up their free time, we would be in a far worse situation.

Last week I was just one of this vast group of volunteers, helping with the surge testing here in Buckinghamshire to get a new Covid-19 variant under control. It was great to see both so many people wanting to help and so many people who answered their door and said yes to having a test. The volunteering was well organised and safe, with volunteers only able to carry out the work if they had got a negative Covid-19 test that morning.

I got involved via the charity Community Impact Bucks and the Buckinghamshire Volunteer Matching service they have set up in partnership with Buckinghamshire Council and The Clare Foundation specifically to mobilise volunteers to help with those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In Spring 2020 there was a big sign up of volunteers (1,800+) but they are now looking for more volunteers:

‘While many volunteers have stepped forward to help, a number have had a change in circumstances and are no longer available. We are now looking for more volunteers from across Buckinghamshire, and particularly in certain areas of the county to carry out a range of roles from short term or one-off tasks, to ongoing positions providing essential support.‘

In Amersham there is the Facebook Group ‘YourAmersham CoronaVirus Help’ Group page which is a hyper local group enabling people to offer and receive support.

There are plenty of other non-Covid related volunteering opportunities to help local charities and communities. Community Impact Buckinghamshire is a good place to start or if there is a charity that you admire you could contact them directly. Charities often need Trustees, a misunderstood and underrated volunteer role, who work as a team to direct the charity.

Here is my take on why being a Trustee is the best volunteer role available:

As someone who runs two Volunteer Centre charities I know the importance of recognising the work that volunteers do so I was very pleased to receive an email from Buckinghamshire Council Chief Executive Rachael Shimmin thanking me and other volunteers for their work:

By volunteering to help with this important project, you have gone the extra mile and shown your commitment to keeping our communities safe. You should be proud of yourself as, by enabling residents to understand what is happening and offering them the chance to get tested, you are helping to prevent the spread of the virus and in turn saving lives.

Rachael Shimmin, Buckinghamshire Council CEO

If you have already been giving your time to help during this pandemic then a biggest of HUGE THANK YOUs to you. You really are making a difference and helping our communities to be stronger and more resilient. If you are thinking about giving up a little bit of time, then please do it, you might be surprised how much you enjoy it and how rewarding it is.