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Twenty Years in the Lives of Volunteers and volunteering in Mid Ulster Volunteer Centre

6/6/2020

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​Hello everybody, in this first week in June when we normally celebrate Volunteers' Week – when we try to recognise the tremendous contribution made by volunteers to Mid Ulster community life and indeed economy. 

​This is not a normal year though, and my thoughts are with you all as together you fight this dreadful virus. I know the fear of infection is always with you and loneliness and isolation, financial hardship and boredom are symptoms of the lockdown. I wish you all God speed and good health in the months ahead.

For approximately the first fifteen of the last twenty years we were Cookstown and Magherafelt Volunteer Centre and then we adopted our new identity of Mid Ulster Volunteer Centre.
 
Bernie Quinn, our first Chairperson and Cherry Dickson our first Co-ordinator are sadly no longer with us, but we remember them often.
 
Both were born conversationalists and shared a wonderful sense of humour, but equally they shared a single-minded seriousness of the job of work to be done to address the deprivation, loneliness and isolation in the community and the great need for volunteers to deliver through organised volunteering with built-in safeguards for volunteers.
 
I remember during the first few years I would be asked frequently, “I saw you come out of that volunteer place, what is a volunteer?” I would usually reply, “You are” and invariably they were.
 
Volunteering to many was something you were nominated for and would often say, ‘never volunteer for anything’ and the irony was many of those who made such comments were actually volunteers and didn’t know it.
 
Those first ten years were partly about creating awareness throughout communities and society in general that volunteering actually was as defined in the dictionary:
 
The choice to offer oneself for a particular task, of one’s own free will.
 
In many ways the last six to seven years saw the most expansion of volunteering and personally the construction of InVOLve House was most gratifying allowing the volunteer centre to move from Rainey Street to spacious new premises in Queen Street Magherafelt.  We now had the scope and rooms to rent for our in-house projects such as ‘Carefully Yours’ which I enjoyed creating.
 
We also renovated a two thousand square foot building in Cookstown, at 2b Coagh Crescent.  In both of these buildings we partner extensively with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust Day Opportunities Programme.
 
Finally, I know you are all missing volunteering, but when the virus is gone, we’ll meet again some sunny day.
 
George Shiels 
Chairman
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My Volunteering Story

2/6/2020

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When I first began 5th year in St. Colm’s High School Draperstown, it became the time where I had to decide what career I would like to do in the future. Luckily I had an idea that I was interested in working within the Health and Social Care Sector. It was really difficult in deciding what volunteer work I could start off with first due to not being 18 and being at full time education and working part time which meant the only day I was free was a Sunday.
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I started researching jobs and one that attracted me was Peadiatric Nursing at the time. I was focusing on the right exams and decided that I should be volunteering in a Pre School to get experience with young children and although Children’s Nursing is very competitive it was really important that I stuck at it, which I did although I then realised that I didn’t want to be working with just children. I started volunteering for Barnardo’s as a Befriender. This means I took children on day trips and made friendships with them to those that where socially isolated and had no friends or may have a foster family in which they can’t settle into. This made a positive change in the lives of the children but also it developed my communication and listening skills which are very important in life.

Later life went on and I turned 17. I started rethinking my career and decided to go for Social Work. To be honest I didn’t really know much about Social Work and applied for it in Magee due to it being close to home (handiness) whereas Children’s Nursing you had to go to Belfast or England and I wasn’t really much of a stay away from home bird. I volunteered for Childline and I am proud I volunteered for Childline because I was there for children who were scared or frightened and needed help. This gave me an idea that I wanted to help them by safeguarding them and keeping them safe which is what a Social Worker would do. I got shortlisted for Social Work but unfortunately I wasn’t interested in that career anymore.

Finally, my last option was Paramedicine. Paramedicine had caught my eye in the very beginning but going over abroad put me off the career. Once I got that bit older (17/18) I decided that I would love to go over to Liverpool to study it. I love working in stressful and challenging jobs. I would love to be able to get on placement with the Doctors and the surgeons.  I love seeing the trauma and emergencies people have eg broken bones, cuts and injuries etc.  Every time I seen an Ambulance at a festival etc I always try to get up to the scene just to get a  nosy because I want to be the one doing what roles a Paramedic would do in a couple of years’ time. I want to be the one wearing an Ambulance uniform helping people in their most desperate time of need. When I was younger I ordered a First Aid kit so I could mess about with it and practice it on my sister. I always watch “inside an ambulance” on YouTube more than anything else. I started volunteering a St. John’s Ambulance in Castlederg and learnt the basic first aid although I didn’t get out to the events due to me being underage. After all the experience I’ve went through from working with the young to the old generation I’ve now 1 step to go after 5 years of voluntary work to become a  Paramedic. The only step I have to take now is an excessive amount of experience in a nursing home.  I am now 18 years old and am settled down on this career and am applying for it in September for September 2021 intake.

All the voluntary work I’ve did from my BTEC course at SWC being in Altnagelvin Hospital, primary schools, nursing homes and everything outside of school has all come together to help me get Paramedicine.

If there is anyone else that was me or in the same boat going back and forward to different jobs, your voluntary work will all come together and you will get in to university no matter what you do. It is important like me that I’ve left my options open as there are a variety of jobs in the Health and Social Care Sector to choose from. 

​Mia
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My Volunteering Story

30/5/2020

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My name is Mariah and I am 21 years old. I recently completed my degree in Drama and have a passion for directing and being involved in performance. Last summer I really wanted to use my time wisely and decided to volunteer. I wanted to use my skills and knowledge within drama and performance to create a piece of work with others.

I volunteered with NHSCT Base in Magherafelt, which I found out about through Mid Ulster Volunteer Centre. My role was linked with two other volunteers and the service users in order to create a performance piece for the Take 5 Well being Gala held in the Burnavon.

Volunteering really helped me to mature actually. I created new friendships, knowledge, skills, and better confidence within myself and also encouraged me to have confidence in the skills my degree was giving me. Also, the staff and service users encouraged me to push myself further each time we met without realising it.

Volunteering for The Base and helping with the performance was rewarding and challenging as we explored and pushed what we could do, rather than what couldn't be done. It was brilliant.

A specific challenge I noticed through volunteering was being able to cater for everyone's needs. However, this challenge was easily overcome as the process moved forward and we all learnt a bit more about each other.

Every day with the guys from The Base is memorable but there are several moments that were very special. The first was the second week of volunteering, we all had met the week before where the awkwardness and formalities had already been dealt with. The second week was just so much fun, there was a great atmosphere, plenty of laughs and we were all just chatting about what will we do, just like a bunch of friends.
 
For me, the first five minutes of every week we're extremely special because we all just felt so much joy to see everyone again after a long week and it was a great chance to catch up.

The most special memory for me was the night of the performance. Everyone waiting to go on and the buzz in the back room of the Burnavon was amazing. Then seeing everyone on stage performing and showing off all their hard work that had been putting in. But the icing on the cake was seeing the faces of the performers when they had finished their final part of the song and the audience were clapping and cheering. We all just wanted to do it over again.

If anyone was thinking about volunteering, I would say YES! YES! YES! Absolutely do it, some of the best memories of my life. 
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My Volunteering Story

30/5/2020

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​I spent 5 years living in Scotland, Australia, Canada and South Korea. My time in Seoul was spent teaching English which I thoroughly enjoyed although I’d say my favourite time away was spent living in Australia for 2 years. I’m also a DJ and I have a passion for music production.
 
I found out about volunteering through Heather form Disability Job Match. She has been guiding me back to work as I’ve spent many years battling and recovering from CFS/ME.
 
I volunteer for the Cookstown office of Mid Ulster Volunteer Centre. My main role is to work alongside Megan and making sure the volunteer and organisation records are kept up to date, and updating details on the database and any other admin duties that is needed.
 
It’s been great volunteering for the Volunteer Centre. I find it very rewarding to give my time and see the great sense of achievement that volunteering brings to people.
 
There have been a few small challenges that I’ve faced getting to know my role and making sure volunteer records are kept accurate. Megan is always there to keep me right and point me in the right direction.
 
For me, a special event that took place was the staff Christmas party held in the Sizzlin’ Smokehouse in Magherafelt. It was a chance for me to meet and get to know the other members of staff from the Magherafelt office.
 
I would definitely recommend volunteering to anyone. It’s a great chance to offer up your time and learn many new skills in the process. There’s a great sense of achievement as it’s very rewarding and it will be very positive on your CV.
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My Volunteering Story

30/5/2020

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Approximately 18 years ago I was contacted by Cherry Dickson, the manager of the Volunteer Centre in Rainey Street.  She asked me if I would be willing to come and teach Floral Art and Gardening in the Centre. I have a City and Guilds qualification in Floral Art and Design, a teaching degree and was a member of a gardening club.  She thought that I would be an ideal volunteer especially as I was used to giving talks to church groups etc. I readily agreed to volunteer to teach young adults in the Centre.
 
A full room of young adults attended the first meeting which became a planning session for what the attendees wanted to do during the sessions and we laid out a weekly plan covering the basics of Floral Art and Design and we planned what we would cover leading to Easter and St Patrick’s day.
 
The young people were also able to attend Floral Art demonstrations by myself in the Bridewell. These demos were funded by The Magherafelt Arts Trust and gave them an insight into the more complicated Floral Art arrangements. It was a joy to see them complete the 12-week course successfully. The course was the same as Level 1 City and Guilds or NVQ as it is now known. We also visited gardens and florists’ shops. We even had a small garden at the back of the Centre where we grew herbs and the young people were able to take some of the plants they had grown home.
 
With the Volunteer Centre’s move to InVOLve House my role changed and I now volunteer with The Base to produce Floral arrangements for special occasions such as Christmas, Easter etc. I have really enjoyed volunteering over the last 18 years.
 
Hazel Thomson May 2020
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My Volunteering Story

30/5/2020

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As I sat down to write this, I was amazed to find that in some way or other I had been volunteering for the last 53 years.
 
When I was 19, I was appointed First Aid Convenor for the Inverclyde Battalion of The Boys’ Brigade.  Although, I never realised that over the years most of my free time has been volunteering. Looking back on things, volunteering was something you did for the good of the Community.
 
Some of the voluntary positions I have held are, Chairman West Tyrone Youth Council, Training Officer for the West Ulster District, The Boys’ Brigade, Captain 1st  Omagh Company, The Boys’ Brigade, Chairman Magherafelt Arts Trust, Secretary of the Sperrin Choir for 15 years, Chairman Cookstown Silver Band, Designated Officer for Child Protection Sperrin Kidz, Member of Board of Governors of two Grammar schools, being Designated Governor for Child Protection in one of the schools, Leader of the English Class at First Magherafelt where we teach English to those for whom English is not their first language and finally I am honoured to be a Trustee and Director of InVOLve (NI).
 
I have many happy memories of volunteering especially the outings we went on such as seeing some of the cast of Emmerdale at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra.  Many a happy time we had from the time we left The Rainey School on a Saturday morning in a Chambers double decker bus for a day of fun, friendship and food.
 
Archie Thomson May 2020
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My Volunteering Story

30/5/2020

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Hello my name is Ann and I have been volunteering at The Base Cookstown for over two years now. I found out about volunteering through Helen from the SusePlus programme.  She had been helping me to complete my Health and Social Care Level 1 course and suggested volunteering to gain some experience.

A few weeks after meeting with Megan from the Volunteer Centre I started volunteering at The Base one-day week. My role is to assist Service Users going down the town to do some shopping, having lunch or coffee and playing different types of games.

For me, volunteering at The Base has been very rewarding and has given me a sense of achievement which has helped to build my confidence again. My special memory from volunteering is when The Base go shopping at Christmas, it is always a pleasure to go with them.

​I would recommend volunteering to anyone as it has helped me to grow as a person and I would be lost without it. 
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My Volunteering Story

30/5/2020

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Hello my name is Niamh, I am 18 years old and have just finished my A levels at Cookstown High School. I’ve been volunteering at The Base Cookstown since June 2019, initially I joined the Base for a week’s work experience but enjoyed it so much I signed up as a volunteer to continue over the summer.
 
I absolutely love volunteering with The Base it has been so rewarding to build a relationship with all of the service users and to watch them getting involved in the community. Especially for me, my confidence has grown and I have met so many people along the road. Every day I enter The Base I have such positive memories whether that be going on day trips or even something small, as walking to the shop for ice cream it really does put a smile on my face.
 
For anyone who was, like me looking for work experience or just wants to volunteer I would highly recommend The Base as you will always leave with a smile on your face.
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My Volunteering Story

30/5/2020

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​My name is Donna Moore and I started volunteering with the Mid Ulster Volunteer Centre and InVOLve House as a Volunteer Receptionist in December 2017.
 
I love my volunteering, it’s not just about answering phones and admin duties, it’s about meeting and greeting members of the public and dealing with general enquiries but guiding everyone in the right direction within the building.  I have met a lot of lovely people during my time volunteering and this role has helped my confidence grow, I am very thankful to have the pleasure to work alongside such a fabulous team.
 
Volunteering is a big part of my life; I am getting experience and skills I wouldn’t have had before and it’s always a learning curve for me.  My role suits me perfectly as I love meeting new people and helping them and it has become a part of my weekly routine.
 
I am always sure to be kept busy with not just my volunteering role but also everything that goes on in the building.  I work with a wide variety of people in the building we have all are lovely ladies in the Volunteer Centre office Barbara, Michele, Mairead and Natalie, Jane and Michael in Advice NI, Martin the counsellor for Achieve Wellbeing and the Base service users and staff.  The building is always busy with members attending the Carefully Yours project which is for those over 55’s and those attending meetings or training in the building. I have the privilege of chatting to all of these wonderful people.  I enjoy all of our chats everyone is so pleasant; they have all got to know me now which I think is lovely and I enjoy their company too and they have all made me feel so comfortable and part of this great workplace.   
 
Two years ago, I lost my dad, step mum and granny in a short space of time so I was off for a period of time.  I was so nervous about coming back again but everyone made me feel so at ease.  I have never met a more caring and compassionate bunch of people and I will be forever thankful, this meant everything to me.  You’ll never go wrong volunteering here; they are the best team of people to work alongside.   
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My Volunteering Story

30/5/2020

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​My name is Clare Gribben and I’ve been a volunteer with Mid Ulster Volunteer Centre since April 2018.  I was introduced to volunteering by my NHSCT Day Opportunities Co-ordinator. I loved the idea of volunteering as a receptionist for InVOLve House and the Volunteer Centre as I was already attending The Base in Magherafelt which is located upstairs in InVOLve House.
 
This has been a great opportunity for me, I have got to know a lot of lovely people here and I’m very happy and love my volunteering.  My role as a Volunteer Receptionist is great because I get to meet and greet a lot of people coming in and out of the building, I love helping to deal with their queries and chatting to them. 

I was happy to take this role on as I already knew a lot of people in the building and felt comfortable as I know the building inside out. The Volunteer Centre staff are great and very helpful and if I ever need anything, I know they will be happy to help me, I love learning new skills and challenging myself.
 
The benefit of volunteering for me is that I get to help others and meet new people, I feel this has helped my confidence grow as I never knew that I could do this, it’s all new to me but I am really enjoying it. I am working alongside a great team who are very supportive and understanding, if I am having an off day they are always there for me no matter what and I am so thankful for them.
 
I love working with everyone here, we all have a laugh and its good craic and everyone works as part of a team - what more could you want.  I have got to know Donna another volunteer on reception, she has made my time here easier, she supports me so well and looks after me and we have so much fun together, this is what volunteering is all about, do your work but having fun too.
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    Recruitment and Placement Officer with Mid Ulster Volunteer Centre

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