Author: Charity Comms

Volunteer Opportunity: Foodshare volunteers needed

Could you be part of a community foodshare volunteer team?

Various volunteering roles for TouchPoint Community Foodshare:

  • An extra pairs of hands needed to help at the Foodshare on Friday afternoons. Between 12.30 and 2.30pm at Crafton Green, Stansted
  • Evening volunteers to monitor what donations are available from the supermarkets using an App. They then notify our drivers when there is a collection to be had. This is done most evenings about 7pm.
  • Volunteer Drivers – collect from Supermarkets in Harlow, Bishops Stortford, Dunmow and Saffron Walden typically in the evening around 7.30- 9.30pm.

For further information:

Contact us on:

T: 01371 404525

E: volunteer@ucan.org.uk

🌐 Your Essex Community – E-Portal Awareness Training 🌐

We’re excited to share an opportunity to learn more about the Your Essex Community E-Portal – a valuable online space for connecting and engaging with local community resources.

📅 Next Session: Monday 16th September at 1:00pm

✅ Free to attend

🔗 Book your place here: Click to register

This awareness training will guide you through the features of the portal, showing how you can make the most of it for your organisation, group, or personal use.

https://mdcvs.aidecrm.co.uk/surveys/respond/deRLcxBQHy7nZk1oM1QZtTp0JlIcjoiGu5yoWL3Y

Don’t miss out – secure your spot today

Soul Showcase and The Fellarship Showcase

Singing for the Soul Showcase – Fridays 2pm – 3pm

Join the Enterprise East team for a free community singing session. The hub comes alive every Friday afternoon with song, laughter, and community spirit; a wide variety of well-loved tunes are sung, from Amy Winehouse to Frank Sinatra, and everything in between. Whether you’re a seasoned singer or just love a good tune, this group is for everyone. Give it a try – come along and enjoy the fun! Said EE’s Founder & CEO, Sam McReynolds, “We are thrilled to be running our ‘Singing for the Soul’ community choir from Jubilee Hub. It’s a wonderfully inclusive group, full of fun, connection and joy.”

The Fellarship Showcase – Wednesdays 2pm – 4pm

The Fellarship launched in 2023 as an afternoon drop-in session. It is run by Howie Fiddy and Dave Hook, and along with other volunteers Steve and Joe, they have created a safe space. It is a well-attended group and is now established as a happy place for men to have tea / coffee and biscuits, play board games – and most importantly to have ‘fellarship’ with other men from all walks of life.
Cross generational fellarship! Over the summer months, nonagenarian, Ray, has been playing chess with teenager, Max. With Ray heading towards receiving that special letter from the King and over eighty years between the two gentlemen, this illustrates the true meaning of ‘fellarship’, whatever your age! They are incredibly well-matched at the game, and whilst playing chess, Max is also gaining valuable volunteer experience for his Duke of Edinburgh Award. Said UCAN volunteer, Howie Fiddy, “We are so happy to provide this vital service for the menfolk in our town who simply need that essential human interaction with others. As well as being a fun couple of hours a week, it also allows them to feel safe to share and open up to others, if they choose to. And the drinks and biscuits never fail to put a smile on their faces!”

#SWTC #EE

Images are the property of Walden Local

Domestic Abuse Campaign Survey

Essex County Council invites you as a stakeholder to give feedback on shaping a new domestic abuse support campaign for victims aged 70 and over.

This campaign aims to:

Equip professionals and caregivers with information to recognise signs of abuse and access resources from SETDAB.

Raise awareness of domestic abuse in older people and encourage them, their family and friends to seek support from COMPASS.

We’ve developed two versions of the campaign design and would value your feedback to ensure the look and feel aligns with the campaign’s objectives.

Please complete our short survey, which includes visuals of both designs. Your input will help influence the final creative direction of this important campaign.

Thank you for your support.

Working with Forest Homecare

Through our work to reduce loneliness and isolation in the Uttlesford district, and our hospital discharge work supporting Uttlesford residents home from hospital, we are often helping the same people as some of the local care providers. As such, it only makes sense that we should work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for local people.

Forest Homecare supports independence at home. The organisation provides trusted care that suits residents, and their loved ones, and their unique needs. They offer a wide range of services and customised care plans, making sure everyone gets the right support to live comfortably.

Local carers looking after local people

Whether it’s assistance with dressing, managing medications, or keeping things tidy, the Forest Homecare team ensures the right support at the right time. Their caring services compliment our own UCAN Home Solutions service, which provides domestic support for residents, enabling them to continue to live independently in their own homes. Help available includes:

  • Cleaning in the home
  • Shopping
  • Collection of prescriptions
  • Laundry
  • Change of bedding
  • Pet care
  • Putting away shopping/food deliveries,
  • Gardening and handyman tasks such as installing smoke alarms, locks, home security devices and small repairs.

There are no contracts, but a minimum obligation is one hour per week and number of hours can be reviewed and adjusted as needs change.  For example you may have one job that needs to be done once a month, or perhaps seasonally like changing the curtains or cleaning the blinds.  We can add an extra hour on when those jobs need to be done.

For further information on UCAN Home Solutions practical help at home please email home.solutions@ucan.org.uk or call us on 01371 404474 to discuss your needs.

For help with truly personalised care to help a loved one live safely in their own home, consider the support available from Forest Homecare.

Volunteer Opportunity: Volunteer Driver for Uttlesford Food Bank

The Uttlesford Foodbank is looking for people to become volunteer drivers.

Do you have your own car?

Do you have a couple of hours (or more) free during the day on weekdays?

Would you like to volunteer with the food bank, making a real difference to people in Uttlesford?

If so, we would love to hear from you! We are looking for volunteers to deliver food parcels to our clients in and around the Stansted, Takeley and Dunmow areas.

For further information:

Contact us on:

T: 01371 404525

E: volunteer@ucan.org.uk

Open For Volunteers

Join our volunteer team at the Jubilee Hub in Saffron Walden and help serve affordable hot lunches to the community every Monday and Wednesday. A great way to share your kitchen skills, meet new people, and make a difference locally.

Our lovely kitchen at the Jubilee Hub Saffron Walden is almost ready!

Our lovely kitchen at the Jubilee Hub in Saffron Walden is almost ready to open its doors, and we’re now looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our team. If you have experience in food preparation, catering, or working in a kitchen – or simply a passion for helping others – we’d love to hear from you. This is a fantastic opportunity to support your local community while meeting new people and making a real difference.

We’ll be serving affordable, nutritious hot lunches twice a week to help people stretch their weekly budget a little further. Our menu will include comforting classics like baked potatoes with a choice of fillings and a variety of “things on toast.” Lunchtime service will run on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12pm to 2pm, giving you a regular slot to make a big impact in just a couple of hours each week.

By volunteering with us, you’ll be helping to create a warm, welcoming space where everyone can enjoy good food, friendly conversation, and a sense of community. If you’d like to be part of this rewarding initiative, please email volunteer@ucan.org.uk to register your interest. We can’t wait to welcome you to the Jubilee Hub team.

Jubilee Hub Consultation 2025

Have your say! on the services and facilities at Jubilee Hub

Saffron Walden Town Council (SWTC), Enterprise East and UCAN are seeking the views and opinions of Saffron Walden residents. We are particularly keen to hear from residents who currently attend the activities at Jubilee Hub, to understand what elements of the service are most important. We are also keen to hear from those that do not currently use the services to understand why.

Responses from this consultation will help to inform the future direction, improve the offering and services delivered from Jubilee Hub. The data gathered will be used to deliver an enhanced community service and make further improvements to the building and infrastructure.  By illustrating a strong community voice, it will also support a substantial bid to The National Lottery.

Have your say by completing the short survey;

  • Online here
  • Or by collecting a paper copy from the Tourist Information Centre or the Jubilee Hub in Hill Street.

The consultation closes at 12 noon on Friday 19 September 2025

Summer Concert supports UCAN

We are extremely grateful to Great Dunmow Town Band who held their Summer Concert on 12th July 2025 in support of UCAN

Our Lead Officer, Clive Emmett, was please to attend and share with the audience details of our impactful work in the community, addressing loneliness and isolation.

A total of ÂŁ1,175.15 was raised for UCAN which will support our work in the community.

Thank you to everyone who attended, and most especially the Band for a wonderful evening of musical entertainment. It was an amazing concert.

To find out more about Great Dunmow Town Band please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/GreatDunmowTownBand

Volunteer Opportunity – Family Support Volunteer

Support families by offering emotional support and guidance.

Your offer of time and support, as a volunteer, can mean the world to a family. Becoming a parent, whether it’s the first or the fourth time, can be an isolating experience.

Home-Visiting Volunteers offer families support and encouragement in their home by visiting them once a week for a period of six months. They develop a relationship with the family and encourage positive parenting and school readiness. They encourage the family to explore, reflect and come up with their own solutions. They can offer practical support within the home such as reading to a child.

Skills needed:

No formal qualifications required as full training will be given.

Parenting experience or experience of working with families and children.

For further information:

Contact us on T: 01371 404525

E: volunteer@ucan.org.uk