News

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 £1,175.15 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

Volunteer Opportunity: Community Fridge Volunteer

Dunmow Community Fridge needs help with picking up food from local suppliers and stocking and maintaining the fridge.

Dunmow Community Fridge needs help with picking up food from local suppliers and stocking and maintaining the fridge.

Food waste is a big issue in the UK. It is estimated that a third of all food gets wasted. Most of this is avoidable and could have been eaten had it been better managed.

The Dunmow Community Fridge, run by Uttlesford Community Action Network, will help cut food waste and build stronger bonds within the community. Once the food has been collected from our project partners, it can then be offered free of charge to anyone wishing to visit the Community Fridge.

Community Fridge Volunteers are responsible for the collection of food from our suppliers, currently located in the Dunmow area. The Volunteers ensure the fridge is appropriately stocked, cleaned and maintained. Very basic record keeping (such as fridge temperature) is required.

Volunteers can be flexible on their availability. The fridge is open from Monday to Friday and volunteers are encouraged to co-ordinate their availability with others Community Fridge Volunteers already on the rota. The role should take no more than an hour a day. We are particularly looking for a volunteer for a Friday morning.

To find out more:

T: 01371 404525

E: volunteer@ucan.org.uk

Volunteer Opportunity: Baby and Toddler Rhyme Time Volunteer

Baby and Toddler Rhyme Time Volunteers needed at local libraries

Baby and Toddler Rhyme Time Volunteers needed at local libraries

As a volunteer at baby and toddler rhyme times, you will deliver rhyme sessions, and support the development of children by sharing your enjoyment of books and rhymes.

What will it involve?

  • Preparing the children’s library for the session – putting out chairs and selecting stories and rhymes
  • Meeting and greeting the parents/carers and children and making everyone feel welcome
  • Joining in or delivering the session and building a good rapport with the group
  • Chatting with families about the benefits of early book sharing and the importance of talking and singing rhymes with their children
  • Directing specific enquiries to library staff
  • Clearing the area once the session end

Skills:

  • Warmth and friendliness
  • Able to relate to children and their families
  • Enthusiasm to promote sharing books and reading with families
  • An enthusiasm for libraries and awareness of the range of services offered

For Further information:

Contact us on Tel: 01371 404525  Email: volunteer@ucan.org.uk

Bandstand Season 2025; Every Saturday from 21 June – 06 September 2025

It’s not long now until Saffron Walden Town Council’s (SWTC) Bandstand Season.  It starts on 21 June and will run weekly every Saturday until 06 September, between 12 noon and 2pm from the bandstand in Jubilee Garden, CB10 1EH. 

A selection of music genres will entertain over the season; from pop / rock to folk and brass bands to contemporary choirs.  The bandstand will be alive for 12 consecutive Saturdays -and it is FREE to attend – just drop in, sit back and enjoy the music.

Said a SWTC spokesperson, “ following on from last year’s success, we are pleased to be offering the bandstand season again, throughout the summer – and are thrilled that Arkwright & Co are backing the Bandstand Season for its third year”, Tom Arkwright added, “Arkwright and Co are delighted to continue to support our local community and look forward to working with SWTC with the upcoming Bandstand Season. We look forward to seeing everyone there over the coming weeks.”

SWTC welcome the financial support from local businesses (Arkwright & Co and De Rosa Music Academy) and Uttlesford District Council (UDC).  Their sponsorship contributes to the well-being of arts and culture in Saffron Walden.  Arkwright & Co are backing the Bandstand Season for its third year.  Said Managing Director, Tom Arkwright, “Arkwright and Co are delighted to continue to support our local community and look forward to working with SWTC with the upcoming Bandstand Season. We look forward to seeing everyone there over the coming weeks.”  De Rosa Music’s Managing Director, Casey Dawkins added,
De Rosa Music Saffron Walden are proud sponsors of the bandstand season. Whilst offering high quality musical tuition, instruments & repairs, playing a wider role within supporting the musical community within Saffron Walden is imperative for us”.  And UDC’s Cllr Richard Freeman added, “I am delighted to make a donation from my Ward Members Initiative Grant – which supports the arts and makes music accessible to all in Saffron Walden over the summer months”.

The Jubilee Hub will be open throughout the Bandstand Season, every Saturday 12 noon – 2pm – with Uttlesford Community Action Network (UCAN) volunteers serving tea, coffee and cake / biscuits.  Said UCAN’s Lead Officer, Clive Emmett, “UCAN are excited to be able to support Saffron Walden Town Council’s Bandstand Season with the help of our local Volunteers. Our Volunteers are so critical to so many projects and events we are involved in and bring the added value element to us as a charity and the community as a whole”.  A SWTC spokesperson added, “as the Mayor Cllr Ahmed’s chosen charity, all funds raised will support the vital work UCAN do, of reducing loneliness and isolation within the community”.

Great support for Volunteer Fair

Thank you to everyone who attended the Volunteer Fair at Saffron Walden Town Hall on Tuesday 3rd June 2025.

Particular thanks to the team at Saffron Walden Town Council who were instrumental in bringing the community together for this dual event celebrating the value of volunteering this #VolunteersWeek2025 and supporting local voluntary sector organisations to increase awareness of volunteer opportunities currently on offer.

Amongst organisations in attendance were: 8 Day Weekend, Action for Family Carers, Audley End House, Citizens Advice Uttlesford, CraftAbility, EACH, Home Start, Mind in West Essex, Saffron Hall, Saffron Cricket Club, Saffron Walden Museum and Uttlesford Community Travel.

For information on current volunteering opportunites with UCAN and other charities in Uttlesford, take a look at the Volunteer Essex website.

This event was our first collaboration with the new Mayor of Saffron Walden, Cllr Ahmed, who has chosen UCAN as his Charity of the Year 2025-2026, and we are looking forward to working with the Mayor’s team across the next twelve months.

Pictured above (L to R) are Richard Boyce, Chair of UCAN Trustees, the Mayor Cllr Ahmed, Deputy Mayor Cllr Jeanette Curtis and Clive Emmett, Lead Officer of UCAN.

Future of UCAN Walking Buddies scheme secured with National Lottery Funding

A new grant of £20,000 will help our community to thrive over the next two years.

Walking Buddies pairs up volunteers with beneficiaries who have lost the confidence to go out of their home for a walk by themselves. This pairing enables beneficiaries to get out walking whilst building new connections and friendships, thereby contributing to both improved mental and physical health and reducing social isolation in what is a very rural area of Essex.

We have had 175% increase in referrals in the last year and this demand is still growing. With funding for the voluntary sector in decline, it has been a difficult few months and we weren’t sure how much longer we could keep this programme running, but now thanks to The National Lottery grant, we will be able to dedicate a team member to managing Walking Buddies, we can recruit and train more volunteers, and increase awareness of the service and its health benefits.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer walker, please email volunteer@ucan.org.uk for more information.

People interested in being matched with a volunteer can call us on 01371 404525, apply through Uttlesford Frontline or email connect@ucan.org.uk

Volunteers Week 2025

UCAN will be promoting and celebrating #VolunteersWeek2025 in our role as the Volunteer Centre for Uttlesford

Volunteers’ Week is an annual UK-wide campaign held from the first Monday in June to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers. This year’s celebration runs from Monday 2nd – Sunday 8th June.

Launched in 1984, this initiative has been running for over 40 years, providing organisations and communities a platform to thank current and past volunteers for their invaluable efforts.

The campaign highlights the diversity and unity of volunteer work across the UK. In its 40th year, the campaign underwent a rebrand, introducing a vibrant identity to inspire continued engagement.

Our main event this year will the the Volunteer Recruitment Fair in Saffron Walden on Tuesday 3rd June, organised and hosted in connect with the fabulous team from Saffron Walden Town Council. Pop in to the Town Hall on Market Day to find out about volunteering roles available in the district with a host of voluntary sector partners available to meet and discuss the needs of their charity/organisation.