Upright Citizens

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Joey Shabadoo

My pronouns are "He", "Him" and "buggerlugs"
I volunteered with Victim Support for just over a year. Much of the work is just listening to people who are lost and a bit bewildered in the criminal justice system. The whole thing from Police to lawyers to courts is a scary system where nobody stops to ask the victim how they feel about events or to clearly explain what's happening. A lot of times just being an ear for people to sound off about the crime that affected them and their emotions is a cathartic experience. I never handled any child abuse or rape cases (obviously) but some of the cases were quite traumatic for me too. In the end the job was taking an emotional toll on me and, at my wife's insistence, I gave it up.
 
OP
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Drago

Drago

Legendary Member
I thought you were applying to be a train conductor @Drago?
Never got as far as actually applying.
 
I was a volunteer with the Scouts for many years, but was not happy with some of the direction changes, so when our Group folded, I decided to leave.

At present I am on a couple of professional committees and like you I am awaiting the results of an application for another panel

The important thing is that whatever you volunteer for you enjoy it
 

mark st1

Plastic Manc
Location
Leafy Berkshire
Thankyou! Berks have one of the countries most respected Lowland Rescue groups. Been on one of the courses they run.

Fantastic to see so many folk who do so much to help others.

I saw that on the link you posted it's only a few miles away from me. The van in the picture looks familiar but I don't know why as I can honestly say I've never heard of the whole set up. Just assumed it was bobbies that did it all learn something new everyday :thumbsup:
 

nickyboy

Norven Mankey
Whatever you do don't let them see the nonsense you post on here
 

Andy_R

Hard of hearing..I said Herd of Herring..oh FFS..
Location
County Durham
I'm a National Standards cycling instuctor working with all ages from teaching early learing years to balance, through teaching primary school children how to use the roads on their bikes, and on to to working with seconadary schools and adults how to commute on their bikes. I also teach the teachers - I train national standard instuctors. In my spare time I'm a Scout leader, and my missus is Akela at our local Cub pack. Our 13 year old is a "Cycling ambassador" for our local youth cycling group.
I also work with local GP/NHS referrals using eBikes and brommies to get people out of their cars for those short journeys that over 70% make by car.
 

r04DiE

300km a week through London on a road bike.
Best of luck to you, @Drago.

We have a local charity that supports people affected by autism and other disorders. About 5 years ago, my wife got talking to the CEO at one of their events and they said that their HTML static website needed updating; they needed it made more interactive and modernised.

The guy that had done the site had worked hard, and had got them out there on the web, so good for him, but it was tired and the staff couldn't update it themselves, so it ended up getting stagnated.

I set to work. Five years later and they have a content management system, online bookings for their events, secure online payments, a forum, a communications image database, SSL, auto backup, an online newsletter and much more. I have managed everything, from site design, to forum installation, modding and administration, graphics design, site security, plugin and module installation and configuration, marketing materials, phpMyAdmin - the whole online presence.

I charged them nothing and I got 90% of what they needed for free.

The time has now come to hand things over to somebody else, so they've got an outside company in to manage things. While I shudder at what that will cost them, I did my bit by bringing them up to date, and now maybe its time I moved on to helping somebody else.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I'm a National Standards cycling instuctor working with all ages from teaching early learing years to balance, through teaching primary school children how to use the roads on their bikes, and on to to working with seconadary schools and adults how to commute on their bikes. I also teach the teachers - I train national standard instuctors.
Local Bikeability classes are held on the streets near to my house. I respect the work that the instructors do, but it looks a bit stressful at times! I see some of the children struggling with riding one-handed to signal and/or looking over their shoulders while moving. They wobble alarmingly. Most motorists give them enough time and space but the odd d**khead just blasts past and it makes me shudder ... So, I don't think I would be cut out for that kind of thing - I am too much of a worrier!

If I lived somewhere less hilly then I would organise easier forum rides to encourage adults to get out on bikes. I have managed to get quite a few forum members to tackle rides which were harder than they thought they could cope with. It was good to see the look on their faces when they succeeded.

Actually, my forum rides have been getting longer and harder and I have noticed a big drop off in interest. Perhaps it is time to start doing some shorter ones again? In fact, I think I will start a thread now to see if that is the case!
 
Another Cats Protection volunteer here.

I run our branch website. As part of that, and using my skills as a former pro snappy, I photograph all the cats coming in to our fosterers. I also help with baking cakes and breads and making preserves to sell at our various fundraisers throughout the year. Plus I will do emergency short term fostering when we are very pressed for pen space. Last but not least, I provide specials and prizes for our main fundraising event - a pet cat show held second Saturday in March. (Which reminds, I must start putting my acquisitions in a box ready to take down to the show hall next week...)

Also used to volunteer for the local branch of the Red Cross before it folded. Mum roped me into it shortly after she started out, and we did it together for about five years. The branch did medical loans (now centralised somewhere in Essex!) and held a monthly jumble. My job - which certainly had its moments - was to sort out all the incoming donations, store what was suitable and take to the recycling centre what was not.

Many years ago, the parentals and I used to sponsor a convent-run orphanage and daycare centre in Poland - just before and immediately after the fall of communism. That was really rewarding. At the same time, we were also among a bunch of volunteers who were collecting the remnants from jumble sales and sorting the good clothes out to send to disadvantaged people in Poland. That was hard and dirty work - I'd regularly come home from school, hardly be able to get into the house, then be up till gone midnight with mum, sorting good from bad, then sorting the good stuff according to men's, ladies' and kids. I picked up quite a few detentions due to late homework, but hey ho...

But we always winkled out decent clothes and toys for the orphanage, and I used to save part of my pocket money to buy sweets and stuff for the kids. Four or five times a year we used to send a consignment of stuff out - when we started, these poor kids had nothing, and the first parcel arrived out of the blue during a parish meeting where they were discussing exactly how they were going to try and find the resources to do something for the kids for Christmas. The mother superior of the convent was a lovely person - always so grateful for everything and used to send us photos and letter updates from the kids, while the parish priest always used to say a mass for us every week. Mum and I were also sent (the whole parish pitched in and had it made specially for us) a complete regional outfit each - hand woven and hand embroidered.

After a few years, the mother superior was promoted to running a bigger orphanage in another part of Poland, and the new mother superior of the convent was a completely different kettle of fish. The first parcel that came from us after she took over, she wrote a letter to let us know it had arrived safely, but that the clothes were all secondhand and that the sweets were short dated, and that next time, could we please send new clothes and better sweets. That was the last time we ever sent anything.

As an aside @Mrs M - the atmosphere of a branch (not just CP) really does depend on the co-ordinator and the other volunteers. I'm really lucky to work with a great bunch of people at CP, but some of the Red Cross ladies were a bit much.
 
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classic33

Leg End Member
[QUOTE 4705088, member: 76"]I was a Scout Leader and Explorer Scout Leader for over 10 years. The young people were a joy to work with, ready to learn, a bit gobby but still a joy.

80% of the parents were also brilliant to work with. I left Scouting because of the other 20% of the parents :sad: So did the other two leaders and the Troop folded, I felt very sad, but I could not go on with that 20% :cursing:[/QUOTE]
The boots?
 
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