Lubrizol Exchange with Uniform charity
8th March 2019
After Volunteering Kirklees organised a successful outdoor volunteering day for Lubrizol, they were approached to organise a second volunteering day in December. Volunteering Kirklees matched this manufacturing business with Uniform Exchange – a local charity that recycles unwanted uniforms and distributes them to families in need, free of charge.
Eight employees from Lubrizol spent the day at the Uniform Exchange warehouse in Huddersfield where donated uniforms are sorted, bagged and shelved ready to distribute to families in crisis. The day was an opportunity for the Lubrizol team to carry out a rewarding activity away from the day job, fuelled by plenty of tea and biscuits! Lubrizol plan to return to Uniform Exchange in the new year.
If you are a Kirklees Business interested in a volunteering project (either as a one-off or on a regular basis) please contact: Sharron Wilkinson at Volunteering Kirklees sharron@vkirklees.org.uk tel. 01484 519053.
How did it go?
Chris Hart-Jones, Shift Leader at Lubrizol Huddersfield site commented:
“We had a thoroughly rewarding day, helping an inspiring individual with her local charity”.
Sharron Wilkinson from Volunteering Kirklees added:
“We were delighted to organise this second employer supported volunteering day for Lubrizol. We have a wide variety of opportunities for businesses to get involved with and Lubrizol are a great example of Corporate Social Responsibility in action”.
Making A Move With Microsoft
8th March 2019
Volunteering Kirklees were approached by Jon, a local employee of Microsoft who offer all their staff three days per year to volunteer as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. Jon was keen to share his time and skills with a local charity but didn’t know where to start. Volunteering Kirklees provided Jon with a selection of opportunities with not for profit organisations that would benefit from some IT expertise.
Jon chose to spend the day with Kirklees Visual Impairment Network (KVIN), a user-led charity run by and for people with Visual Impairments. The charity uses equipment to enable Blind and Visually Impaired people to be as independent as possible and enjoy life to the full. KVIN were planning a move to smaller premises and needed help to identify which IT equipment to take with them. Jon worked alongside a small team of Visually Impaired Volunteers and advised them on which equipment was redundant or obsolete, and which would be valuable to use in the new office following KVIN’s relocation. They then sensitively disposed of anything which no longer worked and passed on the kit which could still be used elsewhere to another charity who could make use of this overseas. Jon also carried out additional research for KVIN to help their volunteers use the organisation’s cloud based Office 365 system with their speech output software.
If you are a Kirklees Business interested in a volunteering project (either as a one-off or on a regular basis) please contact: Sharron Wilkinson at Volunteering Kirklees sharron@vkirklees.org.uk tel. 01484 519053
How did it go?
Jon said:
“I was really pleased to be a member of the KVIN team for the day, and was made to feel extremely welcome. KVIN are doing great work in the community so it was rewarding to be able to help out”.
KVIN commented:
“With our move date looming, we were delighted when Volunteering Kirklees put us in touch with Jon from Microsoft. Jon worked hard all day with our VI (blind and visually impaired) Volunteers. He was great and we couldn’t have done what needed to be done without his help. So huge thanks to Jon, and to Microsoft for participating in CSR”.
Trust Ford get online with Oxfam
8th March 2019
Oxfam Online Batley currently have over 100,000 handpicked items available on their online shop. Based at Oxfam’s Northern Logistics Centre, they offer businesses a team building experience that will help to fight global poverty.
TrustFord offer all their employees an opportunity to volunteer for one day a year as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. Volunteering Kirklees were delighted to match the Bradford Team at Trust Ford with Oxfam Online for a busy and rewarding day at the Batley warehouse.
The day began with a tour of Oxfam’s national recycling plant followed by a behind the scenes peek into the online hub. The volunteers from Trust Ford then spent the rest of the day sorting high quality donated items, pricing them, photographing them and listing for the website. The role was very different from their every day jobs and provided an opportunity to learn more about Oxfam as well as each other.
If you are a Kirklees Business interested in a volunteering project (either as a one-off or on a regular basis) please contact: Sharron Wilkinson at Volunteering Kirklees sharron@vkirklees.org.uk tel. 01484 519053.
How did it go?
Leanne Brook of TrustFord commented:
“We had a fantastic day together and helped to raise £600 for Oxfam”
Holly Bentley, Manager at Oxfam Online added:
“Having help from local businesses likeTrust Ford is invaluable to volunteer run operations like ours. We’re so grateful that businesses take time out of their busy schedules to give something back, and we love the enthusiasm and fun that comes with corporate teams!”
Lubrizol - Team Building on the Trail
8th March 2019
Lubrizol has two manufacturing sites in Yorkshire (Huddersfield and Barnsley) and were looking for a volunteering project to bring employees from their two sites together. From a range of opportunities provided by Sharron at Volunteering Kirklees, Lubrizol chose to support the Trans-Pennine Trail Conservation Volunteers (TPTcv). This voluntary organisation carries out practical work on the Trans-Pennine Trail between Penistone and Dunford Bridge. The charity maintains the Trail as a pleasant natural environment for both the wildlife and the general public.
On a sunny day in August, ten members of staff from Lubrizol spent the day with the Trans-Pennine Trail Conservation Volunteers cutting grasslands back. The team enjoyed an outdoor picnic lunch and the day provided plenty of opportunities to work together as a team, with TPTcv benefiting from the extra help.
If you are a Kirklees Business interested in a volunteering project (either as a one-off or on a regular basis) please contact: Sharron Wilkinson at Volunteering Kirklees sharron@vkirklees.org.uk tel. 01484 519053.
How did it go?
Chris Hart-Jones, ShiftLeader at LubrizolHuddersfield sitecommented:“The day was hugelyrewarding for both myselfand the other 9 volunteersthat came for the full dayfrom both our Huddersfieldand Barnsley sites. Thefeedback from both Kate (atTrans-Pennine) and theother volunteers has beenreally positive and everyoneis keen for us to go back inthe not-so-distant future”
Kate, Secretary and GroupCo-ordinator at TPTcvadded:“I want to thank Lubrizol forchoosing to spend theirvolunteer day with us; theymade a big difference to theTrail and we enjoyed havingthem all along. We hopethey come and see us again!”
IMPORTANT: COVID-19 updates from Volunteering Kirklees
1st January 1970
At Volunteering Kirklees, we take the health and safety of all our volunteers very seriously. We want you to know we are to doing everything we can to help.
We are working alongside Kirklees Council to coordinate efforts to support people and communities throughout Kirklees, especially those who are most vulnerable and isolated.
We are aware that the services your organisation is providing will be changing in response to COVID-19. We will be using this space to keep you up-to-date on:
- How to stay in touch
- Information from our Members and Partners
- Important information regarding COVID-19
- Support and advice
- Community resources
- Emergency funding
- Cancelled events
- Third sector roles
- How you can help
Please let us know what help your group needs, as we all prepare to support each other in the coming weeks.
How to stay in touch
Our office is still open, however most of our staff our working from home. We’d prefer it if you didn’t come in to see us, unless it’s absolutely essential!
If you need to get in touch with us, our main number is 01484 519053 and our main email address is admin@tslkirklees.org.uk.
If you know who you want to talk to you find their email address by clicking on their name under their photo in the Meet The Team section HERE (our emails are generally firstname@tslkirklees.org.uk)
Team emails are:
In addition, you can call some team members on their mobiles:
Information from our Members and Partners
- Pay As You Feel Accountants CIC, (and sister organisation Solutions Accountancy) has created a summary of the new business support packages from the Government. Find out more here
- Huddersfield Literature Festival has had to cancel this year’s festival, but is live-streaming some of its talks and workshops. See more here
- S2R Creative Space is creating and sharing craft videos, mental health tips and ideas for getting outside in nature. See more here
- DASH is using new distancing measures to make sure that they can still see and support asylum seekers and refugees safely. Find out more here
- Fair and Funky has created a new Facebook Group sharing crafty and recycling ideas and inspiration. Find out more here
- Our own team at TSL is experimenting with using virtual working tools, such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and WhatsApp groups so that we can keep in touch and keep working together
Important information regarding COVID-19
Government:
Kirklees Council:
Latest Coronavirus advice and information
Support and advice
Community resources
Download a leaflet detailing local mental health support services and key contacts in Kirklees: Page 1, Page 2
Emergency funding
- Martin Lewis – MoneySavingExpert, Martin Lewis has set up a grant schem for small registered charities, or local arms of bigger charities, across the UK to apply for grants from between £5k – £20k. There is a total of £1,000,000 in the pot and charities just need to fill out the form before Wednesday 25th March. Click here to apply
Before you apply, please have a read here for more information and criteria.
- One Community Foundation – is working with the National Emergencies Trust and the UK Community Foundations to establish a local grant making programme to support front-line charities in Kirklees.
- Kirklees Council is also looking at how it can use its funding pots to support local organisations.
Cancelled events
- TSL Kirklees Members’ Meeting: Focus on Funding (19th March): POSTPONED
- WYCAS Financing Workshop (23rd March): CANCELLED
- More In Common Volunteer Awards (2nd April): POSTPONED
Third sector jobs
We’re also still advertising job opportunities for TSL Kirklees Members and Partners including:
- Wellbeing Support Worker, Northorpe Hall Child and Family Trust
- Clerical Assistant, Milen Care
- Finance and Admin Assistant, Environment Kirklees
- Animal Centre Manager, RSPCA
- Community Outdoor Wellbeing Facilitators, S2R (deadline extended)
You can see these roles and find out more here…
How you can help
- The National Lottery Community Fund is contacting grant holders and partners to find out how it can support the community & the sector at the current time. You can follow their updates here
- Spacehive – the crowdfunding platform that supports Kirklees Council’s Growing Great Places Crowdfunding initiative is asking people about the sort of projects that will make a difference to their communities over the coming months. They will use this information to help funders understand how they can best help people get through the current situation. https://www.spacehive.com/movement/growinggreatplaces The current funding round is open until Tuesday 24th March.
- NCVO, the Institute of Fundraisers & the Charity Finance Group would like as many people as possible to complete their Coronavirus Impact Survey by the end on Monday 23rd March. They want information quickly so that they can use it to address needs & influence government policy.
- NCVO is also asking people to share their press release, share their tweets and share your concerns using #EveryDayCounts
