Hub Volunteers win national volunteering award

A team of volunteers who help citizens of Cardiff in the Community Hubs have picked up a national award for their efforts.

Cardiff Council's Hub volunteers have won a WCVA (Wales Council for Voluntary Action) Volunteer of the Year award in the digital category for their work in helping customers in the city's 12 community hubs.

A team of over 60 volunteers help the council's services to run more smoothly by devoting one-to-one time to customers in the busy hubs.

The volunteers support staff in Job Clubs and Digital Inclusion sessions, helping clients search for jobs and use social media. Volunteers also work with the Money Advice Team assisting clients to complete welfare benefit forms.

There are reception volunteers, greeting and assisting customers with enquiries and also volunteers that support children at homework clubs.

Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: "Volunteering is a really good way for local people to get involved in their Hub and helps us extend our services to provide even more help. Cardiff is a diverse and multi-cultural city and our fantastic team of volunteers mirror this diversity, speaking a total of 18 community languages so they are able to support customers in their mother tongue. This instantly puts some of the most vulnerable people in the community at ease.

"Since April 2014, almost 5,000 volunteering hours have been given by 268 volunteers in our hubs and we are grateful for their time and commitment in helping the council run its services.

"Of course, there are great benefits to volunteering for the individual too including building confidence and skills and 124 of our volunteers have gone on to paid employment which shows how volunteering really is a route into work.

"Well done to the team on picking up this award."

Asifa Masood, who volunteers twice a week at Job Club at Central Library Hub, said: "I have been volunteering since August. I help people with job searches online and with universal job match, help with application forms and so on.

"I was looking for work myself so I thought I would like to help as I'm in the same boat as people in the Job Club. It's good meeting people and it's helped me to upskill. I'm learning things all the time here and have gained so much confidence from doing this."

For information about volunteering opportunities at Cardiff Council, please contact volunteer co-ordinator, Tony Wakeham, on 029 2087 1000 or emailvolunteering@cardiff.gov.uk