CAS in Conversation – A Podcast Led by Community Action Suffolk, featuring the county’s VCFSE sector

To a  great many people in the Suffolk community, Alison Beech is known for having been the chair of Ipswich JAFFA Running Club.

She’s also an award winning businesswoman, a mentor, an expert in recruitment and organisational development, and someone deeply committed to the idea that volunteering brings great reward and value.

In this interview, she encourages everyone to find a role which excites them, and to build powerful life connections which create a new ‘tribe’.

For more about volunteering for Ipswich JAFFA, email [email protected]

https://www.ipswichjaffa.org.uk/

https://angliacaretrust.org.uk/

In this episode of the Community Action Suffolk podcast, we bring you a chat with Tricia Connolly, secretary of the Tattingstone GNS.

She talks about her experiences of becoming involved in the good neighbour scheme, what benefits she feels such projects bring to a community, and how she has pursued various roles of voluntary activity throughout her life.

February sees Public Health and Communities in Suffolk, looking at the idea of emotional connection within our mental health needs.

In this episode we chat to Chris Pyburn, Head of Digital and Communications, who tells us more about why this theme is being explored, what relevance volunteering plays in this, and how businesses and individuals can get involved in the weeks ahead.

For more detail about the campaign, go to https://infolink.suffolk.gov.uk/kb5/suffolk/infolink/whats_on.page

Follow the campaign on social media, using the hashtag #BeWellSuffolk23

Our latest episode exploring the possibilities and positivity within volunteering, sees us chat to Chiara Saunders, CEO of Citizens Advice East Suffolk.

Chiara chats extensively about what’s involved in being a volunteer for her organisation, but also discusses her own journey into volunteering, and how she went from ‘filling a few hours’ at a small Leiston branch, to becoming Chief Exec of a merged region-wide offering.

She highlights what qualities are required to become a volunteer with her team, and also expands on the benefits to individuals of embracing a volunteer role in your community.

For more about Citizens Advice East Suffolk, go to  https://citizensadviceeastsuffolk.org.uk/

To apply for a role, email [email protected]

In this episode, we chat to Barrie Hayter, Group Scout Leader at 5th Woodbridge Sea Scouts.

Barrie shares how vital volunteering is to the scouting movement, and how varied roles can be.

With this a particularly important year for 5th Woodbridge Sea Scouts as they bid to grow their current ‘home’ by the riverside, he shares an update on what’s in store throughout 2023.

If you’d like to know more about 5th Woodbridge Sea Scouts, their volunteering opportunities and their forthcoming events, please find them via their Facebook page.