Bay Health and Care Partners showcase the stories of remarkable volunteers as part of Volunteers’ Week

As part of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June) the Bay Health and Care Partners (BHCP) are celebrating the stories of local people who volunteer to support communities and local services across Morecambe Bay.

Foodbanks across North Lancashire and South Cumbria are working hard to tackle poverty and hunger in the local area, thanks to the hard work of their volunteers. Barrow Foodbank gave out 4,701 food parcels to local people in crisis during the financial year 2021/2022.

Carol Warwick is the Volunteers Coordinator for Barrow Foodbank. Carol decided to become a volunteer at Barrow Foodbank in 2012 when she became aware that her local community needed helpers to ensure that families in crisis could be supplied with basic foodstuffs until they were able to get the ongoing long-term support they needed.

Carol, a retired Primary School teacher, said: “Volunteering for me is a win-win situation. It is rewarding to know that my small contribution is helping our Foodbank users, plus I get enjoyment from the friendships that I have made through my involvement with Foodbank.

“The challenge that our local area faces is a daily one of providing food to those in need and I am proud to be a volunteer working with like-minded individuals, within a well-managed and adaptable organisation that values its volunteers.”

You can read Carol’s story here.

If you would like to find out more or volunteer for Barrow Foodbank please email projectmanager@barrowfoodbank.co.uk or go to the Barrow Foodbank website here.

Bay Volunteers is a community-based service that offers support for the needs of people and communities in the Lancaster district. The charity has helped over 1,500 people and offers a variety of services such as listening calls or walks, digital support through digital buddies, doing and delivering grocery shopping, collecting and delivering prescriptions and collecting and/or delivering post and parcels, including food parcels.

Phil Ramsden volunteers his time to support people through the charity’s listening service which involves ringing people who are dealing with different health challenges such as loneliness, bereavement, anxiety or other health difficulties.

Phil, who volunteered for five years as part of a small doctors listening team for Bay Medical Group before joining Bay Volunteers, said: “I have cried with people and heard their stories, and so I just feel personally honoured that these different people who I have supported, and who I continue to support, have confided in and shared things with me. I have found it so rewarding to support them in this way.”

You can read Phil’s story here.

If you would like to find out more or you would like to volunteer for Bay Volunteers please contact Matt Parker at bayvolunteersmanager@hopelancaster.co.uk or go to the Bay Volunteers website here. 

Kendal Lunch Bunch aims to combat loneliness and offers elderly people from the community the opportunity to have a hot, nutritious, homecooked meal. The lunch bunch has been running since September 2019 and uses donated food from local businesses to reduce wastage.

The initiative, which serves hundreds of meals every year, was paused during the covid pandemic but restarted face-to-face sessions early this year. It is run by a handful of volunteers who cook and provide activities for attendees.

Gillian Cowburn helped set up and then volunteered with Kendal Peoples Café for nearly three years before setting up lunch bunch in 2019.

Gillian, a retired journalist and food writer, said: “I love to cook which is why I get such enjoyment in cooking for Kendal Lunch Bunch. Food brings so much pleasure to people.

“We are very lucky to be supported by local businesses, Kendal People’s Café and Waste into Wellbeing. I work with a lovely bunch of ladies who all volunteer their time to support lunch bunch and our lunch bunchers. We are always looking for volunteers to cook and support the face-to-face sessions as this would allow us to put on more sessions. I would encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch.”

You can read Gillian’s story here.

If you would like to volunteer please visit https://slacc.org.uk/ (South Lakeland Action on Climate Change) and follow the link to volunteer through a range of activities under the Waste into Wellbeing heading.

• Terri Sethi talks to us about her role as a warehouse volunteer and occasional volunteer driver's assistant for Morecambe Bay Foodbank. You can read Terri's story here. You can find out more about Morecambe Bay Foodbank here. 

Volunteers’ Week marks the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering. As part of Volunteers’ Week, we are celebrating the volunteers and Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations we work closely with from across our Place-Based Partnership (Bay Health and Care Partners) by sharing their stories here and on our Twitter @MorecambeBHCP.