Welcome to Down District Volunteer Centre
The Downpatrick office is open Monday to Friday if you'd like to learn more about volunteering. We also run an outreach service from September to June. You can contact us on Tel: 028 4461 9122
Transport Vouchers for Rural Groups The Department for Regional Development has launched the Rural Transport Voucher scheme across NI. Rural Community groups and organisations wishing to transport 17 or more people can avail of the scheme and receive a contribution towards their costs. The scheme was initially piloted by the Department in Newry and Mourne but has now been extended to all council districts. Journeys must take place between April, May and June and applications must be made to the department by 26th Feb. 2010.
To receive an application pack please contact 028 9054 0620 or e-mail melanie.parker@drdni.gov.uk
Training for young volunteers - there is free training available for volunteers aged between 16 - 25 years, including basic first aid and team building and leadership skills. If you are interested in finding out more contact Pamela.
Student Volunteering Week - if you are a student and volunteer, or would like to volunteer come along to meet us at the Downpatrick, Market Street campus of South Eastern Regional College on Tuesday 23 February between 12 noon and 2pm. We will be there with information about volunteering but also to hear about your volunteering, we want to promote and recognise the amount of volunteering and community activity of young people in Down District.
Schools, Youth and Community Awards 2010; we are holding our annual awards in March of this year, nominations for individual or group volunteers or nominating schools for promoting and supporting volunteers or organisations which are really supportive to volunteers. Tell us what you have got out of volunteering - fun, friends, experience, skills - or how helpful and supportive groups have been. For more information or nomination forms contact Courtney or Pamela at the Volunteer Centre.
Down Voluntary Youth Forum - this is a forum for young volunteers in the District who have an idea for a project, from fundraising to painting murals, helping with conservation projects or promoting volunteers through helping with information stands or organising awards. You may be intersted in a particular issue eg training and further work on issues around drug and alcohol problems. It's up to you, if you have an idea and feel it would benefit the community contact Pamela at the volunteer centre for a chat.
New Year Developments A happy new year to all volunteers and volunteer involving organisations from everyone in the Volunteer Centre. Janine Connolly, who successfully coordinated our supported volunteers programme, has left to take up new employment. We wish her well and are very grateful for her hard work and endeavour over the last few years. She will be missed by everyone at the centre, the volunteers and project stakeholders. Courtney Campbell will assume responsibility for supported volunteers in the interim.
Christmas Hampers - Thank you to everyone who donated to or helped with the Christmas hamper appeal for older people. Youth Forum and Millennium volunteers spent an afternoon packing and decorating the hampers. These were then distributed to eight local older, isolated people.
If you want to take part in a sponsored walk - or helping to organise it contact Pamela at the Volunteer Centre and find out more.
It'll be a yellow spring in Downpatrick - Groups of volunteers got together last week to plant over 10,000
daffodil bulbs to make two Marie Curie Fields of Hope. One is in Marian Park, the other in the new Downe Hospital. More daffodils were planted by children from St Patrick's boys Primary School and Blackwater Integrated College along with members of Stream Street Residents Group - and a little help from Pamela and Courtney from the Volunteer Centre! Another five thousand bulbs went in so the bank there should be awash with colour in March or April next year.
New and existing opportunities for volunteering for the New Year; Our volunteer opportunities 
page gives you an idea of the kind of opportunities available across Down District. Have a look at that, call in and speak to us, email us or download a volunteer registration form. Whether you like computers or pigs, being outside or inside, railways or football we'll try to find something which suits you. For something a little different, Tools for Solidarity is looking for someone with experience of using knitting machines. The group need a bit of help learning about how to use machines so that they can understand how they work.
Lots of oppportunities for volunteers, including sighted guide for people with visual impairments, fundraising, helping with Beacon House - social support for people recovering from mental ill health, helping with bird surveys on farms and helping with special olympics Bocce Club.
Youth Action Day in Murlough - On a freezing cold December day a group of young volunteers went out to the National Trust; Murlough Nature Reserve in Dundrum. They went to carry on with some controlled gorse cutting and burning; the gorse grows freely and can take over stopping other native plants - important for the insects and animals who live on the reserve. A lot of work was completed and the gorse actually burned this time, a great relief to frozen fingers! If you are interested in taking part in a fun, group action day - a great way to meet other volunteers, both young and older, contact Pamela or Courtney at the volunteer centre, to get an idea of some of the other action days which have taken place click on the link or go to the action days page.
safeTALK Are you interested in basic training around suicide awareness? The SEH&SCT is offering a 3 hour training course covering the 4 basic steps to recognize persons with thoughts of suicide. Participants will also learn how to connect suicidal individuals with the help that they need. safeTALK is for eveyone. The next course will take place in the St Mark's Parish Centre. Church St, Newtownards on Fri. 27 Nov. '09 from 9.15am-1.00pm. To reserve your place contact: Carol Brown 028 9151 0275 or e-mail: Carol.Brown@setrust.hascni.net
BIG Lottery Clean-up! 
Volunteers from the BIG Lottery office in Belfast took part in an Employer Supported Volunteer day in Killough organised by Down District Volunteer Centre. DDVC staff member Antje Otto said, “I am grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for its support of the Employer Volunteering Scheme and enabling 40 staff members to get their hands dirty in Down. Two local charities, Lecale Conservation and Bike Aid Africa, have been the beneficiary partners. However, the real winners are the community in south Down and the environment as we have been able to recycle over a ton of litter and restore countless scrapped bicycles.”
Volunteers' Week Thanks - see what volunteers did on volunteers' week.
Funding Ideas for Young People's Projects - see the youth page for more details.
Down District Volunteer Centre is a registered company limited by guarantee in Northern Ireland (NI40362) and is registered as a charity for tax purposes with the Inland Revenue.
Trauma Training Information Morning Are you interested in learning more about working and/or volunteering with individuals who have experienced trauma as a consequence of violence? WAVE, the voluntary organisation providing services and support to victims and survivors of conflict, is holding an information morning in Downpatrick on Tue. 1st Dec. 2009. The session will take place in the St Patrick's Centre 10.30am-1.00pm and is open to everyone without obligation. WAVE can provide a variety of free and accredited training courses to groups and individuals. To book a place or learn more contact Denise on 028 9077 9922 or e-mail traumatrainingadmin@wavebelfast.co.uk
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