Volunteer Service Statistics Period 01/06/06- 31/10/06

A really nice way to give our volunteers recognition and thanks for their support is by nominating them for the annual Volunteer of the Year Awards for Wolverhampton. These awards usually take place every June as part of Volunteers Week and this year I nominated 9 Haven volunteers for the event, of whom 7 were able to attend and receive their awards.
The event is hosted by Wolverhampton Volunteer Centre and is supported nationally by Volunteering England.

The Volunteers are awarded a certificate by a guest of Honour, have their photograph professionally taken free of charge, and are treated to a buffet reception.
It really is a privilege to be able to join in with this event and is always a big highlight of my Volunteering calendar.

Eleanor Britton
Volunteer Co-ordinator

External Training Team

This year saw the launch of the Corporate Alliance against Domestic Violence. Its primary role is to enable and support employers in the implemention of DV policies within the workplace. The Haven Wolverhampton became a member, joining forces with prominent businesses such as The Alliance & Leicester, The Body Shop and Northern Rock, to name a few.

The Open College Network (OCN) continued to prove its popularity and relevance - by the end of this programme, 37 staff members and volunteers will have completed the course. The Haven’s training department has National approval and has also had additional units approved to form part of the programme. These will be delivered in conjunction with members of staff with expertise in specialist areas.

The accredited training will soon be offered to external agencies, providing opportunities to gain recognized qualifications within the field.

Bespoke training has proved popular once again with agencies such as Drug Action, Soada and Connexions requesting tailor made packages for their organisations.

Two Students, from Birmingham and Wolverhampton Universities have completed their placements this year at The Haven, and another three are due to start shortly. Their placements form part of their requirements to complete their BA or MA Social Work degree.

Andrea Cifuentes

It's Recreation All Around Thanks to Mansell Partnership Housing, children staying at The Haven are enjoying new playground activity. The play area was donated by Mansell, and constructed by the main men, Simon Liversage and Phil Plant! Not only can the children enjoy a fabulously large garden to run around in, they can now enjoy an area with swings, climbing blocks and a huge sandpit. The moms weren’t left out either - a Barbecue Area was built and BBQ donated.

A huge thank you is extended from all the moms and children this fabulous, usable donation and to all those who helped put together!

Marathon Donation Mrs Kathryn Harper who ran in Carvers Wolverhampton City Marathon this year raised a fantastic £100.00 for The Haven. The funds are greatfully received and will benefit the children staying in emergency accommodation by enabling them to visit Walsall Arboretum. A big thank you to Kathryn from all the excited children.  Thank you!!!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month October The Haven Wolverhampton has been supporting the Beacon Radio 'Bring a Bra to Work' campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Staff at The Haven were asked to donate their old bras, with 50p taped into each cup. Michaila 'The Bra Boss' started collections at The Haven and staff have raised £27 towards research. Well Done! For the Radio’s campaign in 2004, women across the West Midlands' responded by collecting around 11,000 bras and raising thousands of pounds in the process. 2 years ago the bras were hung from Dudley Castle.  They provided a colourful sight in the town and attracted much interest.

This year all the donated bras will be tied together and hung from Easy Fit Roofs and Conservatories, West Bromwich Road, Walsall.

Thanks to all the Staff at The Haven Wolverhampton who contributed to the campaign; Breast Cancer will affect 1 out of 9 women in their life time. 

Dedication Service at ‘Pearl House’

A dedication service, conducted by Gillian Atkins, Chair (Managing Board of Directors) took place at ‘Pearl House’ to honour all those funders who made the dream become a reality. Plaques were installed at various levels throughout the building to give praise and recognition to those funders who helped complete and add the finishing touches to this wonderfully newly purpose built Hostel.

Dedicated Plaques included in the service were the late Honor Pringle (founder and Board Member), Mansells, Greggs, The Fate Trust, Soroptomists, Donors & Supporters.

International Visit (September 2006)

Three members of staff from our Russian partner organisation, the Crisis Centre "Ekaterina", along with four executive level members of staff from Ekaterinburg law enforcement agencies spent a week in the UK as part of our current international project, 'The Criminal Justice System and Domestic Violence in Russia', funded by the Big Lottery. The delegation visited Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court, where Gaynor Hollis (Senior Legal Advisor) gave the visitors a tour of the building. She then introduced them to a number of legal personnel who had been involved in the Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVCs), including John Griffin (Clerk to the Justices for the Black Country), Chris Woodrow (Court Centre Manager Wolverhampton Magistrates Court), John Coulson (Legal Team Manager), Mrs Eileen Edbury, (Justice of the Peace and Chairman of the Black Country Family Panel), Mrs Jan Fellows (Justice of the Peace). After observing three courts in progress, including the SDVC, the visiting party listened to a presentation on the development of SDVCs and a second one on the history of the magistracy. The Russians found the visit to be highly informative.

Elvira Wilson

Business in the Community - Cares

In October ‘Business in the Community’ -: Cares at Christmas, co-ordinated a Garden make-over at one of our Hostels. Organised by Sue Wright & Liz Mortram of HSBC Bank. Staff from branches of Queen Square W’ton, Stafford, Willenhall, Walsall, Lichfield and Dudley gave up their Bank duties for a day to volunteer their time to participate in charity work. The staff willingly and enthusiastically undertook heavy garden work, rallied support from local trade for donations, (even down to the sticky buns from ‘Greggs’ for tea breaks) and eagerly set about transforming the overgrown space to that of a beautiful exciting secret garden for our residents to enjoy. They also donated a Garden Bench.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

By resolution 54/134 of 17 December 1999, the General Assembly of the United Nations designated 25th November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and invited governments, international organizations and NGOs to organize activities designated to raise public awareness of the problem on that day.

Women's activists have marked 25th November as a day against violence since 1981. This date came from the brutal assassination in 1960, of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic, on orders of Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).