Attend Volunteer Charity

04/10/2026

Thank you to Age UK Enfield for inviting us along to the most recent health and wellbeing event at Southbury Leisure Centre. Lots of great conversations with local organisations and community members, looking forward to the next one!

30/09/2026

During this months coffee morning at Acacia Mews, Staff, Residents and Volunteers made Halloween masks to prepare for next months Halloween Party. We had a lovely time and everyone really enjoyed getting involved.

25/09/2026

The NHS belongs to the people.

What does that mean for independent voluntary organisations working alongside the NHS?

NHS England's recent quality and patient experience documents recognise the importance of volunteers, communities and partners. But there is a distinction worth making more clearly: the difference between volunteering within NHS structures and an independent voluntary organisation working alongside them.

That distinction matters because partnership is shaped by accountability as well as purpose.

Stephen Moreton - Attend Academy Lead, has written a short reflection for Attend on the distinctive contribution independent voluntary organisations can make to quality and patient experience through their community relationships, independent governance and different accountabilities.

Shared purpose can sit alongside distinct accountability.

Read the full piece here: https://blog.attend.org.uk/2026/09/20/independent-voluntary-organisations-and-the-nhs/

22/09/2026

For nearly 20 years the Friends of Old Subbuteo have run a summer and Christmas tournament.

Last weekend was the summer tournament organised by Steve Moreton and has pitches in his neighbours homes.

This year we were delighted to see the return of the Venice Club.

It is the first one since David Heron died, and so was a key part of the hosting team. In his memory, a subbuteo cricket tournament was launched. His friend and neighbour Bernie Windsor was pleased to have it take place in her garden, and present the trophy to the winner.

19/09/2026

This week have been talking to 20 new students at St Thomas More Sixth Form in Nuneaton about volunteering at Acorn Lodge Care Home, which is about 10 minutes walk from the school.

The school have positively supported the care home and its residents for over ten years.

Most recently they have started inviting residents to the school to meet students and have some tea and cake.

15/09/2026

This week at the stroke cafe, clients enjoyed a painting session facilitated by one our current volunteers, fun and engaging for everyone involved, with lots of laughs and good conversation shared.

We look forward to running more creative sessions for in the future!

10/09/2026

What do we call Working with Volunteers?

Volunteer management?
Volunteer leadership?
Volunteer programme management?
Volunteer engagement?

The terminology keeps moving.

Perhaps because the practice itself has a wonderful mercurial property.

——

A volunteer is a person before they are a volunteer.

So we meet people.

We listen.
We include.
We create the conditions for people to bring themselves and their contribution.

That is leadership.

——

We meet activity.

The roles, tasks and practical conditions that make contribution possible.

We organise.
We support.
We make it workable.

That is management.

——

And we meet context.

History.
Relationships.
Purpose.
The wider conditions.
The future.

We hold these together so the volunteering has somewhere to belong and continue.

That is stewardship.

——

Three movements within the same human field.

Meet people.
Meet activity.
Meet context.

At the heart of all three: meet.

And perhaps this is why the whole thing is so difficult to name.
Volunteering sits remarkably close to the centre of the human field.

People freely offering something of themselves.
Contribution meeting purpose.
Relationship meeting possibility.

Some things can be described beautifully without ever being fully named.
Perhaps this is one of them.

——

So what do we call it?

Well, after all that careful consideration, it boils down to two options:

Meetship

or

Helping-voluntary-contribution-flourish-ship.

Obviously. 😅

- Stephen Moreton

04/09/2026

This summer, the Cedar challenge team have done an amazing job as always giving the gardens a summer refresh. Making sure that everything looks tidy, vibrant and welcoming for all the residents. The newest addition being a raised sensory bed - full of fun, tactile plants to feel and smell.

As always thank you to all the volunteers involved for there dedication and hard work, we can’t wait to see what you have in store next!

02/09/2026

A while ago we interviewed Maggie Linford for our Friends Voices project, since then Maggie has now been nominated for a Make a Difference Volunteering award. A warm heartfelt congratulations goes out from us to Maggie for all the great work her and the Friends do.

Maggie had a life of supporting people through her careers, as a social worker and an occupational therapist, once retired she continued to make a difference in her community through volunteering.

To learn more about Maggie’s Story or the Friends of St Mary’s Hospital, Please visit:

https://friendsvoices.co.uk/the-collection/maggie-linford-friends-of-st-marys/

A while ago we interviewed Maggie Linford for our Friends Voices project, since then Maggie has now been nominated for a Make a Difference Volunteering award. A warm heartfelt congratulations goes out from us to Maggie for all the great work her and the Friends do. Maggie had a life of supporting pe...

26/08/2026

Adele’s Journey: From Coordinator to Confident Leader Through CMI Level 5

Adele recently completed Attend Academy’s CMI Level 5 course—a step she describes
as pivotal in reshaping both her confidence and her leadership identity.

Early Career and Professional Background:
Adele began her career in the army before transitioning into the education sector, where she spent 15 years. Over time, she moved into volunteer coordination, a role she held
across several organisations. Her experience eventually led her to her current position
in HR, where she oversees all volunteer coordinators within her charity, develops new volunteering policies, and manages the growing volume of paperwork that comes with a
rapidly expanding organisation.
“It’s a charity that’s grown really quick, but hasn’t quite caught up with all the paperwork
or new stuff they’re putting in place,” she explains.

Why She Chose the CMI Level 5 Course:
After many years in coordination roles, Adele felt it was time to stretch herself professionally. She wanted a “higher level qualification” and to “up [her] game a little bit,” recognising
that her responsibilities were expanding and that she needed stronger leadership and management foundations to support others effectively.

How the Course Transformed Her Confidence:
As she progressed through the course, Adele found herself developing not just new skills, but a new sense of authority in her role. “It’s really helped me with the legal side of it… not just managing the volunteers, but creating structure,” she says. “I support all the other volunteer coordinators in the
company… so the fact that I’ve done that course makes me a lot more confident in giving that guidance out as well.”
Adele had always viewed herself as someone with low confidence—certainly not a leader. Completing the CMI Level 5 changed that. “Now the course has given me that sort of voice,” she says. “I’ve even challenged things within the company and changed guidance for managers. I’ve actually written guidance
for managers.”

Her Experience on the Course:
Despite initial nerves, Adele found the learning environment far more approachable than she expected. “The course leader was lovely, really supportive. We did units in little chunks and it was
more relaxed and structured that way. It was a good experience.”

Adele’s Advice to Future Learners:
Looking back, Adele wishes she hadn’t been so intimidated at the start. Her message to others considering the course is simple: be open, be relaxed, and trust the process.