A fair in Haverhill has been championing the voluntary and charity sector
A fair specifically organised to raise more awareness of the charities and support organisations that are operating in the Haverhill area was held in the town this week.
Held at Haverhill Arts Centre over a three-hour period on Monday, October 3 and jointly organised by the Haverhill Volunteer Centre and Community Action Suffolk (CAS), the Community and Volunteer Fair saw 11 organisations taking part.
The fair formed part of Suffolk Action Week, which, according to CAS, the leaders of the event this year and the umbrella group under which the volunteer centre works, has three main purposes:
n Get Inspired – Discover the many and varied groups at the heart of your community
n Get Involved – Connect with local people and organisations
n Get Volunteering – Support a cause you care about by volunteering
It was the first such fair to be organised by Haverhill Volunteer Centre, which will be holding a similar event again next March.
The centre's co-ordinator, Jill Moss, said: "It was to raise awareness of the organisations and get more volunteers involved.
"The wider aim is the networking part of it for the organisations and that did go well."
As an example of the networking successes of Monday, Jill said: "We had Get Suffolk Reading and School Readers and neither of them had met before, so now Get Suffolk Reading can send volunteers to the School Readers charity, which had not happened before."
It is hoped that more organisations will be able to join the next such event in March, added Jill, while CAS and the volunteer centre also hope to put together an evening event next year to celebrate the volunteering that goes on in Haverhill and nearby.
The charities and organisations taking part in the fair were: Good Neighbour Scheme, Haverhill Volunteer Centre representing local organisations, Befriending, Dog Trust, Our Special Friends, School Readers, REACH Community Projects, The Befriending Scheme, Literacy Trust (Get Suffolk Reading) , Home Start, Citizens Advice and Families Together.
