“I worked as a

Doctor at the

Bournemouth

Marathon with the

Red Cross Team. I

am taken aback by

the professionalism,

teamwork and

attitude.. thanks

and great work.”

The newsletter for British Red Cross volunteers and staff

in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset & the Channel Islands Decem

ber

20

15

“I cannot think of a single thing that you

could have done better for me! I received

the very help I wanted for those weeks I

needed it and for that I shall always be

grateful. Until this happened to me I had

never fully appreciated the extent of care

the Red Cross is now providing in my local

community. Very special thanks to Jenny

and Caz for their vigilance and kindness.” (User of our Landrover funded

support at home service in Exeter)

“I will now feel more

prepared and

confident to help in

an emergency.” (Learner at a Somerset

Adult Education session)

Co

-op

part

ners

hip

launch p

ho

tog

rap

hy w

ith t

hanks t

o E

mily

Whitfie

ld-W

icks

Welcome to the

winter edition of

CDDSCI Local

Life.

As usual we have reached the end of the year far

more quickly than seems right and without me

doing half the things I would have quite liked to do!

In contrast though our staff and volunteers have

reached out to enormous numbers of people,

offering much needed support to people when

they need it most. The work you do is truly

remarkable and thank you never seems

adequate...

As we approach the start of a new year it’s timely

to start thinking about the future and for the Red

Cross, that means some fairly major change that

will start to be implemented next year. We don’t

have all the detail yet but we do know a few things

as this goes to press:

We will be organised into bigger geographic

areas so ‘CDDSCI’ will be no more in terms of

an imposed geographic boundary that we all

work within. We don’t yet know what that

bigger area will be.

Some of our existing area services will be

merged into national teams. So far this has

been agreed for Refugee Services and is being

considered for Ambulance Support and Event

First Aid. This isn’t necessarily about doing

things differently on the ground but it is about

different management structures that can look

at people and resources from a national

perspective and ensure that we spend money

wisely and put support and resources where

they are most needed.

Consideration is also being given to managing

Adult Education as part of the overall

Education Directorate which currently manages

Youth Education and Red Cross Training.

One of the reasons we need to change is to make

the most of our money; we could be a leaner,

meaner organisation in terms of how we are

organised and how we operate. If we get this right

and reduce duplication and waste, we could

ensure that we have more money to spend on

delivering services to people in crisis, which is after

all our mission. In order to do this a lot of work is

being done to look at how we purchase things

across the organisation, everything from new

ambulances to paying the window cleaner, to how

we do things and who does them and where.

The property strategy is key to the principle of

releasing funds to spend on services as having our

assets tied up in property is not such a necessity

in this day and age. We are currently considering

which properties are essential for the future and

which are not. I know from experience that

property raises a lot of passion in the organisation

but we have to be brave and embrace a new way

of doing things.

Change on this scale is never easy but we must

remember just how many transformations the Red

Cross has gone though in its 150 year history. Our

job now is to make sure that the Society is fit for

its next 150 years, even if that change isn’t what

we would really like.

The work we all do saves and changes the lives of

people in crisis and the stories we tell of that work

helps us to achieve our vision of a world where

everyone gets the help they need. Embracing

change, showing courage and compassion and

ensuring that we have a dynamic society that is fit

for the future is another way of proving just what a

dedicated, professional and resourceful group we

are… lets work together to ensure that this is the

legacy of CDDSCI.

Sarah Gibson

Operations Director, CDDSCI

Are you a tweeter? Follow:

Welcome to the Winter edition of your Red Cross Local Life

Page 2

Thank yo

u to

all vo

lunte

ers a

nd s

taff w

ho su

pplie

d im

ages u

sed in

this e

ditio

n o

f CD

DS

CI L

ocal L

ife.

SGibson@redcross.org.uk T: 01823 273721

IN THIS ISSUE

Page 4 Exeter university BRC group hold a candlelit vigil to support

European refugees and help plot ‘missing maps’ of the world.

Page 5

Life at the Verne detention centre

and how the Red Cross is trying to

bring detainees hope and dignity.

Page 6 How young Cornwall volunteer Anya took over People and Learning for the day!

Page 7 Bobbie Barclay reaches the finale of her Devon presidency and Christina has an unusual journey to a meeting.

Page 8 Find out what happened when a mysterious red container appeared in a Jersey school playground...

Anne Taylor receives Badge of

Honour for Outstanding Service,

after 75 years of supporting

people in crisis.

Page 3

It was a double celebration for Cornwall volunteer Anne Taylor at a presentation event in Bodmin in October, as Anne received not only her incredible 75 year service award, but also a Badge of Honour for Outstanding

Service.

Anne joined the organisation in 1940 and continues to serve as a very active volunteer, despite taking a short and reluctant break, while recovering from a series of operations recently.

The citation for Anne’s award spoke about how despite the considerable time and distance involved in travelling to the Truro office from her home in West Cornwall, Anne can always be relied upon to help in a variety of office activities almost every week of the year, covering reception duties, administration and issue/return of Mobility Aids equipment.

Anne was commended for her approach and attitude in her dealings with members of the public, offering common-sense, practical guidance and solutions to any queries or problems posed. For several years following her move of home to Cornwall, Anne operated a Mobility Aids service point in Penzance, assisting people who would otherwise need to travel to Truro for equipment or potentially waiting longer for delivery.

Anne has consistently demonstrated all of the qualities sought in a British Red Cross volunteer over many years, being utterly reliable and constantly bearing in mind the best interests of service users and then helping accordingly.

A really big thank you to Anne for everything you have done and continue to do for the Red Cross, alongside the many other dedicated individuals who really do put the service user at the heart of what we do.

Pictured left: Anne (right) receiving her badge of honour from

operations director Sarah Gibson, and above, with Cornwall

Volunteer Council Chair, John Colverson, receiving her 75

year service certificate.

We simply couldn’t do without all the amazing

fundraising supporters across the area. It goes

without saying that the Channel Islands’

contribution to fundraising and appeals has

been exceptional. Thanks to Bev, Nick, Jane,

Karen, Linda and the people of Guernsey and

Jersey for all you have achieved this year.

In Cornwall, President Rosie Jackson along

with Sue Ferguson, John Colverson, staff and

volunteers supported a variety of events,

including the Co-op fundraising launch and

Rick Stein’s Fish charity lunches. A big thank

you to everyone keeping the pounds coming

in whilst fundraiser Sara Loftus is on maternity.

Sarah Washington, who joined as senior

community fundraiser for Dorset and

Somerset just before Red Cross Week,

reflects: “My first 6 months has flown by and I

would like to thank everyone, volunteers and

staff for making me feel so welcome. It’s with

great thanks to all of the amazing volunteers

and groups that we pulled through Red Cross

week, covering all collections and even

holding some last minute events for the

appeal. A few special mentions to Minehead

Group, Bridport Group, Meg and Rosemary in

Yeovil and Burnham on Sea, and Ferndown

Group who raised an amazing £4000, thank

you Marie and Alison and all of your helpers.

Two fantastic events came with Lulworth

County Fair raising over £10,000, thanks to

everyone at Lulworth Castle and our patron for

Dorset, Mrs Weld. Then there was The Big

Variety Show in Wimborne organised by Pete

Mathews for the European Refugee Appeal,

raising over £7,000. Open Gardens in

Somerset this year were a huge success and

that is all down to the Somerset Committee

and President Philip Rowe, with Bicknoller a

particular success, raising over £2,000 alone.

I think that was quite a record!”

It’s also been a busy year in Devon and Chris

Wynn has been caretaking, whilst Sarah

Cummins has been on maternity leave. Sarah

will not now be returning to the Red Cross, so

Chris continues to be the fundraising contact

for Devon until a new fundraiser is recruited.

Chris says: “Red Cross Week in Devon was a

phenomenal success and I have Dot

Matthews to thank for this mostly, as she

helped so much with arrangements for the

collections that took place. In total across all

fundraising activities we raised almost £28,000

for our local services. My heartfelt thanks to

each and every one of you who has supported

fundraising in any way this year. They’re too

numerous to mention individually, but I must

also thank our outgoing President, Bobbie

Barclay, who has been such a support to me.”

Fundraising stars...

Page 4

On 16th October, the Exeter University British Red Cross group (EUBRC), held a candlelit vigil in peaceful reflection upon those who have lost homes, lives and families in the current European Refugee Crisis. The event was a collaborative effort alongside the Amnesty,

Oxfam, UNICEF, and Student Action for Refugees Societies, with all funds raised donated to Devon and Cornwall Refugee support.

At 19:00, over 200 people assembled outside the Forum on Streatham Campus to pay their respects, and stand in solidarity alongside the thousands who continue to suffer during the perilous transition from political and social turmoil to safety and stability.

At Bedford Square the candles were laid on the ground to spell the words “Refugees Welcome”, the World Choir sang, and W.H. Auden’s poem Refugee Blues was recited.

Hugh Gray, secretary of the EUBRC Group commented: “It’s so important to hold events like this, tonight was a fantastic opportunity for students, staff and members of the public to unite in solidarity for those seeking refuge and safety”.

The vigil came just after an EUBRC Pub Quiz that took place at the university’s campus bar, raising almost £300 for the British Red Cross Refugee Crisis Appeal.

If you were at the area forum back in April, you will have heard from former EUBRC president Conor Maher about the Missing Maps project, which aims to put the world's most vulnerable places on the map using remote digital mapping software.

They have just re-launched and this year have collaborated with the Friends of Médecins Sans Frontières (FoMSF) society and expanded the project to include Exeter University's St. Luke's campus as well as Streatham, to encourage wider student participation. They held their third 'Mapathon' of this academic year on 19th November, and are focussing on areas in Northern Nigeria, where eHealth Africa are currently working to map vaccine delivery routes to assist in the eradication of Polio-virus.

EUBRC have also been busy helping to advocate the Emergency First Aid Education Bill, which aimed to get first aid onto the national curriculum in all English secondary schools. Sadly, despite mass public support, the bill was blocked by government.

Exeter University group shows support

for refugees & re-launches Missing Maps

The November ‘Mapathon’.

Thanks to Fae Krakowska

and Hugh Gray for the info

and pictures.

Over the last five months Refugee and IFT services in Dorset have been piloting a humanitarian project in the Verne Immigration Removal Centre on Portland.

The issue of immigration detention has received very little coverage in the UK despite The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) criticising the UK for having one of the worst records in the EU on indefinite detention. The UK is the only country in Europe not to have a time limit on immigration detention.

On average around 30,000 people are detained under immigration powers every year, most commonly those who’ve sought asylum at some point. UNHCR is very clear that everyone has the right to seek asylum, it is not an illegal act and therefore it is inappropriate to detain asylum seekers indefinitely. However, in 2014, an All Parliamentary Group on Refugees and Migration highlighted the severe humanitarian suffering within the detention estate. When we asked one person what it was like to be in detention, he said “I feel like I am in slavery, nobody wants to hear my voice”. Another said “detention is mental torture”.

OTHER NEWS

New Poole support

at home service

launched The Poole Support at Home project has been funded by a local legacy, enabling us to run an 18 month pilot, which will demonstrate the value of providing support to people who have been discharged from hospital to potential future funders.

The service will be delivered by volunteers and will offer up to 4-6 weeks support to help people regain their confidence following a period in hospital.

Initially, it will be offered to patients who have been supported by our assisted discharge service which provides just 72 hours of support immediately following discharge.

We have now recruited 2 part time co-ordinators based at our office in Poole, who are now in the process of setting up systems and processes to ensure that the service runs smoothly.

We have been actively recruiting volunteers but we need many more!

For those who are living in the Poole area please talk to family and friends about the valuable work we will be doing and if anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact service manager Carole Smith on: 01823 273720 / 07912 080935 or via e-

mail to: carolesmith@ redcross.org.uk.

Page 5

“I feel like I’m in slavery,

nobody wants to hear

my voice.” Helen Osborn reports from the Verne.

Keeping in contact with family, friends or legal reps is no easier by other means; social media such as skype and facebook are banned, and with a limited amount of non-confidential landlines, most detainees rely on buying credit for their mobile phones.

However, phone credit is not cheap; some detainees are living on just £5 a week, but the minimum buy for phone credit is between £5 and £10, so some are saving all their money for one or two weeks to buy credit, rather than afford other items such as toiletries.

With the lack of support mechanisms, and having already suffered pre-migratory stress from their journey to the UK and fleeing situations of violence and conflict, many migrants and asylum seekers facing indefinite detention can be left in an acutely vulnerable mental state. This is exacerbated by many detainees being detained without their property and therefore having to wear prison issue clothing, leaving them feeling criminalised and dehumanised.

To date, we have provided the Verne IRC with 21 destitution packs including suitable clothes and toiletries for people who are leaving without any suitable clothing, sometimes late in the evening and unable to get to their accommodation. Some people had arrived in poor condition clothing worn a long time before being detained, so the only option before was to leave in clothes left behind by other detainees.

We have also arranged mobility aids, trained prison staff in refugee awareness and promoted our international family tracing service. Other projects are in progress to provide more practical and emotional support, signposting and clinics, to strengthen detainees resilience and wellbeing, and we will continue to advocate for their needs.

We are currently looking for volunteers to help with casework clinics, so if you are able to give a few hours every two weeks to support these people in time of crisis, please contact Helen Osborn, email: HOsborn@redcross.org.uk.

Detention takes away many of the vital emotional support and coping mechanisms we all need to deal with crisis. The Verne itself (pictured left) is situated at the top of an island located off the coast of Weymouth. It’s not only difficult, but expensive to reach. As such, only 19% of detainees have received visits from family and friends.

“I felt a great deal of pride to

see senior staff members

excitedly jotting down ideas…”

I had been a part of the Fire and Emergency Support

team for around nine months when I heard about

Takeover day from the youth engagement officer. I was

keen to apply, just for the chance to see inside the

British Red Cross head quarters! It sounded like a great

way to better understand how decision making occurred

and where responsibility was split. I decided to apply for

the role of Dale Cox, Director of People and Learning,

because of the youth engagement aspect of his role.

Being a young volunteer myself, I thought it would be

interesting to provide a young person’s perspectives on

how to involve youths. I spoke to Dale directly ahead of

the event who gave invaluable advice on the complexity

of his role, to ensure I could do the best job possible in

the meeting.

Having travelled up on the Wednesday afternoon, I went

straight to the hostel to meet the other volunteers. On

Thursday we headed to the London office, where we

went straight up to the seventh floor to start on our ice-

breakers. Teamwork was a main focus of the training

day; we needed to be able to work effectively ahead of

the fully-packed meeting the next day. We spent time

discussing the dynamics of

meetings and how our team

could use their roles to maximise efficiency. After a full-

on day, we all headed to Pizza Express with other

members of staff to reflect on the day we’d had.

Our meeting on Friday was split up into smaller

presentations from each department followed by a

discussion or question and answer. Some favourites

included a presentation on the European refugee crisis

and a debate about paying staff the Living Wage. As it

turns out, it’s not as simple as I had first thought!

I have learnt so much about my role within a team and

how to work on the limitations. More so, I have come

away inspired about both my future and the future of the

British Red Cross. I am encouraged to get involved

much more than I was before in the exciting upcoming

opportunities. I had no idea about some of the

opportunities for young people, and was a little confused

about some of their strategies. Discussing it with the

members of the staff themselves made me feel more

informed and involved.

My favourite part of the event however was the

supportive nature of the staff. I felt a great deal of pride

to see senior staff members excitedly jotting down ideas

from what many may see as a bunch of teenagers. I

never felt patronised or inferior but was treated with the

same respect and value as everyone else. I was inspired

by the actions of other young volunteers in their roles as

fellow directors.

I would encourage any young person to apply to this

innovative opportunity. The skills, connections and

information you learn exceeded all expectations before

you even begin the meeting. It is opportunities such as

this one that offer an additional reward for service which

encourages further action.

Page 6

If you are a young volunteer/staff member looking for support and opportunities like this to take part in at

the Red Cross, or you are a staff team wanting to engage more young people (under 26) in your service or

function, please have a chat with Ella Coates, youth engagement & diversity manager, on 01305 214437.

Takeover Day is a two day event organised by the British Red

Cross, in conjunction with the Children’s Commissioner for

England, which gives 10 young volunteers (16-25) the

opportunity to take over from the twelve Executive Leadership

Team (ELT) roles for the day. It was held on 19/20 November.

Cornwall ER volunteer Anya Wallington-Lardi was successful in

filling the shoes of the Director of People & Learning (Dale Cox),

and here she tells us about how taking part inspired her...

by Anya Wallington-Lardi

Anya (2nd from right) with her fellow

‘young ELT’ directors around the table

EMERGENCY

RESPONSE

No major floods this

year, but busy with

‘business as usual’!

The Emergency Planning & Response team (EP&R), which incorporates our support to incidents, fire and emergency service support, event first aid and ambulance support, have been on a journey over the last year, looking at the way the team is structured, integrated, and focussed in line with the new Red Cross strategy.

Thank you to all the many amazing staff and volunteers who have supported people in crisis, at what many of us see as ‘out of hours’ but to the team is just the norm!

Here’s just a few area facts and figures from

the last year:

Deployed to over 150 property fires

Looked after nearly 90 patients on referral from the ambulance services (emergency medical care and patient transfer). Youngest 3 days old - oldest aged 102!

Provided first aid cover at nearly 60 public events

Supported people at over 20 ‘other’ ER responses/operations.

Bobbie Barclay is standing down having served as President of Devon for the last 6 years. She has done so much to raise funds for, and raise the profile of our work in Devon, leading and supporting many events, initiatives, advocacy projects and much more besides.

Bobbie says “It is with a heavy heart that I have to say goodbye to you all as your President - I have completed 6 years so must now retire. I have enjoyed meeting so many of you and being part of the Red Cross family. I wish you all well

and welcome the new President Jeremy Lee, and hope he enjoys the role as much as I have. Seasons greetings and all the best for the future.”

Volunteer Council Chair, Robert Tribble said of Bobbie: “During this time she has used her very special skills to the benefit of Red Cross not only within the organisation locally, regionally and nationally, but also within the broader community. She has widened the range of Red Cross involvement throughout Devon using her many contacts and has been very supportive of the work of volunteers. Bobbie encapsulates all the quintessential values of Red Cross and has provided dynamic and skilful leadership during her presidency. Bobbie, thank you and best wishes for the future.”

It’s a sentiment everyone in the area will echo - thank you again Bobbie for all your achievements and continued support of the Red Cross values and work.

Bobbie Barclay reaches finale of her Devon

presidency - and we can’t thank her enough.

Back in August, Event First Aid volunteer, Christina Davidson from Dorset, was driving to a group training evening at Poundbury office, when she came across a road traffic accident.

Christina pulled over and did everything she could to help, starting of course, by checking if there was any danger and then for response. Christina recalls: “I called out to ask if everyone was accounted for and if anyone was injured. The reply was that on the other side of the caravan there was a motorcyclist who had collided with the caravan head on”.

One person was trying to remove the motorcylist’s helmet but Christina, being highly trained, recognised this could only be done in the right way and with the right support, so was able to work with someone else on the scene who happened to be a nurse to assist, and a passing off-duty paramedic, giving the casualty welcome relief from the heat and distress they were experiencing.

“The ambulance had been called and I was able to give details of the injuries I had observed.. I was able to reassure the casualty and obtain some details and history to pass onto the ambulance crew when they arrived”.

Christina helped reassure the casualty whilst waiting for the ambulance and during treatment to their injuries for over half an hour, until ready to be transported, after which she headed to her Poundbury group meeting with a really good excuse for being late!

On reflection Christina told us “It was so good to be able to help these people. They were within sight of my centre in Poundbury which just shows accidents and incidents happen anywhere and everywhere! I was grateful for my regular training and my enhanced skills training as I was able to help people both physically and emotionally. We practice for such events and maintain our skills at our first aid duties. You might have seen us at the international Bournemouth Rugby 7’s, Ten Tors and the Bournemouth Marathon to name but a few. I have been a volunteer for nearly 20 years and I love it!”.

You never know what’s around the corner...

Page 7

cddsci@redcross.org.uk Stephen T: 01823 273727

NEXT ISSUE: deadline 15/01/2016 Please send us your stories!

Area Volunteer and Staff Forum Saturday 23rd April 2016

This year we held our first joint forum

which was a welcome opportunity for

volunteers and staff to come together

from all counties, along with national

guests, to share information, collaborate

and input into open discussions about our

work and future.

We’re planning to repeat this in 2016 at

Tiverton Hotel in Devon. More details will

follow in the new year but for now please

put the date in your diary!

Save the date!

The next edition is planned for February 2016, so if

you have any letters, photos, event diary dates/

reports or news you’d like to share in the next

edition of Local Life, please send to:

Page 8

Education service manager Karen Painter, recently took part in a whole school activity at Rouge Bouillon Primary School on Jersey, a diverse and multi-cultural school where Jersey born children are in the minority and English is the second language. Karen was asked to provide a series of sessions, as well as training packages for teachers, which focused on the migrant/refugee crisis.

Karen explained the learning event: “When the children arrived in school on Monday they found a large shipping container in their playground which formed the start of our journey. Where had it come from? What was in it? Was it safe? Throughout the week they explored why Red Cross might be there and what did I know, who do we help, what sort of situations might involve us and we explored the definitions of ‘refugee’. They used our educational resources to place the children in someone else’s shoes and concluded by mid-week that there was a high possibility that refugees may have arrived in the island in this container. The tension built up throughout the week and by Wednesday the children had noticed a temporary shelter had appeared on the roof terrace outside Y6. There was clear evidence that someone was making a temporary home and further evidence was discovered on Thursday that someone was eating their tomatoes!”

“They were now 99% certain they had a refugee seeking safety in the school grounds. The parents got to hear about it and were ringing the school for updates. Parents were understandably concerned and children were

instructed to talk to their parents about what they had learnt of the plight of families caught up in war or conflict which they fed back to us on Friday morning. The children were saddened by their parents attitude towards people effected by war and we had grounding work to do to remind them of the importance of understanding their plight and what we could do to help.”

“Friday morning arrived and so did the police and fire brigade to venture into the container to reveal the contents and make it safe. The suspense was thrilling and the children found a note from a refugee thanking them for sanctuary and describing his pleasure at hearing them play and learn about the effects the war had on his own children, and sadness that they were not able to go to school.”

A really creative piece of work which Karen plans to build on during the school year.

Jersey children lift the lid...

Obituary

Anthony Fortescue

We were very sorry to learn of the passing of

Anthony Fortescue, High Sheriff of Cornwall and

husband of British Red Cross patron, Elizabeth

Fortescue.

Anthony played an important part of Cornish

life, including his historic and award winning

restoration of Boconnoc House near Lostwithiel,

completed in 2011 after it had been uninhabited

since just after the Second World War.

Cornwall Red Cross President Rosie Jackson,

said “Anthony was very charismatic and

supported Elizabeth in

her role as president,

especially at Red Cross

events held at the

beautifully restored

Bocconoc estate. He

will be sadly missed

by everyone”.

Our thoughts are with

Elizabeth and all her

family.