Tag: Birmingham Voluntary Service Council

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Nominate your unsung heroes for a King’s Award – free information session on Monday 20 October

Words by Witton Lodge Community Association

If you’re ready to shine a deserved light on the incredible work volunteers do in our community, you need to join us for an essential information session on the King’s Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) —the highest and most prestigious honour a volunteer-led organisation in the UK can achieve!

This special event is free to attend and will be held from 1-3pm on Monday 20 October – at Hays, One Colmore Square, Birmingham, B4 6AJ.

To book your place at this event please click HERE.

The session is brought to you in partnership by Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) and Witton Lodge Community Association (WLCA) and will be a definitive guide for understanding and securing this ultimate recognition for Birmingham’s finest volunteer groups.

This session is the perfect way to learn more about the KAVS, including:

  • The criteria that makes a volunteer group eligible.
  • How and who you can nominate to receive this esteemed lifetime recognition.
  • Hearing directly from BVSC and WLCA about the significance of this award and the nomination process.

KAVS is issued once a year to celebrate groups that have made a significant impact and a lasting difference to people and places. Previous sessions, like one recently held at Perry Common Community Hall, have highlighted the prestige and legacy of the award for the groups that receive it.

If you are a Birmingham resident, or work in the city and know of any amazing volunteer groups who deserve this recognition, this is your chance to give something back to the unsung heroes who work so hard and tirelessly to make life better for all of us.

For more information on the KAVS, visit the official website at www.kavs.dcms.gov.uk

To book your place at this event which takes place at Hays, One Colmore Square Birmingham B4 6AJ, from 1-3pm, please click HERE.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a leading partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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NEWS: John Taylor Hospice helps make ‘special memories’ for Erdington bird of prey enthusiast

Words by Diane Parkes / Pics courtesy of John Taylor Hospice Erdington

John Taylor Hospice in Erdington gave a local family a precious day to remember thanks to a special visit from some feathery friends.

David Gilchrist and his family saw their Erdington garden turned into a bird show when Andy Plant of The Falconry Centre in Hagley brought along a few feathered friends.

It was a dream come true for 65-year-old David when he came face to face with a host of birds of prey including a bald eagle, two owls, an American kestrel, and a peregrine falcon.

David, who has the respiratory condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), has been supported by teams from John Taylor Hospice for two years.

As his condition has progressed, care has been stepped up to meet his needs – including creating special memories.

David’s family had organised a short holiday including a visit to a falconry centre for the life-long bird of prey enthusiast but faced disappointment when David became too poorly to make the trip.

But the team at John Taylor Hospice stepped in to arrange the visit from Andy along with a buffet so that other family members could share this special moment and enjoy the treat.

The event was made possible because David is part of the Personal Health Budget (PHB) project – a scheme in which patients are given control over how they choose to spend health and social care finance.

The scheme has been pioneered in Birmingham by John Taylor Hospice, Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group, and Birmingham Voluntary Service Council, working in partnership with Birmingham City Council (via the Better Care Fund). PHBs can be used to fund different services including home care, gardening or laundry and making special memories such as the Falconry event.

David’s daughter, 40-year-old Gemma Grantham, said the personalised care has made all the difference.

“I can’t say enough about how much the hospice has helped Dad,” she says. “He was diagnosed nine years ago and we’ve been living with that ever since.

“We were put in touch with the hospice two years ago and it has been such a help.

“They explained the personal health budget to us and that has meant we’ve been able to access so much extra help. We have been able to have day sits and night visits which have really helped and the people who come can’t do enough for Dad. We’ve seen a real improvement in Dad’s mental health through getting this support.

“The last few months have been really difficult as Dad had to go into hospital twice and both times we said goodbye to him – but both times he’s come back to us.

“The first time he was having real breathing problems and the second time he had fallen and had to have a hip operation. With COVID-19 we were really worried about him going into hospital but he’s managed well both times.”

And the icing on the cake was the special visit from The Falconry Centre. Prior to the most recent Birmingham lockdown regulations, David was joined in the garden by his family including his three children, Gemma, Andrew and Rachel, and his nine grandchildren to see the birds.

“We were all so disappointed when we realised Dad was too poorly to go on holiday,” said Gemma. “So this has been a real treat – not just for Dad but for everyone.

“I still can’t believe the hospice has been able to do all of this for Dad. He’s really enjoyed it and I can see what a difference it’s made.”

John Taylor Hospice PHB Project Lead, Jan Hipkiss, said: “It was a real privilege to help David achieve his dream of seeing, once again, the birds of prey he so dearly loves and making this wonderful day come true for him and his family.

“Through the personal health budget project we have been able to provide individual care, support and special memories for many patients and their families. This new way of delivering healthcare is ensuring it is the patient who is at the heart of their own decision-making.”

For more about John Taylor Hospice and Personal Health Budgets see www.johntaylorhospice.org.uk