Healthy appetite for Poems, Pies and Pals
Those who attended Poems, Pies and Pals at the Dudson Centre recently have praised the “sense of community” they experienced.
The event was sparked by a call from the Ageing Well Partnership for community events to help tackle loneliness and isolation in Stoke-on-Trent.
After discussing ideas, this collaborative event featured micro-volunteering, a delicious hot meal, and a performance by Stoke-on-Trent Centenary Poet Laureate Nick Degg – all supported by the Community Foundation for Staffordshire and Shropshire and Beth Johnson Foundation.
More than 30 people came along and joined in with the micro-volunteering activity – wrapping more than 100 Christmas gifts for older people living in the local community which are being distributed through our Welcoming Spaces network.
Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive and even inspiring some to share their own poetry.
“We usually live in very insular circles, so it’s great to be part of something different”,
“helping in this way makes me feel like I am giving something back”,
“people were very welcoming, chatty, the space was warm and social”,
“there was inclusion and happy, smiling faces and people working together”,
“loved every minute”.
Natalie Hawkins, Support and Volunteering Projects Manager at VAST, said: “We were delighted with how the event ran and it was a great introduction to micro-volunteering and what can be achieved when everybody pulls together.”
“We think this paves the way for similar events in future as there is clearly an appetite for events where people are empowered to share something of themselves with others.”
To find out more about volunteering in Stoke-on-Trent, get in touch on 01782 683030 or email volunteering@vast.org.uk.
