WELLIES project, based in Sudbury, applied in August 2020 for a Community Grant of £2000 to support their aim of enabling their existing volunteers to develop new skills and confidence in volunteering for WELLIES and partner organisations. A 15 week project was delivered, with volunteers attending heritage workshops, creating a volunteer taskforce to support other local organisations, supporting the mental wellbeing of the WELLIES volunteers throughout the continuing Covid 19 pandemic, carry out a litter pick along the River Dove, and work with local organisations to share the new skills learnt and continue to develop community connections.

Feedback from their project:

• The volunteers have greater knowledge of wildlife habitats; respect for the weather conditions and seeing how dropped litter spoils the countryside and presents a threat to the wildlife.
• In a year when lots of organisations have lost volunteers we have held onto all of ours, bar 1. He moved onto volunteering at a local foodbank which we see as a real positive outcome. He took all the skills that he learned at WELLIES with him which made him a highly trained volunteer.
• Litter picking along the river Dove was interesting and something the volunteers said they could do with their families at other times.

• Linking With the Past
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