Lunch Positive hold planning day for volunteers

Lunch Positive volunteers met in February to start planning delivery of the HIV lunch club over the next 18 months.

Starting with a group reflection of 2017 to learn from and build upon experiences, the team expressed deep appreciation to all their supporters and members, before moving on to key priorities for the year ahead.

These included continuing to reach more people, developing best practice, new activities as part of the lunch club, and the early stages of a new project to establish a Community Café. The Community Café would be a new community resource, and not replace the successful lunch club which will continue to run as usual every Friday.

Feedback from volunteers included how rewarding it has been to ensure the lunch club runs without interruption throughout the year, the moving and appreciative comments heard from people who come along for lunch, and how rewarding volunteering has been.

A key decision from the volunteer team was to work together to develop the volunteering programme to reach and involve more people, and to develop knowledge, team-working, roles, and the successes of volunteering.

Colin, a new volunteer at Lunch Positive, said: “I am at last in a role where I am proud to be”, and Phil added: “it was a brilliant and informative meeting, and great to have so much participation. It will be a great year”

Gary Pargeter, Service Manager, said: “The enthusiasm and fundamental involvement of volunteers in everything we do is one of the real joys of being part of Lunch Positive. Our organisation and service is built upon respect for and the involvement of everyone, and a deep-rooted belief in empowerment. We are consistently seeing new people come to Lunch Positive, and it’s so rewarding to know that the lunch club fulfils a need, is so well liked and supported. With such continued support from our members, volunteers, and friends from the wider community we’re really looking forward to 2018!”