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Volunteer for Compaid and Make a Difference.

Help us to Make a Difference! We are in need of new volunteers to help us to deliver our services, so if you have a few spare hours a week, are good with people and want to make a difference to peoples’ lives, join us. Become a driver of one of our accessible minibuses that provide a vital lifeline to our clients, enabling them to remain independent for longer. “When I go home after a day driving, I know I have made the day a bit better for some people. You can’t buy the warm feeling that gives you.” - Volunteer C Support our clients to learn how to use IT equipment, helping them to take greater control of their lives, pursuing personal interests and accessing services that may otherwise not be available to them. “Volunteering is supposed to be all about helping others, but in my case it’s just as much about helping me. It keeps my brain active; I can learn new skills and if I can help others, it makes me feel good as well, so everyone wins.” - Volunteer J All volunteers receive relevant training and reasonable local travel expenses. Make it your New Year’s resolution for 2023 to volunteer and register your interest by sending an email to judithwilliams@compaid.org.uk or clicking here to apply: https://www.compaid.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering-for-us/

Paralympian Zak Skinner becomes Ambassador for Compaid

Compaid is delighted to announce that local athlete Zak Skinner, Paralympian and double European gold medallist, has become an ambassador for Compaid. Despite being born with a visual impairment, Zak has progressed in his athletics career to compete at National and international level. Zak competes in the T-13 category in the Long Jump and 100 metres, for athletes with a moderate visual impairment. In 2021, Zak competed in the World Para-Athletic European Championships where he won gold in both the Long Jump and 100 metres, followed later that year where he competed in the Tokyo Paralympics where he finished 4th in the Long Jump and 8th in the 100m. Compaid have been supporting Zak over the last two years by funding a Leg Recovery Kit to help in his gruelling training regime on his road to the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Zak’s recent visit to our digital skills training centre was an inspiration for the vulnerable, disabled and elderly clients who met him, and together we hope to change attitudes to disability, and show that anyone can achieve their goals with the right environment and support to overcome any barriers. Zak says: “I am really pleased to become an Ambassador for Compaid, the charity carries out such important work enabling disadvantaged people to access everyday tasks that other people take for granted. "As someone who has understands the challenges of this only too well, it was an easy decision for me to want to link with your organisation, especially as it is also local to where I have grown up and began my athletics career. I have worked hard over the last five years and been rewarded with some success to date, but I have bigger dreams and am going to work even harder to achieve my goals at the Paralympics 2024. “It was an absolute pleasure to meet so many of the people attending the centre in Paddock Wood in June, you made me feel so welcome, and I’m looking forward to meeting more of you in the future.” We look forward to supporting Zak as he strives for selection for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. We are proud to welcome him as an ambassador for our organisation.

Compaid's Training Centre Clients Take a Trip to Hever Castle

A long awaited visit to Hever Castle & Gardens took place this week thanks to Paula Stack, Ladies Captain of Hever Castle Golf Club, who chose Compaid as her charity of the year and initiated the visit. Alongside volunteers from Cripps, Pemberton Greenish Accountants Ltd, Compaid assisted many of our clients to a venture through the historic castle and across the expansive gardens surrounding the Castle. Our clients had a marvellous time exploring the historic castle and stunning gardens, taking in the wondrous Hever Lake and enjoying lunch by the Moat Café as the sun finally came out. From the Hedge Maze and Military Museum supplanted across the undulating and rolling plains of the castle’s gardens, to the tranquil Hever Lake stretching out beside the Japanese Tea House, to the remarkable 13th century castle itself that was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I, Hever Castle had no shortage of intrigue and prestige that our staff, clients and volunteers were able to enjoy together. It was refreshing to witness the smiles and enthusiastic curiosity of our clients as they made their way around, taking photos at every possible opportunity. By the end of the day, though tired and their excitement lingering, they bid the castle farewell and began their journeys home with much to talk about. For many of our disabled clients, the chance to get out of their homes and spend an afternoon in such an enchanting location was rare, so with a team of dedicated volunteers focused on providing assistance to ensure everyone was safe and able to get around at their own pace, enjoying the day, they were able to fully take in all the beauty that Hever Castle had to offer without worry. Fundraising manager Diane Bradley said, “We were extremely grateful for the this rare opportunity to give our disabled clients such an enjoyable day at Hever Castle, I would like to extend my thanks especially to the fantastic volunteers from Cripps, Pemberton Greenish Accountants Ltd and Paula Stack who made this memorable trip possible for our elderly and vulnerable clients”. Once again, we want to thank the staff at Hever Castle, and everyone who made this memorable trip possible for the vulnerable people we support. We hope to have more trips as splendid as this in future.

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