Posted: Fri 4th Jun 2021

Wrexham mental health charity pays tribute to the work of its volunteers during the pandemic

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Friday, Jun 4th, 2021

A Wrexham mental health charity has paid tribute to its many volunteers whose contributions have made a real difference to the lives of local people over the past year.

As part of Volunteers’ Week 2021, which takes places between June 1-7, Advance Brighter Futures (ABF) has highlighted the contributions of its volunteers during the pandemic.

Lorrisa Roberts, ABF Chief Officer, said: “We have so many special volunteers who continue to be important to the charity and we want to say a huge thanks to all of them, as over the past 12 months we’ve needed them probably more than ever.

“It’s been a real team effort to work our way through the pandemic, and the contribution of our volunteers has been invaluable.

“Our volunteers are amazing – they help us in many, many different ways, and simply we couldn’t do what we do without them.”

Volunteers at ABF give their time to the charity in a variety of ways, such as taking part in delivering projects, running various groups, and helping out with different courses, including decoupage – the art of decorating surfaces by applying paper cutouts and coating with usually several layers of finish (such as lacquer or varnish) to simulate painting on a wood, metal, or glass surface.

ABF volunteer Elaine Hughes has been making decoupage pots and bottles to raise money for the charity over the past twelve months. Her labour of love has resulted in many households across Wrexham now displaying these lovely works of art.

Elaine makes them to raise funds in memory of her daughter Emma who had previously accessed ABF’s services. So far, Elaine has managed to raise £700 for Advance Brighter Futures in memory of Emma, helping the charity to continue its important work across Wrexham.

All the pots come with little cards that say ‘Made with Love for Advance Brighter Futures’ and they can be purchased in retail outlets in Llangollen and Caergwrle.

Lorrisa added: “Elaine is the perfect example to show the different ways that volunteers can contribute to a charity through their skills.

“I think it’s fair to say that most people won’t have heard of decoupage before, but Elaine’s artwork is wonderful and has raised valuable funds for us.

“Everyone who has volunteered for us, in whatever form, has added to what we do, and we really can’t thank them enough.”

Advance Brighter Futures is currently on the lookout for new volunteers to support a number of its services.

The charity is looking for volunteers to assist with its PRAMS (Parental Resilience And Mutual Support) project, and volunteers to work on its HALO (Help And Listening Online) project.

There’s also a need for more volunteer fundraisers, so if you think you can contribute in this area ABF would love to hear from you.

ABF also needs volunteers to help out with some of the courses it runs, requiring volunteers to assist with the delivery, as well as needing volunteers to support people who attend the courses.

Any students who are looking for counselling placements are encouraged to get in touch too.

Plus, there are opportunities to volunteer on ABF’s art and walking groups that run weekly.

If you can offer your time and skills on the above, or you would like to find out more about these opportunities, please email [email protected] or call 01978 364777.



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