The newsletter for British Red Cross volunteers and staff

in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset & the Channel Islands

Then and now - 100 years since the start of World War One

A lot has changed between 1914 and 2014, but our dedication to helping those in crisis, remains at the heart of our work across the Area.

We have so much to achieve today in 2014, that it’s easy to forget those in the Red Cross who gave their time and commitment in the past, such as volunteers who during World War 1, provided care for sick and wounded servicemen at the many vital auxiliary hospitals including Torquay in Devon (pictured above). You’ll probably have seen on the Red Cross website that there have been special pages set up with stories, facts and blogs about the wide range of work our volunteers carried out during the war, and

inside this edition of Local Life we have included some snippets from around our own Area.

Recently we were kindly donated a certificate of recognition awarded to

Mrs Edith Thomas by the British Red Cross and Order of Saint John, for her services between 1914 and 1919. This will be sent to the archives at UKO to be looked after. There are no doubt many stories to be told behind this small frame, and whilst we move forward with our priorities today, it’s good to remember and acknowledge the dedication of those before us. Alongside this, we have a round up of news from across the Area and services which we hope you’ll enjoy catching up on.

June 2

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Above: A post card showing the ‘Red Cross Hospital’ set up as a temporary hospital 1914-1919 at Torquay Town Hall. Left: As it is today.

Devon After Britain’s entrance to the First World War in August, 1914, the Devonshire County Director received instructions from the General Officer at Commanding (G.O.C.) Wessex Division to prepare voluntary aid hospitals in Exeter, Torquay and other places.

The auxiliary hospitals needed to be large in size, so that they could accommodate a number of sick and wounded soldiers from the continent. The main aims of the county branch were to secure sites for auxiliary hospitals, raise funds and to arrange working parties in order to enable the creation and organisation of garments and hospital articles.

Cornwall Originally there were 22 women’s and four men’s British Red Cross and Order of St John Voluntary Aid Detachments. Early activity included a field day in 1912, which was held at the Territorial Camp at Newquay. One men’s Detachment and thirteen women’s Detachments took part and were inspected.

As a result it was suggested that men should be trained as stretcher bearers and preparing means of transport. Conversely, women’s Detachments should be trained in forming rest stations and preparing meals and refreshments for the sick and wounded, as well as the care of patients in auxiliary hospitals.

Welcome to the Summer edition of Local Life – and if we’re really lucky the weather might take notice and start to offer some improvement…

As ever this is a busy time of the year as EFA events start to increase, Red Cross Week has us all eating cakes and rattling tins and we’re counting down to Refugee Week activities – not to mention the introduction of our new computer based HR system, SAVI.

I know this hasn’t been without its problems and I can only say thank you for your patience, hard work and dedication in getting to grips with the new system and coping with the gremlins.

I know colleagues in UKO and the Shared Service Centre are working really hard to try and sort everything out so I’m hoping by the time I write this next time all will be well – in the meantime hang on tight to your sense of humour!

Sarah Gibson

Operations Director, CDDSCI

IN THIS ISSUE Page 4 New FESS vehicle arrives in Jersey,

following 2 years of fundraising.

Page 6 How our International Family Tracing Team

in Exeter led to Bozenka Pearson finding

her lost relatives in Poland.

Page 7 Other stories

from around the

counties -

including Red

Cross week, new

Cornwall shops

and what our

Diversity Group

is all about.

Welcome to the Summer Edition of your Red Cross Local Life

Did you know? Author Agatha Christie nursed

soldiers at the Red Cross hospital

based at Torquay Town Hall in Devon

from 1914 to 1918. She liked the

role, calling it: “one of the most

rewarding professions that anyone

can follow”.

Torquay Town Hall provided 50 beds

opening in August 1914 and didn’t

close until 1919. It was also visitied

by King George V and Queen Mary in

September 1915.

Page 2

Red Cross educating on WW1 at schools

To mark the centenary of the commencement of the conflict, Debbie Glennie (Education & Engagement Co-ordinator for Somerset) is reaching out into schools to talk about the role of the Red Cross during World War One.

Bishops Hull Primary School in Taunton was the first to invite Debbie to their assembly, the finale of a 2 day event where the whole school received either a humanitarian education session or an everyday first aid session. Both sessions were very well engaged and the school has fed back how much the children learned and enjoyed it, and were fascinated by her talk and uniform!

Debbie said: “The roles of the Voluntary Aid Detachments were vital to the administration of care and support to the wounded, on all sides of the conflict. The centenary is an excellent opportunity to emphasis our neutrality, as there were Red Cross Societies on all sides of the conflict and the emblem was used on personnel and equipment to offer protection. The voluntary aspect of the VADs is another of the fundamental principles that can be covered, as well as their humanitarian actions. The project is a great opportunity to get young people discussing our fundamental principles.”

Minehead Red Cross volunteer Elizabeth Mccaffrey, is researching her family tree and history, and recently came across relative connections with Countess Helen (Ilona) von Rosty (born Countess Forgach).

She was one of the Austro-Hungarian delegates and lobbied to be included in the delegation because her son was a POW officer in the camp of Krasnoyarsk. She was then added as a representative of the Hungarian Red Cross and by extension of the Hungarian half of the monarchy.

She worked with Countess Anna Revertera who headed the

Krasnoyarsk U.K delegation and Kathe von Mihalotzy who was an experienced nurse.

The so called ‘Aristocratic nurses’ were deployed to access the prisoners in the POW camp and raise money for food, clothing and medications.

They were with many others who were known as the ‘Siberian Angels’ providing moral and material support for the POWs.

World War One - tracing and remembering our history

Page 3

Above: Debbie Glennie speaking to pupils at Bishops Hull Primary School

Dorset

Male Detachments used a variety of means to convey sick and wounded soldiers to the nearest military or auxiliary hospitals from the ambulance trains. Hand-carried stretchers and horse drawn carts were used to transport reclined patients.

Additionally, a number of private cars were lent to the Society to transport patients that could sit upright. The service provided by male Detachments would not have been possible if it was not for the Motor Volunteer Corp group. Additional assistance was received from the local Commercial School and Boys’ Brigade.

Jersey

Four British Red Cross detachments in Jersey were registered with the War Office during World War I. The first was Jersey/2, registered on 19 September 1914. All of these would have been women’s detachments, as it was the convention to give women’s detachments the even numbers and use odd numbers for the men’s detachments. Sixteen Red Cross working parties were established in Jersey who made clothing and hospital supplies for the auxiliary hospitals.

Somerset

The Somerset branch undertook several fundraising activities in order to provide humanitarian aid.

The area received sums from the local residents after events such as British Farmers’ Red Cross Sale which gained £279 7s 9d or annual events such as Alexandra Day – held in June – which added £640 14s 8d to the Central Appeal Fund.

The most successful form of fundraising in the Somerset area was the British Red Cross’ ‘Our Day’ campaign that ran nationwide.

New FESS Vehicle arrives in Jersey

Following 2 years of collections and fundraising events, the Red Cross operations in Jersey have finally taken delivery of their first ever Emergency Response vehicle, to provide islanders with support in the event of a crisis like fire or flood.

The £50,000 needed to buy the vehicle was raised in part by a sponsored European cycling challenge (as reported in Local Life June 2013). A team of six cyclists went on a 1,400 mile round trip from

Jersey to Bad Wurzach, where islanders were deported during the second World War, in recognition of the International Red Cross efforts in delivering parcels and letters for the internees during the 1940’s.

Members of the St Helier - Bad Wurzach twinning society attended a Liberation commemorative service, during which staff thanked the German visitors for a 1,000 Euro donation from the town’s people towards the FESS vehicle.

Nick Chandler (Channel Islands Operations Manager) who also cycled in last year’s ‘Liberation Challenge’, said:

“There is a bigger demand for this than people can imagine. Jersey has a transient population and a lot of people don’t have family to whom they can turn to in the event of an emergency. The parishes do a fantastic job but we want to be part of the emergency plans so we can offer assistance to people”.

Page 4

Picture: The vehicle fresh off the boat as Nick Chandler proudly takes delivery at the docks.

Ten Tors Success! Congratulations to all volunteers and staff, the feedback says it all...

"I was really impressed by the

investment in the planning and

preparation of the event, including

the time prior to go live to ensure

that all that was needed was in

place. It clearly paid off!" Adi Robinson, Senior People &

Learning Manager (Staffordshire,

Warwickshire & West Midlands)

"Well done for all your hard work.

I think we did a cracking job and I

feel assured that we are providing

the best we can to support the

Ten Tors competitors. Yet again

an utter privilege to be working

with the British Red Cross." Major Nigel Taylor,

Ten Tors Medical Director

Emotional Support - have you completed your CALMER Training? Supporting people in crisis is what we at the British Red Cross do best. Not only by providing practical support and signposting, but also by giving beneficiaries the crucial emotional support they need at the time of their crisis.

Emotional support, also known as ‘psychosocial support’, is what sets us as an organisation apart from other agencies. By providing this support, we are showing the beneficiary that we really do care about them and their feelings, and allows us to develop a trusting relationship that ultimately assists their future resilience and recovery.

Dr Sarah Davidson, creator of the CALMER framework and psychosocial advisor to the British Red Cross, notes: “Research suggests that psychosocial support is key in supporting the

recovery of those in crisis”.

As well as helping people to cope, psychosocial support promotes trust and can reduce anxiety and pain.”

Staff and volunteers at the British Red Cross are supporting those in a crisis everyday, and in order to deliver the best care possible, we offer a 2 day course to provide you with the skills to do this. In this course participants become initiated in CALMER - the British Red Cross psychosocial support framework.

The course explains how to consider, acknowledge, listen, manage, enable and use resources in response to incidents. It helps us to understand the impact of crisis on those the British Red Cross supports, and also the impact of this work on Red Cross personnel.

It also provides skills and understanding to provide emotional support to service users affected by a crisis, as well as minimise your own stress and that of your colleagues resulting from our work with those in crisis.

CALMER isn’t just useful for you in a professional context; it can also be used in your personal life, to

provide support and help for your friends, family and loved ones. Research shows us that Britain’s value a listening ear the most when it comes to emotional support.

CALMER is a core part of training for the following roles: CBFA Trainer, Support at Home, Emergency Response, FESS, IFT, Refugee Support and Hand, Arm & Shoulder Massage. So if you are one of the 200 volunteers that has not yet completed the CALMER training, then please book yourself onto an upcoming course by contacting your line manager or the People & Learning team by email:

TrainingSW@redcross.org.uk

or call on 01392 353290.

Up and coming dates for CALMER courses are:

28-29 June (2 days) BRC Exeter

28 June (1 day) BRC Dorchester

13 Sep (1 day) BRC Bridgwater

13 Oct (1 day) BRC Taunton

Update from People and Learning

People Survey Discussions

Last November you had the opportunity to take part in the British Red Cross People Survey. The results of the survey were published in February and are available to download from RedRoom. To follow up on the survey results, we have been inviting volunteers and staff to attend ‘People Survey Discussions’ to discuss the results of the survey. The events are called ‘Leading & communicating well’ and are happening during June and July at a variety of locations.

If you are one of the staff or volunteers that did not believe that action would be taken as a result of the survey, then this is an opportunity to be proactive in the process and give us your ideas, suggestions and opinions as to how the organisation can take steps to improve on those aspects that you identified as needing development. The primary aspects for discussion relate to leadership and how we can better communicate, and we will be using a process called ‘appreciative enquiry’ to explore in a positive way how these issues can be improved. If you would like more information on these events, then please contact Mark Howells, on 01392 353282.

Page 5

New volunteer role descriptions and training requirements

You may be aware that the British Red Cross has been

reviewing and making changes to volunteer role

descriptions over the last 18 months. For some

volunteer roles, this includes changes to the training

required, and in some cases additional competencies

have been added which may mean that you need to

complete further training as part of your role(s). If you

have not yet received a copy of your new role

description please contact your line manager who will

also be able to advise you if you need to complete

further training.

You may also be contacted directly by the People &

Learning team to advise you of any further training you

are required to complete along with details of when and

where training is available. We will make every effort to

recognise any prior experience or learning you may

have, so please let us know if you have completed a

similar training course in the past. If you have any

questions please contact your line manager or the

People & Learning team by emailing:

TrainingSW@redcross.org.uk or call 01392 353290.

A nice ‘postbag’ letter from a

happy Mobility Aids customer,

appeared in the Somerset

Gazette’s 8th May edition, which

has a circulation of approx. 23,000

per issue.

All credit to the MA team, with Nick

Greenhalgh at the co-ordinator

helm since March 2014.

Apology - Roger Wilcox’s cover image in the Spring 2014 Edition of Local Life

Mobility Aids in Taunton praised in local press

Apologies to Roger Wilcox who’s

fantastic photo taken during the

Somerset Flooding we used on the

cover of our Winter Storms special,

but miss-credited.

Thanks for letting us know Roger,

and well done again for your

brilliant action shots.

International Family Tracing How the Red Cross united Bozenka

Pearson with an extended family she had

never known - her story, in her own words..

Five years ago I approached the local Exeter Red Cross office to help me trace my older half sister. Before the second world war my lawyer father lived in Poland with his wife and baby daughter. In 1939 the Russians invaded and my father was arrested and sent to a Russian prison. He never saw his family again.

After his release from the Russians he joined the Polish Second Corps Army in 1942 and eventually settled in England and married my mother. He made repeated efforts to trace his first wife and daughter but they had disappeared.

After my parents death, I requested my father's army records from the MOD and there I found my half sister's name and date of birth. With these I went to the Red Cross.

This January I received an email from "Exeter telling our stories" website. My niece was trying to contact me. Her mother had been contacted by the Red Cross but was too nervous to answer, so my niece, having my name, looked me up on the net.

Since then we have spoken on the phone and done "Face Time" and hopefully we will meet up in person soon.

I think that all the family is still in shock - they knew nothing about what happened to my father after his arrest in 1939/40. I on the other hand, knew that I might have a sister out there somewhere, but it's still quite a surprise finding her and an extended family.

Poland's borders were forever changing during and after the war and the family moved several times during the war years. The saddest thing was that Danuta's mother never remarried after my father's disappearance and they had a very hard life under the communist government in Poland.

I would like to thank the Red Cross for their help as without it my niece would not have been able to find me!

Bozenka Pearson

Page 6

Left: Bozenka’s ‘lost’ sister Danuta, pictured with her two grandsons Lukacz (aged 19) and Alek (aged 7). Just one of many pictures they've since been able to share.

With thanks to Linda Hurley, International Family Tracing Co-ordinator

The Area pulled together once more for Red Cross week 4-10 May, with volunteers and staff carrying out store bucket collections and a wide range of events to raise funds.

Taunton office was no exception, with Somerset Community Fundraiser - Hannah Darley, challenging the staff to an inter-office fundraising competition in teams.

This resulted in diverse fundraising ideas, including an office ‘Guess the babies’ photo competition, a 12 mile ‘Red Shoe Walk’ from Bridgwater to Taunton, a Matalan foyer take over, Family Tree research and even a ‘Guess the Fib’ game from Gavin Churchill - did you know he’s met Mariah Carey?! Some events and final counting are ongoing at time of press.

Well done to all fundraisers, volunteers and staff who did their bit for 2014 Red Cross week.

My name is Mia Dawson and I’m the Diversity representative for volunteers and staff in Devon and

Cornwall.

The Red Cross says it seeks to ensure that our organisation and our services are relevant and accessible to all.

The Diversity Group are volunteers and staff from across the UK in a range of roles, who, with the support of the national diversity advisor, are tasked with strengthening and championing best practice and diversity initiatives.

You can contribute..

Help us to learn from what is going well and what needs to be done better by telling us of your experiences and observations, good or bad. This will help us to present an accurate picture to senior decision makers and influence the development of processes, training and activity to

ensure that each and every person can give their best.

Watch out over the next few months for:

Feedback from the national assembly and the People Survey

‘Positive about Disabled People’ – digital accessibility, property accessibility audit, guidance, awareness raising campaign

Equality and Diversity Training: What is needed and how we can provide it.

Find out more..

Search RedRoom for ‘Diversity’ or

email diversity@redcross.org.uk

If you’d like more details or want to seek advice in confidence, contact:

Karen Sheldon, Diversity Advisor at ksheldon@redcross.org.uk or phone 020 7877 7244 or, Mia Dawson, Diversity representative for Devon and Cornwall at MDawson@redcross.org.uk or phone 07870401982.

Who’s the baby! Volunteers and staff take on the

fundraising challenge in aid of Red Cross Week

OTHER NEWS

Retail

New shops

opening 2014

South 1 are to open two new shops in Cornwall in 2014. There will be a general shop in Newquay and a 'Clearance' shop in Bodmin. If all goes to plan, Newquay will be opened in time to take advantage of the summer trade, whilst Bodmin will be opened in quarter 4.

South 1 also has a small rent free, temporary shop opening in Camborne as a book clearance store, so we’ll have gone from having one Cornwall shop in 2012, to 5 by the end of 2014. There is also the possibility of another rent free opportunity in Tiverton, Devon.

Legacies

Help the future of the

Red Cross

Over the years, our generous supporters have left the British Red Cross a wide range of items - everything from cash to a Stradivarius violin, from property to John Wayne memorabilia! It is all needed and it makes a big difference. Did you know…

Around £1 in every £4 of our donated income comes from gifts in wills.

Our legacy income last year reached £22million.

If you have any queries about gifts in wills or want more information about legacies, please contact Paul Morgan on 01823 273710 or via: pmorgan@redcross.org.uk

Page 7

British Red Cross Diversity Group - What’s it all about?

Above: Rob Porter from the Independent Living Team cake selling at Taunton office.

stephenbennett@redcross.org.uk

NEXT ISSUE: The new corporate strategy - what does it mean for us?

Devon & Cornwall Joint Forum

Saturday 12th July 2014 The Woolwell Centre, Darklake Lane

Woolwell, Plymouth. PL6 7TR From 12:00 - 16:00. Registration for the event will begin at 11.30. Contact Jo Pendray T: 01392 353294

Grand Summer Fete - Guernsey

Saturday 19th July 2014 Government House, St Peter Port, Guernsey From 14:00 - 17:00. In aid of British Red Cross Bailiwick of Guernsey, by kind permission of Air Marshal & Mrs Peter Walker. WW1 Commemoration including raffle, craft stalls, music and much more. Contact Jane Moorshead T: 01481 721196

Dorset Forum - heads up!

Saturday 6th December 2014

Poundbury - full details to be confirmed.

Dates for your diary

Ian Fraser-Roe has just joined the Area this June as Senior Services Manager for the Support In Emergencies team. Ian replaces Joanna Tennant and will be based in Exeter office.

Deborah Fisher started beginning of January as Senior Services Manager for Independent Living (Health & Social Care) based in Exeter office, replacing John Towers.

Stephen Bennett-Troake joined the Area in January as Assistant to Sarah Gibson (Operations Director), based in the Taunton office.

Updated staffing structure charts / organograms for the Area are now available on the RedRoom CDDSCI page.

New starters in the Area Management Team

Landrover funds ‘Home from Hospital’ service for 5 years With their aim of supporting rural communities, Landrover are funding the Red Cross ‘Home from Hospital’ service for the next 5 years, around the Exeter area in Devon.

The service provides short term support to help people remain independent at home.

Volunteers assist people with non-personal care such as getting shopping, collecting prescriptions and taking part in community activities - with the aim of promoting their independence and resilience once home from a hospital stay. A vital part of the support is befriending, providing a ‘listening ear’ and signposting to other support if needed.

Our next issue of Local Life will be in October

2014 for Autumn. By this time the new British Red

Cross Corporate Strategy will be out, and we’ll be

highlighting key aims and priorities for our Area.

If you have anything else you’d like to share in the

next edition of Local Life, the deadline for articles

for inclusion is Monday 22nd September. Please

send any stories and photos to:

Page 8

Obituary

Ray Ware

After a period of illness Guernsey volunteer Ray Ware sadly passed away on 1st May.

Over the years Ray and his wife Maureen have given many hours as Red Cross volunteers. Ray was in the London Police force then they later returned to Guernsey.

More recently they both looked after the Red Cross cottage - this included taking all the bookings, shopping and meeting guests. Ray was on the Guernsey Committee until 3 years ago and Maureen runs the Link Group every Monday.

Ray will be sadly missed and our sympathies go to Maureen and all those that knew and worked with Ray.