In the photo:
Paula Woolven receiving a certificate for 25 completed journeys as a volunteer community driver.
What did your volunteer do?
Paula founded the Havens Community Hub in 2018, working from her garage in Telscombe Cliffs to establish the needs of the coastal community between Saltdean and Seaford (The Havens) and to ‘find a way – or make a way’ of meeting those needs by establishing projects run by volunteers, including herself.
Moving to an office in Denton in 2020, supported by a peppercorn rent by owners Charlene and Graham Longhurst, the team found themselves in the midst of an unexpected pandemic with their resources suddenly stretched tenfold or more.
How did your volunteer make a difference?
As well as running the organisation by fundraising and taking care of the governance, Paula volunteers for every part of her organisation on a weekly basis.
As a driver for Havens Community Cars, she has now completed over 50 journeys taking residents unable to access public transport for their vaccinations, medical appointments and surgeries.
As a volunteer for the Havens Food Cooperative she helps redistribute nearly one ton of surplus, edible, produce back into the community every week and she has also been known to sing and perform for the members of the Havens Happy Clubs for older people.
