1. The newsletter for British Red Cross volunteers and staff
in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset & the Channel Islands
This particular issue came to the fore when 158
asylum seekers were placed in a hotel in
Bournemouth, Dorset in late September, due to an
accommodation shortage elsewhere. Many had
fled their homes facing persecution, followed by
traumatic journeys to safety.
The local authority were not even aware of their
presence for 4 days until people presented at A&E
and the needs of this group (including several
pregnant women, children and those with medical
issues) were not being met. When the Red Cross
found out via the grapevine, it responded.
Red Cross staff and volunteers quickly set to work,
providing basics such as clothes, nappies and
hygiene packs, as well as facilitating access to
doctors, midwives and health visitors. It was a real
team effort across our Refugee Service, Support in
Emergencies and local Red Cross shops to gather
the goods and support needed, as well as close
working with local partners and the community who
wanted to help.
Media relations officer Rebecca McIlhone worked
with local teams to gather the real stories and get
them to the public, in the face of some incredibly
negative reporting and even a street protest.
Blogs and press releases were published from this
and Jamie Piriou (senior services manager for
Refugee Services) was invited onto BBC Spotlight
to tell the story behind the headlines. Thanks to
this work a very positive article later appeared in
The Mirror. Certainly a good start with our new
strategy strand the ‘difference our voice makes’
and speaking up for people in crisis.
We can only help vulnerable people like this
through our donations and funding. Through
fantastic events such as the Grand Summer Fete
in Guernsey, Red Cross Week and Lulworth Castle
Country Fair to name a few, together with gifts via
wills or in memory, regular direct donations and the
vital income from our Red Cross shops and
commercial training, we can respond to crisis
whether it’s on your doorstep or appearing through
your television screens.
We thank each and every one of you who has
helped to raise or have given funds to the
society in 2014, so we can continue our vital
work in ‘refusing to ignore people in crisis’.
December2014
Doing what the British
Red Cross does best -
helping vulnerable
people in their crisis
As 2014 draws to a close we have a lot of
amazing work to look back on. From our
responses to severe winter weather across our
area at the start - including the lengthy
Emergency Response to the flooding in
Somerset, to our continued success in
developing new Independent Living services such
as in Torbay and our work responding to an
increasing cause of crisis; that of modern slavery,
human trafficking and the way in which asylum
seekers and refugees are ‘abandoned’ and at
times treated with hostility by the media.
Above: Read the full blog online at:
http://blogs.redcross.org.uk/refugeesservices
AparticularthankyoutoMarkForsythandJamiePirioufromDorsetRefugeeServicesfortheirworkon’OperationRoadhouse’andtheRedCrossSouthcommunicationsteam.

2. The slow and peaceful (I
wish!) wind down to the
close of the year, crisp
frosty days, log fires and
thoughts about the year we
are leaving and the year
about to start….. and now
back to reality!
In terms of the year just gone I really think everyone
should take a deep breath, look about them, connect
with their colleagues, whoever and wherever they are,
and say thank you for all the hard work we have done.
It’s been a tough year kick-started by the responses
to the flooding and punctuated by events that we
didn’t expect or plan for, but in true Red Cross fashion
we did what we needed to do and made sure that we
continued to deliver services no matter what we were
also dealing with. This was true across all services and
I can only say thank you to all staff and volunteers for
keeping the show on the road despite massive
obstacles and pressures.
Over the past few months we have been touring the
area with the AMT Roadshows – meeting up with
volunteers and staff to talk about the new strategy but
also the other things that weigh on people’s minds:
the education review, the mobility aids review, the new
Chief Executive and all manner of things operations,
retail and fundraising. A great opportunity to talk things
over and definitely something we will repeat next year.
So let’s pause briefly and think about the year gone by
but then stand tall and prepare to deal with whatever
2015 might have in store with us. In the meantime
have a Merry Christmas and lets all raise a glass to a
prosperous and successful New Year.
Sarah Gibson
Operations Director, CDDSCI
Are you a tweeter? Follow:
IN THIS ISSUE
Page 4
How new
projects are
protecting
vulnerable
people against
fire and getting
them ready for winter
Page 5
How village agents are embracing
the ‘everyday first aid’ offer to give
life saving skills to their isolated
communities
Page 6
As Rick Squibb
from the Red
Cross hangs up
his badge, we
look at some of
his highlights.
Page 7
An update on Safeguarding
information for the area that you can
cut out/copy and keep for reference
Page 8
Some dates for your 2015 diary, and
contact details for our new area
admin assistants.
Welcome to the Winter Edition of
your Red Cross Local Life
Page 2
ThankyoutoallvolunteersandstaffwhosuppliedimagesusedinthiseditionofCDDSCILocalLife.
Above: Santa pays an early visit to the Red
Cross Event First Aid team at the Christmas
Lights switch on in Yeovil, Somerset,
15th November 2014.
Pictured with Santa are volunteers Sadie
Berners (left) and Val Breen (right).
SGibson@redcross.org.uk T: 01823 273721

3. As we celebrate 100 years since the first Red Cross shops
opened, three great new stores in Cornwall open their doors
Page 3
The First World War saw the widespread growth of
fundraising for the Red Cross with its first charity
shops offering a variety of luxury and unusual
pieces. Known as ‘Gift Houses’, these pop-ups were
a treasure trove of items that ranged from the
exclusive to the bizarre. Donations included Egyptian
tapestries, paintings, silver and gold alongside Great
Danes, a Persian kitten and a pair of Pointers!
Nowadays Red Cross charity shops are more likely
to attract donations of clothing, shoes and bric-a-
brac but they still receive the occasional item that
raises lots of money, while others raise just a smile!
The Red Cross shop in Torrington, Devon, was
delighted to receive an original WW1 flying helmet.
Manager Diane Burt explains: “It turned up in a bag
of donated items one day and initially we were
thinking of selling it as fancy dress but, on closer
inspection, we decided it could be a genuine piece of
history so we consulted a local expert who thought it
was a genuine WW1 flying helmet. We sent
photographs of it to the RAF Museum in London and
had it verified as genuine. In the end we sold it for
£380, which was a great result for the shop.”
In the last 12 months we have opened 3 new
shops in Falmouth, Newquay and Bodmin, so we
now have 5 shops in Cornwall.
Falmouth - Situated in Market Strand in a very good
position for passing trade, Falmouth has traded very
successfully and will end the year having exceeded
expectations and with a healthy net profit. Shop
manager Angela Riccobena and Assistant Manager
Leah Russell have worked closely together to
promote the shop within the town.
Newquay - Situated at the top of
East Street in a prime position the
shop opened mid season at the end
of July therefore taking advantage of
seasonal trade. It’s not without
challenges - having traded for three
months we are having to recruit a
shop manager once again.
However the shop is still performing
above budget with the assistance of
Elaine Nightingale the assistant
manager and staff from the wider
area.
Bodmin - More recently we opened
our ‘outlet store’ in Bodmin, selling
all items at £1.99 and below (all
stock having previously been on sale in at least one
other store). Bearing this in mind, the shop took just
under £900 on the first day of trading - a very busy
day! Newly appointed manager Lorraine Houghton
and assistant manager Andrew Wotherspoon are
now working to recruit and develop a team of
volunteers to enable them to process the high
volume of stock required in an outlet store.
RFM Teresa Patton said “I would like to thank South
1 for their support in supplying stock for all new
shops; the drivers for their hard work and patience in
the storage and movement of said stock; the team
members both volunteers and staff who have
supported new shops and shop re-fits. We are also
grateful for stock that we receive from area offices in
Exeter, Taunton and Truro via our stock boxes”.
Elsewhere, prior to the opening of Bodmin, the
bookshop at Plympton, Devon underwent a re-fit
and we are about to undertake a major re-fit at our
Plymouth Cornwall Street store in order to
accommodate extra stock from an exciting new
project; watch this space for more information at a
later date!!
Right: Bodmin
opening day -
HR advisor Ann
Bennett who
supported the
recruitment
processes,
welcomes
waiting
customers
alongside the
team
Above: Volunteer Judy Rowe, who worked long hours
helping prepare all the shop openings, cuts the ribbon at
Newquay, whilst Cornwall President Rosie Jackson (left)
and VC Chair John Colverson (far right) open the doors.

4. Education & engagement co-
ordinator Deb Glennie and team
organised a series of very popular
exhibits showing aspects of the local
work by the Red Cross during WW1,
with some fascinating artefacts, old
news stories, uniforms and log books
displayed. Venues included a number
of schools and centres, and was a
major part of a ‘Living History day’
exhibition at the Somerset County
Museum in Taunton, where visitors
had the opportunity to be dressed in
uniform or treated as patients!
Karen Fear, who works in the admin
team based at Taunton, did an
additional 3 month internship working
with the education team to research,
locate archive materials and pull the
displays together, as well as taking
part in the events. Karen did a
fantastic job and explained “the
Internship was to research the
contribution made to the war effort
by the Somerset Red Cross and
complete a project on the Thankful
villages in Somerset, who do not
have War memorials. The villagers
wanted to remember their
contributions to the war effort at
home and abroad so these events
gave a focus for commemorations.”
Red Cross local
history remembered
Page 4
The British Red Cross in Devon and Somerset is working with
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service (DSFRS) to help ensure
vulnerable residents reduce the risk of a fire breaking out at home.
Since August the independent living team has been referring
people using the home from hospital services in North Devon,
Plymouth and Exeter onto the fire service for them to carry out
home safety checks. The fire service visits include making sure
homes have working smoke alarms, exit routes are clear and
residents have access to fire safety information and escape plans.
With around 80 per cent of Red Cross home from hospital service
users expected to be eligible for the fire safety checks more than
1,000 people in the two counties could benefit. Red Cross fire and
emergency support service volunteers also work with the fire
service to support people during and immediately after house fires
so the organisation knows only too well the devastating
consequences fires can have.
Sam Snelling, service manager at the Red Cross in Devon, says:
“The Red Cross has a number of independent living services
across Devon and Somerset that support vulnerable people,
including older people who live alone and people with disabilities.
By offering our service users the option of receiving a fire safety
visit, we are able to help DSFRS keep vulnerable people in our
communities safe from the risk of fire. People don’t have to accept
a visit but we have found that most are pleased to receive one. We
have been working closely with the fire service for many years to
provide practical and emotional support to those affected by house
fires so it’s great that we’re now also helping on the prevention
side. The visits don’t take long and could save lives.”
Research studies into the causes of fires have indicated that some
members of the community are much more at risk of having a fire
than others. Preventing fires and limiting the damage they cause is
a top priority for the fire and rescue service.
British Red Cross teams up with Devon
and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service to help
keep vulnerable people safe
Walmart donation helps the Red Cross build
winter and emergency resilience
In August 2014 Walmart (the parent company of ASDA) made a
donation to the British Red Cross to support work done in response
to the winter floods. After some negotiation it was agreed that the
funding should be split between Wales and CDDS as the two worst
affected areas. CDDS received £76,500 to fund 2 projects.
Project 1 sits in our Independent Living Services in Cornwall and
will support people leaving hospital and ensure that they are
prepared to cope with any weather related crisis. Aisling Allardice
has been seconded to the role of project co-ordinator. Project 2 sits
in our Support in Emergencies team and will work with the local
resilience forums to ensure that emergency services planning takes
into account the needs of vulnerable people.
Below: Karen (left) talks about our work with a
visitor to the exhibition in Aisholt Village Hall
Deb (right) gives the thumbs up after
treating Jim for a nasty head wound!

5. When CBFA co-ordinator Gavin Churchill met
village agent Trudi Morgan at a Driving Safety
Event in Corfe, Somerset, they were soon
discussing how they could start to provide first aid
education to isolated, excluded, vulnerable and
lonely individuals in her cluster of villages, where
very often ambulance response times are very
slow. Once the Everyday First Aid package was
explained it was identified the training could be
offered free through the Somerset Skills and
Learning Funding. A two hour session was
arranged at Corfe Village Hall, then due to the
success of the training, further sessions were
arranged with 2 neighbouring villages and again
at Corfe. Soon, village agents from other clusters
in Somerset were in contact to arrange sessions
in their locality.
Gavin says “The work village agents do with
vulnerable adults in rural areas is amazing, and
for us to be able to provide a first aid package to
them is of huge benefit for the individuals that are
very often isolated and miles away from
emergency services. Many of the clients the
village agents deal with are elderly and involve
either social care or mobility issues but the
sessions were tailor made, so many of the clinical
issues like heart attacks and strokes were
covered in training. Feedback indicated that
attendees enjoyed the simple learning methods.”
Lulworth Castle Country Fair raises £9,500!
Just one of many great fundraising events in 2014
OTHER
NEWS
Cornwall Volunteer
Council Request
The Cornwall Volunteer
Council has at present six
members and would like
to welcome at least
another three to six
volunteers to become
members for the next
three years starting from
January 2015.
The Council meet five to
six times a year and
members assist with
range of activities
including:
 Supporting and
communicating info
to volunteers
 Induction Workshops
 Area forums
 Talking about the Red
Cross to local
communities
 Awards presentations
If you are interested
please contact Tony Lilly
on either e-mail at
alilly@redcross.org.uk or
telephone 01872 267961.
Volunteer Council Chair
John Colverson will then
get in touch with you.
Nurses from Japan
visit Plymouth office
Nurses of the Japanese
Red Cross Toyota
College of Nursing visited
the Red Cross office in
Plymouth in September,
to learn about all of our
services as part of an
exhange trip to the
UK. They were particulary
interested in our refugee
services as they don't
currently provide this type
of support in Japan.
Page 5
Good news travels fast.. how rural village
agents are embracing everyday first aid
Lulworth Castle Country House Fair (Dorset) held
on Thursday 16 October, raised a wonderful
£9,500 in aid of the Red Cross.
Patron Sally Weld of the Lulworth Estate was
delighted with the result from this growing annual
event, which has now raised an incredible £64,000
since becoming a regular on the charity calendar
in 2005.
Next year’s fair, set for 15 October, will mark the
charity event’s 10th anniversary and organisers
are reportedly making plans for something special.
Other events included Rick Stein’s Fish lunches in Falmouth, Open Gardens
area wide and Bridgwater firework display and carnival which raised nearly
£900. Thank to everyone who gave up their time to help collect and count
money over the carnival weekend, and for your support at all the other
fundraising events throughout the year.
Trudy says:
“This year I have worked with
the Red Cross on 5 occasions
arranging First Aid sessions
where I have booked the
village hall and sorted out the
publicity. The attendance rate
has been high with about 15
parishioners attending each
session. As I work in rural and
isolated surroundings, I feel
that it is very important that
people are taught First Aid
because the Emergency
Services are so far away. The
feedback from clients has
been positive, they enjoy the
Red Cross’ fresh approach to
teaching First Aid and Gavin
instils confidence in them.
Comments such as “That was
really worthwhile “and “I now
feel equipped to deal with an
emergency” are always made
after a session. We are now
running a repeat First Aid
session in Churchinford
because we have been
requested to carry on the
training. These courses are
hugely popular and other
village agents are contacting
the Red Cross requesting
training sessions.”

6. A big thank you to Rick
Squibb as he hangs up
his Red Shoes
Mobility aids driver/technician, super marathon runner
fundraiser, volunteer Rick Squibb, is set to hang up his
Red Cross name badge for the last time at the end of
the year.
It’ll be a big loss to the Area when remarkable Rick says
goodbye after more than a decade in the society.
Following a long and very successful career with the Royal Navy, Rick decided he wanted to settle
down in one place and applied to be a driver for mobility aids in Dorset, he says: “I had to try and
convince the interview team that coming from a ‘high flying’ job in London to a job delivering commodes
around Dorset was the job for me. There was no climb down, the job of helping people in crisis is far
more rewarding and over the ten years I have been a Mobility Aids driver I have had great job
satisfaction.”
The diversity of the people he worked with also appealed to
him and he is constantly amazed by the skills and dedication
of the volunteers: “The volunteers are the back bone of
mobility aids. They have all had careers and have so much
to offer the Red Cross.”
Not satisfied by the 9-5, Rick has also put in the hours as a
Red Cross volunteer. Firstly as one of the first fire and
emergency support volunteers in Dorset at the launch of the
service in the county, then as an emergency response
volunteer helping out in floods and storms around the Area
over the years.
A keen runner, Rick put his hobby to good use and has
raised over a whopping £10,000, running more marathons
than most of us have had hot dinners, along with walking
coast to coast, car washes, red shoe walks and of course
the bucket collections.
Summing up the best moments of his time working for the
Red Cross Rick said: “Every time someone says to me
‘you are an angel’ or ‘you’ve made my day’ and other
similar greetings such as ‘you made my Mum’s holiday
special by delivering a wheelchair to the holiday park’
these are all my highlights!”
We wish Rick all the best for his retirement and thank
him for all he’s done for people in crisis.
Page 6
Right: On 9th November 2014 Rick represented
the Red Cross in the remembrance Sunday
activities in London. Pictured in front of 10
Downing St with Rick are Sophie Smith (left) and
Jenny Peck (right) who were all part of the Civilian
Services Contingent at the Cenotaph.
With thanks to Victoria
Wood-Matthews (Internal
Communications Officer)

7. Page 7
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN,
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS AT RISK
DON’T BE AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT
If you are worried about the welfare of a child, young person or adult at risk of abuse or harm,
you should share your concerns. Even if your concern turns out to be unfounded, the safest
option is always to speak out.
All volunteers and staff must follow the relevant safeguarding policy and procedures
(safeguarding children and young people, or safeguarding adults at risk).
To find these, search for safeguarding on RedRoom or ask a member of staff.
What you need to know
Report any concerns you have about an adult
at risk to your safeguarding adults officer
(SAO) and/or line manager at the earliest
opportunity and within the same working day.
If you are concerned an adult is at immediate
risk of abuse, contact your local authority’s
safeguarding adults team.
TAKING ACTION
Adults at risk Children and young people
Report any concerns you have about a child or young
person’s welfare to your safeguarding and protection
officer – children and young people (SPO) at the
earliest opportunity, and within the same working day.
If you think there is an immediate risk of harm to the
child, contact your local authority child protection
team or the police.
Area Lead:
Sam Snelling
ssnelling@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 07841 261345
Christine Abbotts
cabbotts@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 01392 353273
Karen Young
kyoung@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 01392 353293
Area Lead:
Sam Snelling
ssnelling@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 07841 261345
Jamie Piriou
jpiriou@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 07834 335203
or 01305 268871
Mark Forsyth
mforsyth@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 07783 944626
Pamela Willerton
pwillerton@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 01271 318084
or 07711 854203

8. stephenbennett@redcross.org.uk T: 01823 273727
NEXT ISSUE:
Please send us your stories!
Area Volunteer and Staff ‘Get together’
Next year we will be trying out one Area forum
to bring us all together on Saturday 25th
April—Registration 10.30am at Best Western
Hotel, Tiverton, Devon.
Further details will be announced early 2015.
West Somerset Railway ‘Musical Express’
in aid of Red Cross - 16 May 2015
Steam, music, stalls and fun on the heritage
line between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead,
Somerset. Look out for communications
soon from fundraising or in meantime please
contact Somerset President Philip Rowe MBE
for more details on 07834 518441.
British Red Cross National Assembly
Saturday 21 March 2015 - Brighton Centre
A great place to discover everything you need
to know about our fantastic work, catch up
with other staff and volunteers, and have a
brilliant day out. Along with the usual fun and
games, there will be:
 a variety of stalls
 interactive on-stage performances
 a chance to have your say on the new
strategy.
Registration is only open until 31 December
2014 so reserve your space today online at:
https://brcassembly2015.eventbrite.co.uk
by emailing nationalassembly@redcross.org.uk
or by calling 020 7877 7264.
Dates for your diary
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to
CDDSCI area Local Life in 2014.
If we don’t know about, we can’t print it - so if you
have any letters, photos, event diary dates/reports
or news you’d like to share in the next edition of
Local Life, please send any text and photos to:
Page 8
Welcome to new members of
the area admin support team
Truro, Cornwall:
Tom Hatherley
THatherley@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 01872 267950
Hours of work: Mon – Fri, 11am - 5pm
Poundbury, Dorset:
Catherine Boyd
CBoyd@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 01305 214431
Hours of work: Mon – Fri, 9am - 3pm
Exeter, Devon:
Tracey Conabeer
TConabeer@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 01392 361021
Hours of work: Mon – Wed, 9am - 5pm
Sophie Smith
SSmith@redcross.org.uk
Tel: 01392 361021
Hours of work: Wed – Fri, 9am - 5pm
Please contact your respective county
admin team regarding the following:
 Booking/setting up of meeting rooms
 Petty Cash requests
 Accident, Incident and Near Miss Reports
 Procurement Card requests
 Property Maintenance issues, including
utilities/cleaning
 Requests for, or return of Mobile phones/IT
equipment
 Stationery requests
 Raising invoices
 Whereabouts sheets
 Logging monies received (e.g. donations)
 General admin support – faxing,
photocopying, franking/post.