CWUHA Spring 2012 Convoy

We are now seeking volunteers for the CWUHA Spring 2012 Convoy to Lithuania working with ‘Save The Children’.

• The day of departure is Friday May 11^th returning Saturday to 26th May?
• The convoy will consist of 5 vehicles.
• You will be away for just over 2 weeks.
• Each vehicle has two drivers so we are looking for duos
• All applications must be accompanied with volunteer forms and a business plan
• Closing date for applications is: 27^th January 2012

If selected you will be provided with a vehicle, fuel card and insurances (not aid), it will be your responsibility to raise the funds and aid for your vehicle. If you work for BT or RM you will get paid release for the duration of the convoy, but be WARNED you will have to do a lot of work in your own time i.e. fundraising, collecting/buying aid, packing the aid into boxes, completing a manifest, loading your vehicle, picking up and returning your vehicle from a depot anywhere in the UK .

It’s hard but very rewarding work, and your reward is to see the smiling faces of the children you are helping.

If you are interested then please read below how we select our drivers and what is expected from you and if still interested, then send me an email by no later than the 27^th January 2012 along with the attached volunteer form.

Download Volunteer form

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

It is important that we explain the selection process and what is expected of you if you are selected to travel on the convoy.

The selection of all convoy participants is at the absolute discretion of the trustees. They will consider all applicants using the following criteria:

Business Plan: You will be required to submit a business plan that will show how you will raise the aid for your vehicle and funds to finance your ferry and your subsistence. The ferry is approx £550 and subsistence is £500 per driver.

Volunteer Form: All drivers are required to complete a volunteer form.

Health: All applicants need to be of reasonably good health. If you are selected, you will be required to complete a medical questionnaire highlighting any medical complaints, your blood group and any medication you are taking.

Police Check: It is compulsory for all Convoy Drivers to obtain from their local Police Constabulary a Police Check (Subject Access Report). We are not looking to see if you have been convicted for drunken behaviour etc, but it is vital that we ensure that all our volunteers do not have any prosecutions or cautions concerning children. Any individual who does not produce this document will not be able to travel on the convoy.

Driving: All applicants must have a full driving licence and be able to drive a 7.5 ton vehicle. If you passed your driving test prior to 1^st January 1997 you have grandfather/mother rights and can lawfully drive a 7.5 ton vehicle. If you passed you test after this date you will have to take a further driving test which you will have to fund. This can take a few months so it is most likely that you will have to apply for another convoy. All successful applicants who have no experience in driving 7.5 ton vehicles will be required to undergo training and assessment, such as Royal Mail change-over training, to ensure that they can drive large vehicles competently.

CWUHA Standards & Rules: CWUHA operates a set of Rules that covers behaviour whilst on convoy a copy of which, all drivers will have to sign.  These rules are there to ensure the smooth running of a convoy and the safety of the participants. Unacceptable behaviour can include:

Ø       Bullying

Ø       Harassment

Ø       Insubordination

Ø       Use of Violence

Ø       Use of Drugs

Ø       Excessive alcohol consumption

The trustees will select drivers who they believe will be ambassadors for the charity and their sponsors and can treat their fellow drivers with dignity & respect.

If an applicant has travelled on a convoy previously, the trustees will take in to account their track record in responding to requests for information from the convoy organisers, raising aid/funds and their behaviour.

It is important that the trustees’ select individuals that wish to be involved in CWUHA for the right reason i.e. to help needy children and not just to have a few weeks off work for what they may consider a holiday – it isn’t.

What if I am Selected?

Wish List: If you are selected you will be given an individual wish lists to work to, it is imperative that you stick to this list.

Drivers Meeting: Their will be a mandatory drivers meeting early in the New Year to brief all drivers on all aspects of the convoy and to give you the opportunity to ask questions face to face with the organisers.

Progress Reports: You will be required to submit a Progress Report on a regular basis showing how you are progressing in raising the items on you list. If these reports are not forthcoming or found to be incorrect, either you, your driving partner or both will be removed from the convoy. Any aid/funds raised will become the property of the Charity as it was collected in the charities name.

Yours sincerely

Carl Webb

CWUHA National Secretary

MATALAN - YES WE CAN!!

In 2008 Matalan in Rochdale gave Carl Webb and Ted Stead 10% discount on goods they bought for the 2008 convoy to Bulgaria. Well this year they went one better and gave us a whooping 20% discount - on all clothes and bedding we bought for our return trip to Bulgaria.

Carl said “ they even opened up early just for us at 7am to let us start picking clothes etc on to trolleys and rails, whilst they took them away and tilled them up. This discount saved the charity nearly £1,000.00”.

The lads were still loading the vehicle at 2pm, Ted added “we would probably have been finished by 12 if Carl had not been permanently on the phone, but seriously we can’t thank the manager Ben Waddicar and the staff enough, they were marvellous, even supplying us with the boxes and helping us pack them”.

Apart from the clothes, toys, bedding, nappies and sanitary towels, Carl and Ted have bought 8 tables and 60 chairs for the dining area, 6 cots with bedding and a 3 seater leather couch.  These will be delivered direct in a couple of weeks to the orphanage in Stara Zagora.

We are once again working with One Life Charity (http://onelifecharity.org) and Lora’s Foundation (http://lorafoundation.co.za/) who will facilitate the convoy once in-country. Both these organisations have the same passion, drive and determination as CWUHA to alleviate the suffering of children.

After a very successful convoy to Bulgaria early this year the trustees have decided to return to Bulgaria to continue our work in this country. Working with our in-country partners we have identified more hospitals, schools, orphanages and homes for children with mental and physical disabilities in desperate need of our help.

The directors and staff in these homes work tirelessly to give the children the love, care and attention they deserve but with limited resources they face an up-hill struggle.

In 2008/09 through our efforts and that of our partners we were able to raise the profile via Bulgarian national TV and radio. The plight of the ‘Forgotten Children of Bulgaria’ TV crews followed convoy drivers to the centres they were delivering aid to. This meant many Bulgarians were seeing for the first-time on TV the harrowing images of life in Bulgarian orphanages/institutions. This resulted in pressure being applied on the government to begin closing the bigger institutions. Though this is very positive it will take many years for these institutions to be closed down as with all governments, pressure needs to be continually applied. In the meantime the plight of these children can’t be ignored.

This September we will be delivering to two homes that care for nearly 200 children with physical and mental disabilities, two homes that care for over 100 3-7 year olds, a children’s hospital, two orphanages that cares for nearly 200 kids and a home that cares for adults with physical and mental disabilities, many of them bedridden. We aim to change that by delivering wheelchairs and walking frames.

Please take a look at the needs list and if you can help, please get in touch by emailing Carl Webb E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Download 2011 September Mission to Bulgaria  Needs List   PDF