Derbyshire Charity Welcomes High Profile Volunteer

27 July 2023

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, in Derbyshire, was delighted to welcome Councillor Diana Ruff as a volunteer caseworker. As Chair of the Council, Diana nominated SSAFA as its charity of the year in 2022, raising more than £6,000. Now the year is over, Diana has pledged to carry on supporting the Armed Forces by assisting veterans in need.

Mike Madin, SSAFA Derbyshire Secretary said: “We are so grateful for Diana's efforts in fund-raising for SSAFA Derbyshire in her year as Chair of North East Derbyshire District Council. Even more amazing was the fact that she decided to volunteer with us as a caseworker. She is a very welcome addition and brings a wealth of experience to our team."

The SSAFA Derbyshire branch also recently benefitted from a grant from Foundation Derbyshire to replace their out-of-date laptops.

Sarah Harris, Regional Fundraising Officer said: “The branches laptops were so old that they had stopped updating and didn’t work. We applied for a grant through Foundation Derbyshire, which helps local charities, and they paid for five new Chromebooks for our volunteers.”

SSAFA provides caseworkers to help clients and to apply for grants, so reliable access to a computer is vital. In the last six months, SSAFA Derbyshire has concluded 25 individual cases, helping clients with funding for things such as deposits for housing, replacement of broken white goods, mobility equipment to maintain independence in their own homes, and funeral costs for families on the bread line or those with no family at all.