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Get involved at a time and place that suits you

What's a Benenden Health Community?

Benenden Health Communities are here to connect you with fellow members in your local area - to learn more about what we do and to help shape what we do, too. They're run by our Community Representatives who are members just like you. (And could even be you!)

You don't have to sign up, either. As a member, you automatically join your nearest community.

What do they do?

Benenden Health is a mutual, not-for-profit. This means we're run both by and for our members which means you get a say in how the organisation is run. So, communities are one way of keeping you up-to-date with what we’re doing. By coming along, joining online, or even running it as a Community Representative, you also have the chance to tell us about what matters to you.

How can I take part?

There are two ways to get involved - in person, or online:

Member Meetups

At least once a year our Community Representatives host an in-person get together. It’s your chance to hear from speakers, find out more about our plans, and just talk to other members.

Online Community

Can't wait for a Member Meetup? All year round, our Online Community has you covered. Post in the forum, answer polls, watch videos – everything you need to stay up-to-date (and keep us up-to-date too) is there. And if you're registered on My Benenden, you can join our Online Community.

Can I really make a difference?

Absolutely. Your ideas and views are already helping us build a better Benenden Health. For example, our Neurodiversity and Disability Advice Service was originally suggested at our Annual Conference – now it’s a service we’re really proud to offer and one that many of our members use.

So, if you can think of a product or service that would make a difference, here’s how you could make it a reality.

  • First, you'd share your idea in our Online Community or at a Member Meetup. For example, maybe there’s a specific medical condition you think we should be covering

  • Then, it's over to your group of Community Reps to gather the views of members and discuss the pros and cons

  • If it gets the overall 'thumbs up', your Community Reps will send it up to the Member Council for investigation

  • If they agree it's worth exploring, they'll pitch it to the highest level – our Board

  • Finally, the Board will decide if it’s in the interest of all our members (including potential future ones). If it is – hooray! Your idea will be rolled out across the country.

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Back to Have Your Say

 

As a member, you're part of your nearest Benenden Health Community.

It's completely up to you how involved you want to be, but they’re your chance to get together and talk all things Benenden Health.

(Any questions about your community? Just drop us an email at thesecretary@benenden.co.uk)

And if you're registered on My Benenden, you can join our Online Community too.

 


Local Community Locations


If you would like more information on your Community, please email our friendly member engagement team at thesecretary@benenden.co.uk.

 

 

Could you be a Community Representative?

Our Community Representatives (or Reps as we often call them) play a key role in our communities - so we love to hear from people who are keen to get stuck in! Like our members, Reps come from all walks of life. They make sure we hear what’s most important to you.

Being a Community Rep means spending about an hour a week making sure everything's running smoothly. We give you lots of support, and based on feedback from existing Community Representatives, they've got lots from it - including skills for their CVs.

What do Community Representatives do?

Our Reps play a key role in Benenden Health by amplifying the voice of our members.

So, the first step is knowing enough about what we do, our policies and our news to be able to keep your fellow members in the loop. But we don’t expect you to be an expert (especially when you start), and we’ll give you all the support and training you need (more on that below).

The second step, which is just as important, is sharing the ideas and views of our members back to us. We have some well-established processes you'll need to follow, and, we’ll help you understand how they work.

And since all of these things happen either online or in person, there’s also some light admin and logistics to go with that, which shouldn't take more than an about an hour a week.

What help do we offer?

We really appreciate everything our Reps do for us, so if you do sign up we'll support you every step of the way:

  • We'll give you all the training, materials, information, and equipment you need to be a confident Community Rep

  • And if anything complicated pops up, our specialised teams (think finance and IT) will handle it.

What are the benefits?

Since it’s a volunteering role it's unpaid (although we'll cover expenses so you're never out of pocket). Here's what our current Reps tell us they value about the role:

  • Being able to share their skills - and develop new ones too

  • Having lots of experience that's great for boosting their CV

  • A sense of achievement from helping members and the business

  • Getting to represent your community at all levels of Benenden Health

Want to find out more?

Great! If you’re interested, we have a form to fill in. After that, we'll arrange a quick chat to talk it over a bit more.

Getting in touch doesn't obligate you to do anything – it's just a way for us to get to know each other a bit better and see if this role could work for you.

 

 

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