A special week to celebrate all the extraordinary work done by volunteers.
Volunteer Week takes place 1-7 June every year. It’s a week to celebrate the achievements and recognize volunteers’ fantastic contributions to our communities. This year is no exception and will showcase various activities nationwide, from volunteer recruitment events to open days to celebration and recognition events.
Why is volunteering important?
Volunteers are always active at the heart of every UK community. Taking time during Volunteer’s Week to celebrate and recognize their efforts and all they contribute to our local communities, the voluntary sector, and society has never been more critical.
Every year hundreds of events, both online and in-person, take place to celebrate Volunteer’s Week and the vast range of ways in which volunteers give their time.
Use the hashtag #VolunteersWeek to follow all the stories, tweets, and messages of thanks during the week.
Why should you get involved in volunteering?
As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to improve volunteers’ wellbeing too. Volunteering has also help in gaining valuable new skills and experiences, and boost your confidence. You will not be along, did you know:
- 16.3m people volunteered through a group, club or organsiaions in 2020/21.
- Almost one in five (17%) people reported volunteering at least once a month, about 9.2m people.
Less visible is informal volunteering, which includes a wider range of activities including unpaid help for someone who is not a relative. In 2020/21, 54% of the population (29.4m) volunteered at least once a year and 33% (17.9m) did so at least one a month.
What roles can you volunteer for?
Volunteer week is a great time to understand what volunteering is all about. There are all kinds of volunteering roles out there, contributing to many different causes. It is an ideal time to chat with organizations you’re interested in and learn more about their volunteering opportunities.
Typical roles could include:
- raising funds
- being a trustee (a voluntary position with legal responsibility for a charity)
- supporting or running events
- campaigning
- giving tours
- befriending
- giving advice, guidance, or information
- monitoring and conserving wildlife
- giving first aid
- providing legal help
- driving or transporting people
- administrative support
Where can you find volunteer advice & support?
If you belong to a voluntary group, CIC or registered charity in the Huntingdonshire area, Hunts Forum can also provide specific advice, support and training around Volunteering. In particular, we currently support our members in these key areas;
- Volunteer Drivers – looking at practical issues, reimbursing volunteer expenses, insurance, and issues around the safety of volunteer drivers.
- Volunteer Handbook – developing a volunteering handbook using an accredited template.
- Recruiting – providing information and guidance to support volunteer recruitment.
Through Support Cambridgeshire website you will be able to access a host of further material around volunteering, including topics ranging from business and volunteering, social action, time-banking and time credits. Go to www.supportcambridgeshire/org.uk/volunteering.
Support Cambridgeshire also supports Connecting Communities. They have a Volunteer Conference coming up in June 2023, click here for full details. This year’s theme is Motivate and Engage, reflecting on how to motivate volunteers and use techniques to engage those who are new or already involved.
Hunts Forum also host an annual Volunteers Awards ceremony, which shines a light on the people who deserve special praise for their contributions. This year’s event will be held at Hinchingbrook Park on 4th July 2023. To request a ticket, people can find out more by contacting info@huntsforum.org.uk.
Another excellent place to start would be through the VolunteersWeek website – click here for more information. Alternatively, you can contact your local volunteer centre:
Local Centres
Huntingdonshire Volunteer Centre, 1 Princess St, Huntingdon, Cambs. Tel 01480 414766. Email huntingdon@huntsvc.org.uk or visit huntsvc.org.uk.
St Ives Volunteer Centre, Town Hall, Market Hill, St Ives, PE27 5AL. Tel 01480 301462 or 07582 211392. St Ives Area Manager Kirsty Fletcher
St Neots Volunteer Centre, South Street Community Building, 6a South Street, St Neots PE19 2BW. Tel 01480 476047. St Neots Area Manager Bex Chamberlain
Please help us spread the word
To help celebrate Volunteers Week this year, Hunts Forum would like to post any volunteer story or article through all of our social media channels – this could include sharing case studies, promoting volunteering opportunities, or encouraging more people to get involved. Please email info@huntsforum.org.uk.
