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Volunteers' Week Newsletter

Volunteers' Week is a national celebration of volunteers and volunteering which takes place from 1 – 7 June of each year

Click here to view the online version of the newsletter

Introduction

Volunteers’ Week is co-ordinated in England by Volunteering England.  More information about the Week is available from the website at www.volunteersweek.org.uk or you can email the Volunteers’ Week team at Volunteering England at volunteersweek@volunteeringengland.org. 

Get involved

Each year there are hundreds of activities held during Volunteers’ Week.  Whatever you’re doing and however you’re getting involved, don’t forget to let us know by registering your events on the Volunteers’ Week website.  

Reward and recognise

This year is the 22nd Volunteers’ Week and it continues to be an ideal opportunity to thank the millions of people who volunteer across the UK each year.

Volunteers’ Week is also a great time to recruit new volunteers.  This year we have been looking at diversity in volunteering.  For tips on recruiting a diverse range of volunteers, visit the registered users area of the Volunteers’ Week website.

What's on

In Leeds there will be a bowling Bonanza as volunteer teams from 12 different Leeds Based Volunteer Involving Organisations compete for BIG prizes and enjoy the party spirit of Volunteers’ Week. 

In Winchester, the town crier will be in the High Street announcing Volunteers’ Week.  He will be accompanied by 'helpers' wearing Volunteer Centre t-shirts and Volunteers’ Week hats & balloons, who will be giving out leaflets on volunteering to passers-by.

While in Derby, staff from the Volunteer Centre will be manning a stand in the Council offices to promote volunteering throughout the week.  Staff will be able to answer all your questions about volunteering in the area.  And in Chester-le-street there will be an evening of celebration for volunteers with an awards presentation, buffet and dancing.

Find out what else is happening by visiting the what’s on page of the website.  

Tell everyone what's on in your area

This month we look at some ideas on promoting your events and volunteers as a way of displaying recognition of your volunteers work.

Write a press release about your event and send it to the local paper. This can be done prior to the event to encourage more people to attend, or afterwards, to publicise the success of the event.  Keep it concise and positive.  A press release template is available from the Volunteers’ Week website.

Does your local paper or radio station have a website? If yes, ask if it could have a link to your website under the heading Volunteering or Community.

How about the home page of your own organisation’s website? Highlight what volunteers have done for your organisation by dedicating some of the page to them during the Week.

Include the Volunteers’ Week logo and your event details on your posters and leaflets and display them in community centres, libraries, job centres, doctors surgeries and schools.

TimeBank teams up with GMTV for Volunteers’ Week

Coronation Street’s Bill Ward, Footballer’s Wives’ star, Zoë Lucker and Emmerdale’s Sammy Winward will appearing on GMTV to encourage viewers to give their time and be matched to volunteering opportunities by national volunteering charity TimeBank. The celebrities were filmed seeing first-hand the contribution of volunteers at their favourite charities.  

Best known as Coronation Street’s bad boy, Charlie Stubbs, Bill Ward became an ambassador for the national domestic violence charity, Women’s Aid whilst researching his character’s violent storylines last year. GMTV joined Bill on one of his regular visits to a Women’s Aid refuge. 

Zoë Lucker travelled to Zambia with VSO where, 34 years ago her parents volunteered for the organisation. Zoë was eager to re-visit the country and follow in her parents’ footsteps.

Sammy Winward, better known as Emmerdale’s Katie Sugden, is a committed supporter of the Bolton scheme of national parent support charity Home-Start.  Katie met a volunteer who helps a mum struggling to cope with year-old triplets and a five-year-old.

This is the fourth year that GMTV has teamed up with TimeBank for Volunteers’ Week, highlighting the importance of volunteer work in the UK today. The films will broadcast on ITV1 from Tuesday 30 May  – Thursday 1 June.

Resources

The Volunteer’s Week shop is now closed.  However, if you would like to produce your own Volunteers’ Week goodies, you can download the Volunteers’ Week logo from the registered users area of the website. 

Volunteers’ Week certificates and posters are also available as a download from the website so you can print as many copies as you need. 

Investing in Volunteers

Have you ever considered recognising the good work you do by achieving a quality standard?  

Investing in Volunteers is the UK quality standard recognising good practice in organisations’ volunteer management.  The standard is based on the 4 main areas of volunteer management: (i) planning for volunteer involvement; (ii) recruiting volunteers; (iii) selecting and matching volunteers and (iv) supporting and retaining volunteers.

For more information, visit the website at www.investinginvolunteers.org.uk