Volunteers' Week 2009

Rewarding, recognising and recruiting volunteers

Volunteers' Week Newsletter

Volunteers' Week is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009. This annual awareness week celebrates volunteers and volunteering. With more than 22 million people throughout the UK donating their time and effort in one way or another every year, this week is used to recognise their valued contribution to society as well as encouraging others to consider getting involved.

Click here to view the online version of the newsletter

An anniversary to remember

Volunteering was abuzz last week as organisations around the country celebrated the 25th anniversary of Volunteers’ Week.

From award ceremonies to tea parties and red bus tours, more than 380 events took place throughout the UK as volunteers were recognised, rewarded and recruited.

This year’s special anniversary was marked with a celebration event at Twickenham Stadium on Wednesday 3 June. Volunteers, charity partners and corporate sponsor National Grid joined the Minister for the Third Sector, Kevin Brennan and former England cricket captain Mike Gatting who spoke of the important role volunteering played for sporting groups such as the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Youtube channel

We are looking to feature footage of this year’s Volunteers’ Week events and volunteering on the Volunteering England Youtube channel. This is an easy and fun way to not only promote your organisation but also the type of volunteering you’re involved with.

To have your footage featured on the site, please send your clip through to
volunteersweek@volunteeringengland.org. These clips do not need to be professionally made, but just tell a story about volunteering. You can also subscribe to our Youtube channel where you can add your own clips and keep updated.

Tell us about your event and win

So many wonderful events were held throughout the UK during Volunteers’ Week and we would like to hear about them as we know a lot of time and effort goes into these events.

To say thank you we would like to do our bit to help reward those who have put so much into ensuring that volunteers and volunteering receive much deserved recognition.

We have a Wii, including a WiiFit, and five copies of The Rough Guide to Happiness to give away.

To be in the running for these great prizes simply send in an overview of your event, some pictures or video and some press cuttings, and you could be lucky enough to win the Wii or one of the five copies of the The Rough Guide to Happiness.

Entries close this Friday 12 June at 5pm so please email your entry to volunteersweek@volunteeringengland.org.uk. Make sure you include contact details, as winners will be contacted by telephone and announced next week in this enewsletter.

Just to say thanks

Some wonderful and touching messages of thanks were left on the Volunteers’ Week website this year. These messages not only showed the appreciation of those who have been helped by a volunteer but also provided a glimpse of the various ways volunteers contribute.

If you have not had a chance to read through the messages online it is worth taking a few minutes to do so, but in the meantime here are just a few of the touching message:.

Sharon McCall, Volunteers' Support Manager, Adoption UK:

“To all our volunteers across the UK. Your commitment and dedication in providing support locally is a truly valuable service to prospective adopters, adoptive families and Adoption UK. Thank you!”

David Hughes, Wirral:

“A huge thank you to all the volunteers who help Wirral information resource for equality and disability deliver our services to the community.”

Queensferry Care in the Community, South Queensferry:

“Thank you for your time, support, commitment and friendship. We could not manage without you.”

News from Northern Ireland

It was a busy Volunteers’ Week in Northern Ireland with many organisations holding their own celebration events. One of the highlights of the week saw Olympic gold medallist, Jonathan Edwards, join a group of young people for a spot of volunteering at Belfast Activity Centre.

The Volunteer Development Agency joined forces with the Association of Charity Shops to bring volunteering to high streets across Northern Ireland. The shops  displayed special window display materials and had information in store on volunteering opportunities available in local communities.

Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie did her bit to promote the week when she visited her local charity shop, Marie Curie Cancer Care in Downpatrick, where she helped out the shop volunteers.

A volunteering festival was also held in Belfast over a number of days. Organised by the Volunteer Development Agency and Voluntary Service Bureau, with the support of Belfast City Council’s Festival Fund the festival kicked off with a free screening of Pay It Forward at the Queen’s Flim Theatre in Belfast. This was followed by a volunteering action day on 3 June and a volunteer fair on 5 June, where over 30 volunteer involving organisations promoted their volunteering opportunities.

News from Wales

Volunteers’ Week in Wales saw a number of deserving volunteers recognised for their contribution over the years at an awards ceremony coordinated by WCVA.

A total of 16 winners in the five award categories for adults, young people (under 25 years), groups, ‘green’ volunteers and trustees were presented with their awards at Cardiff Castle.  More than 210 nominations were received from across Wales.

The 2009 Wales Volunteers of the Year included a pensioner and a couple who turned life around for the residents of two housing estates based in South Wales, along with a 14-year-old ‘eco warrior’, a former teacher who works on a voluntary basis for the RSPCA and a group of blind and partially sighted volunteers who support others with their own visual impairments.

An initiative of Volunteering England, Wales Council for Voluntary Action, Volunteer Development Agency (Northern Ireland) and Volunteer Development Scotland, the week will focus on rewarding, recognising and recruiting volunteers.