Volunteers Week
Volunteers’ Week is celebrated between 1 – 7 June every year. It’s a week in which the UK celebrates volunteers and says thank you to them for the contribution that they make. The week also raises awareness about the benefits of becoming a volunteer and the diverse volunteering roles that are available.
However, as we all know, this year is a little different and many National and Local events have had to be cancelled due to the restrictions that COVID-19 has brought in respect of group gatherings and ensuring compliance with social distancing restrictions.
VANS, together with some of our VCSE partners were going to be hosting a Volunteers Fair during June and we have had to cancel this, but we still want to acknowledge the value that volunteering has brought to our communities over the last few months during ‘lockdown’ as well as recognising the importance that volunteering has across the county all year round.
Awareness – #VolunteersAroundNorthSomerset
Through the month of June, we will be posting regular good news stories to help bring to life just some of the activities that volunteers have been involved in over the last year, this includes the vital services provided pre and post Covid, alongside some of the stories of heroism that have happened since Covid overtook all our lives.
You can help us to raise awareness of volunteers and groups in your community by using #VolunteersAroundNorthSomerset and/or tagging Voluntary Action North Somerset in posts. We will then share as many of these as possible and bring them together as part of our month-long campaign.
Fund Raising
We also want to give back to those groups who work so tirelessly to provide these services. In support of this, as part of the North Somerset Together Network VANS will launch a Go Fund Me campaign running through the month of June to raise funds for local voluntary and community groups. This provides the opportunity for members of the community to give something back to volunteers and enable those unfunded groups across North Somerset to continue to provide the services to those requiring ongoing support, long into the future.
You can donate through the #VANS Go Fund Me page HERE – at least half of everything raised will be donated to voluntary and community groups across North Somerset, with the rest contributing to VANS directly facilitated volunteer initiatives.
As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to have a positive impact on the lives of those who volunteer, assisting volunteers in gaining new skills and boosting self-esteem. There are many voluntary organisations in the UK that rely on volunteers to help others.
We hope you will support us in raising some funds for those organisations and groups across North Somerset who go above and beyond when it comes to volunteering.