Volunteer Week 2024

Volunteers Week takes place between the 3rd and the 9th of June.

It is 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 becoming a volunteer and the diverse volunteering roles that are available.

First established in 1984 by Volunteering England, Volunteers Week is now coordinated by NCVO (the National Council for Voluntary Organisations). During the week stories about volunteering are shared on social media and hundreds of celebrations and events take place.

Every Volunteers Week has a different theme which is designed to help organisations think about how they can successfully open up volunteering opportunities to all and increase diversity in their volunteer base and trustees.

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.

Also taken place between the 7th and 9th of June is the Big Help Out.

The Big Help Out is launching with two simple requests:

Organisations are being invited to register their volunteering opportunities on the new and updated Big Help Out Platform, where millions of current and new volunteers will be recruited to get involved
And the general public are being invited to save the date and pledge a day of their time to volunteer

The launch comes as new polling finds that nearly one in two 18-24 year olds want to volunteer but are unable to find ways to get involved. That’s why this year’s Big Help Out will have a particular focus on providing those opportunities for young people to get involved.

Last year, there were more than 50,000 events across the country as part of the Big Help Out. They Included a huge Scouts taster day at Wembley Stadium, almost 500 people joining a right royal clean up on the Solent, record breaking numbers signing up to support the mental health charity Black Dog, nationwide hedge life surveys, and even a volunteer run dog show in Macclesfield.

Further information about Volunteers Week and information about becoming a volunteer can be found at www.volunteersweek.org

Further information about the Big Help Out can be found at https://www.thebighelpout.org.uk