This Volunteers’ Week (June 1-7), Hampshire charity Community First is shining a spotlight on the volunteers making a difference in their community and inspiring people to start their own journey.
In its 42nd year, Volunteers’ Week will see thousands of charities and voluntary organisations celebrate the vital role volunteers play in supporting communities, organisations and individuals.
This year’s theme is ‘Stronger Together, Supporting our Communities’ and Community First will be sharing stories from its network of volunteers in the New Forest, Eastleigh, Winchester, Fareham, Gosport, Havant and East Hampshire.
Stories will reflect a wide range of experiences and organisation types, showcasing the scale and variety of volunteering taking place across the county. This includes supporting vulnerable people, tackling loneliness and helping local organisations to deliver essential services and activities.
Community First will also be hosting pop-ups across the county to spread the idea of volunteering and promote local opportunities. The charity places hundreds of volunteers annually through its Volunteer First platform, which matches people with suitable roles in their local area or from home.
Tim Houghton, Chief Executive of Community First, said: “Volunteers are the lifeblood of our communities, giving time and effort to support people in need and look after and improve the places we love. Everyone can volunteer – there are so many local opportunities and good causes, and we always need more people to help out.”
Volunteers’ Week is led by the UK Volunteering Forum, a partnership between Volunteer Scotland, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and Volunteer Now in Northern Ireland. For more information about volunteering see volunteerfirst.org.uk, email volunteer@cfirst.org.uk or call 0300 500 8085