Volunteering and wellbeing

It’s great to see so many of you celebrating National Volunteers Week this week. A big thank you to the volunteers that work with our community partners to help support and strengthen their organisations.

Monday 1 June 2020

Volunteers Week 2020: Hundreds of organisations join forces to say ‘thank you’ to their fantastic volunteers

Communities 1st are delighted to be part of a collaborative action of organisations championing a united response for Volunteers’ Week 1-7 June.  This week Volunteer Managers across the UK are coming together to say a massive thank you to all volunteers.

A week may be a long time in politics, as the saying goes, but a week during a global pandemic feels even longer.

Like many, at times, I’ve found the pace of change, and the pace of work that accompanied it, difficult to keep up with. As a sector we have done a phenomenal job to respond at speed, but I am thankful that we are starting to have a little more time now to draw breath, reflect and plan for the next phase.

Thank you everyone who responded to our first Covid-19 Sector Survey, we had a great response and this has enabled us to paint a strong picture of the situation and to input this to national datasets (anonymised). Below is what we know from your responses combined with local intelligence. We have now started our second telephone survey, so please do take part if you can – it really helps us to ensure your views, opinions and concerns are heard.

Life is very strange and challenging at the moment, not least for Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations and our beneficiaries. Some of us have had to furlough staff and close services, while others are supporting huge increases in their number of beneficiaries.

Working together
I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all the charities, community groups, social enterprises, local businesses and individuals for giving up their time for local communities during COVID-19. With all your help we have mobilised over 850 volunteers.

We continue to work in partnership with a range of organisations and individuals and have recently partnered with The Alzheimer’s Society to pilot some new Dementia Friends Information Webinar Sessions. 

Working in the voluntary and community sector one can become used to the empathy and commitment shown on a daily basis by volunteers, staff, and all the people who use our services, but what I have been amazed about is how individuals, volunteers and countless voluntary and community sector organisations, together with public and private sector organisations have rallied to provide support to communities across our local communities.  From the amazing number of new neighbourhood groups that have sprung up to support our shielded, elderly and isolated people, to all of the previously ex

I would like to say a huge thanks to all those who have offered to support us with helping those most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As you’re aware Communities 1st has been working with a range of local organisations to set up a volunteering hub to recruit and place volunteers during the coronavirus crisis and it’s great when we receive feedback direct from the people we’re helping.  “Thank you for my shopping I received yesterday, everything was exactly what I had asked for and needed.” 

“Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something …”

Sometimes it can be difficult to feel inspired at a time of national emergency.  The effect of separation can be extremely hard to deal with and as we move through the Coronavirus lockdown, and hear of more hospitalisation, rising numbers of those ‘in need’ including and increasingly requiring support for their emotional wellbeing, the thought of keeping ourselves motivated or optimistic, let alone others, can be somewhat dismaying.