Volunteering Vision Newsletter - 9 June 2026

Welcome to the latest edition of Volunteering Vision.

Last week was Volunteers’ Week, a chance to shine a spotlight on the amazing work of volunteers and we’d like to start this newsletter by recognising the impact you and your volunteers make in your communities.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite you and your volunteers to attend our annual conference on Thursday 9 July at Verso Vineyard in St Albans. The Conference is free and open to anyone with an interest in the VCSFE sector, including volunteers. It is a great opportunity to provide volunteers, and staff alike, with personal development, so please do pass on this information to your volunteers. Take a look at the details below and register your place. We'd love to see you there!

Best wishes,

Kelly Wright
Voluntary Sector and Partnerships Manager

New polling shows 68% of Brits believe society has become more fragmented, with fewer people feeling connected to each other, while 69% believe volunteering can help bring communities back together in a disconnected world.

The new nationally representative poll, carried out by Censuswide, on behalf of Oxfam, also found that:

62% of Brits said young people should consider volunteering in the first three years after leaving school instead of going straight into paid work or further education
74% say volunteering experience makes young people more attractive to employers

Across the country, local infrastructure organisations (LIOs) are using the Vision for Volunteering as a catalyst for change, turning shared principles into locally owned strategies that build consensus and create momentum. They are convening partners, listening to communities and grounding action in lived experience.

The Sight Loss awareness training is designed to equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with sight loss, along with practical skills to better support them.

The session covers various aspects of sight loss, including causes, functional and emotional impacts on daily life and strategies for effective communication and assistance.

The session is aimed at families, carers and professionals to raise awareness about barriers people with sight loss experience, including mobility challenges and social isolation.

Date: Monday 15 June 2026, 
Time: 11am to 12pm

This session will feature Nikki’s Story, a video message from Nikki Adams who bravely shares her story of gambling harm. This will be followed by a facilitated discussion for you to ask questions and gain valuable insights on supporting women experiencing harm from gambling.

Date: Tuesday 16 June 2026, 
Time: 1pm to 2pm

Come and learn about effective ways to communicate with deaf people, as well as some basic sign language, at this deaf awareness online workshop. Participants coming to this session will gain the confidence and basic skills to communicate with those who are living with deafness and hearing loss. It will enable them to understand deafness, signs that someone can’t hear you, body positions and communicating.

There will be time for a Q and A at the end of this session.

Date: Wednesday 24 June 2026, 
Time: 10am to 12pm

You are invited to attend the next quarterly networking breakfast for existing, new and enquiring member organisations.

Come along and enjoy light refreshments while making connections with other voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations. 

Find out about all the membership benefits available, including:

• Funding advice and support
• Help with volunteer recruitment
• Training and workshops
• Share your initiatives and projects and discuss local priorities and current trends. 

Date: 18 June 2026
Time: 9:30am to 11:00am
Venue: White Lion House, Town Centre
Hatfield, AL10 0JL

We look forward to welcoming you!