Volunteers’ Week 2023: Celebrate and Inspire

2023 marks the 39th year of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), when NELFT will join thousands of charities and voluntary organisations recognising the contribution volunteers make across the UK. With this year’s theme of ‘Celebrate and Inspire’ we hope to encourage people to be the change that we want to see and get involved in volunteering in whatever way works for them.

The contribution of volunteers is often unseen and unrecognised by many, visible only through the incredible impact of their volunteering, so taking the time during Volunteers’ Week to celebrate their efforts and all they contribute to our local communities, the voluntary sector and society as a whole has never been more important.

NELFT Governor, Mark Dale, is a volunteer and said:

"Volunteers have become the lifeblood of the NHS. We saw during COVID how much volunteers played in creating a wonderful resource to compliment the main staff and the different ways people were volunteering was so diverse. It showed what people can offer  who may not have had experience within Health and Social Care. It also showed how much people just got out of giving freely a few hours each week to help their local hospital, ward or unit. The volunteering experience aids good practice and also gives the volunteer an increased sense of well-being and purpose.

I have been volunteering for the NHS for nearly 20 years and it keeps me well. Every day is different, and the feeling of being part of a brilliant institution that is our National Health Service. I really do hope people will do something amazing during this Volunteers Week and help NELFT with a few hours of your time. You wont regret it!"

Find out more about sigining up to be a volunteer at NELFT, by visiting our careers website here: Vounteering at NELFT

Volunteering Stats During 2020 (UK Civil Society Almanac 2022)

• 16.3m people volunteered through a group, club or organisation in 2020/21.
• Levels of formal volunteering fell significantly from 2019/20 to in 2020/21.
• More than a quarter of the population were regularly involved in informal volunteering and about half did so at least once in 2020/21.
• Most people have formally volunteered at some point in their lives, dipping in and out of involvement over time.
• People volunteer in different ways, reflecting their lifestyles, values and priorities. The way they get involved has changed during the pandemic.