story by: DAVE KING

Volunteering lies at the heart of Rotary, and clubs across Great Britain and Ireland are being encouraged to once again get involved with Volunteers’ Week.

Volunteers’ Week was first established in 1984 by what was then known as Volunteering England, and so this week-long spotlight which runs from Monday June 3 to Sunday June 9 is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Volunteers' Week celebrates the amazing contributions volunteers make to communities across the UK.

The celebration starts on the first Monday in June every year. It’s a chance to recognise, celebrate and thank the UK’s incredible volunteers for all they contribute to our local communities, the voluntary sector, and society as a whole.

Rotary club have previously used Volunteers’ Week as an opportunity to organise their own volunteering events such as litter picks or organising a tea at an old folks’ home to rally the community and tell more people about the work we do.

From open days to celebration events, every year hundreds of online and in-person activities take place across the UK to mark Volunteers’ Week and celebrate volunteers.

This year Volunteers’ Week will culminate in The Big Help Out, from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 June, where people across the UK will get the chance to experience a range of volunteer taster sessions.

Last year, six million people joined The Big Help Out with people coming together to lend a hand in their communities to experience how rewarding volunteering can be, and the power it has to make change.

According to research conducted by the Together Coalition following last year’s Big Help Out, seven million respondents said they were more likely to volunteer as a result of seeing The Big Help Out in action.

While 73% of volunteers admitted that getting involved in the initiative gave them more confidence.

All this comes on the back of research from the Covid pandemic which revealed more than 12 million people in the UK took part in some form of volunteering during the year-long lockdown.

Following Volunteers’ Week, there is Thank You Day on Sunday, July 7, which brings millions of people together across the UK to celebrate and give thanks to those who go above and beyond for us.

It is an opportunity to thank those people on your street, in your block of flats, and all those local legends; the volunteers, teachers and carers who go the extra mile for us.

Last year, 1.3 million people organised a Thank You Day activity – which can be as simple as getting everyone together in your block or on your street for a “thank you” event. Rotary clubs could lead on these activities.

For more information visit the websites below:

• Volunteers’ Week
• The Big Help Out
• Thank You Day