Contributions Celebrated from 1-7th of June
Local MP Alyn Smith has welcomed the beginning of Volunteers’ Week, as charities and organisations across Stirling and Scotland gear up to commemorate and celebrate outstanding contributions from volunteers. Now entering its 39th year, the week will see volunteers from various charities, social organisations and good causes come together to celebrate the immense impact volunteering has on communities across the nation.
This year’s theme is ‘Celebrate and Inspire’, emphasising the power of good volunteering can unleash for both volunteers themselves and the communities they serve. Within the wider Volunteer’s Week is ‘Power of Youth Day’, an annual opportunity to say thank you to all the children and young people working everyday to make positive change. Taking place on Tuesday 6th June, this year’s theme is ‘This is Me.’ Further information can be found here: www.iwill.org.uk
Recently published results from the 2021 Scottish Household Survey indicate 27% of Scots undertake formal volunteering, whilst 30% volunteer in their local community or neighbourhood.
Stirling MP Alyn Smith said:
‘Volunteers are the lifeblood of so many fantastic activities and projects right across Stirling. The pandemic really served to highlight the strength and resilience that exists in a deep and meaningful way in our communities – that people on the whole want to help, they want to build, and they want to make things better.’
‘Volunteers’ Week is a brilliant opportunity for us to collectively thank volunteers for the work they do, in all their guises, to make Stirling the place we all enjoy today. Be it volunteering on Community Councils, keeping our green spaces clear of litter, supporting our young, our elderly and vulnerable residents, creating great art for us all to enjoy, befriending and socialising, community events, fayres, concerts and games: volunteering remain as noble a cause as ever, and volunteers have Stirling’s collective gratitude in these strained times.’
‘I’d urge anyone keen to muck in and get involved to visit www.facebook.com/StirVolunteer to stay up to date with local activities – and be sure to let the volunteers in your life know how valued their efforts truly are.’
Notes:
Pictured is Alyn Smith MP with Natalie Masterson – Chief Executive at Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise
