‘We make a difference to our community’
Millions of volunteers across the nation are being celebrated for an annual week which recognises the contribution they make to local communities. Taking place from June 1 to June 7, Volunteers’ Week is an opportunity to honour those that dedicate hours of their time to charity work and projects run by individuals, groups and organisations.
To mark Volunteers’ Week 2022 in Portsmouth, dozens of charities like Hive, Stella’s Voice, The Package Free Larder - the city’s first plastic-free supermarket – and action group Litter Ladies That Lunch are highlighting the value and commitment of their volunteers.
This month marks the
38th celebration of its kind with a focus on thanking the response of volunteers during the pandemic.
Already groups and individuals are taking to social media to show their appreciation to those fighting for community action to tackle social and environmental problems.
One of those volunteers who knows just how important it is to mark the event is Amy Hughes, a final year student at the University of Portsmouth.
Amy is the district community response lead at St John Ambulance for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
During the pandemic she volunteered more than 1,300 hours to the NHS, working tirelessly to ensure residents got their Covid vaccinations at St James’ Vaccination Centre in Portsmouth as well as working a month of shifts at one of the UK's seven Nightingale hospitals at The ExCeL in East London – which won her the Vice Chancellor's Award for Excellence from the University of Portsmouth last year.
For Amy, Volunteers’ Week is about appreciating volunteers even when they work without necessarily expecting anything in return.
She explains: ‘It's really great for people to appreciate the volunteers and say thank you for all they've been doing.
‘It's also about promoting how good volunteering is and encouraging other people to do it. It's the people you meet and the connections you make that are important.’ Speaking from her own experiences, she says: ‘It's rewarding. It's really great to see the difference that you can make just by giving up your time and the impact it has on different people throughout different communities. Whether it be picking up someone off the floor who's been stuck there or giving someone a vaccination that means they can go out because they've been immunosuppressed, it's those different little things you can do.’
The Litter Ladies that Lunch, a community action project fighting against
‘We’ve met people from all walks of life’
waste across Portchester, is reliant on volunteers getting involved.
The group started after cofounder Claire Turner did a beach clean during lockdown with some old school friends.
Since then they’ve seen dozens of volunteers regularly attend their clean-up events across the area.
Claire says she never considered doing it before as she always thought it ‘embarrassing’ but after discovering, as a graphic designer who works from home, that she was building a strong social life with it, she was eager to continue in their mission to make Portchester Castle and surrounding areas as litterfree as they could. She says the impact it’s had on bringing people together, from all walks of life, is ‘making a real difference’.
‘We invite people from all abilities. We've got ex-servicemen, ex-Royal Marines and people with learning disabilities and people with health issues, people who are widowed, people who have mental health issues as well,’ she says.
‘It's just that inclusivity. What we love about it is that we're making a real difference to our community and inspiring other people to do the same.
‘I work from home and it can be quite lonely so I think it's meeting new people, being part of a movement which is going to be a legacy for the future and making a difference and really making a change and bringing people together.
‘The thing that I really like about this is the fact that we've met so many people from all walks of life.’
Grocery store, The Package Free Larder in Southsea are celebrating Volunteers’ Week at their shop through showing their gratitude to their 20 to 30 active volunteers on social media and spreading encouragement to get more people involved.
Shop manager and one of the directors, Delphine Laveyne, echoes how celebrating the annual event is important because the store, which sells everyday grocery staples without the plastic packaging, wouldn’t be able to function without them.
‘The shop is properly volunteer led. It wouldn't be here if people didn't put in the time volunteering to make it happen,’ she says.
‘From working in the shop to refurbishing it, a lot of work has been done by volunteers. We think it's a good idea for people to get onboard with reducing their waste in general and this is a great way for people to learn about how to do that.’ Among the biggest rallying network of volunteers in the city, however, are those who have dedicated time to pack and sort donations to be sent to war-torn Ukrainian refugees in the past four months.
Wayne Keeping, operations director at Stella’s Voice, a Havant anti-trafficking charity which has seen about 40 volunteers help with the Ukraine aid drive, says besides he and Nicky Keeping, also from the charity, everyone supporting Ukrainian refugees has been a volunteer. He explains: ‘Some people have actually taken all their leave for the three weeks of the year to come and help us.’ To mark Volunteers’ Week, Stella’s Voice is awarding a certificate and a small gift to each of their volunteers from across Hampshire up to their head office in Scotland.
‘It's great to see people appreciate volunteers’