Volunteers’ Week 2022
Volunteers’ Week takes place from 1st – 7th June every year and is our chance to recognise the huge contribution volunteers make to our communities. This year’s celebration of volunteers is a time to say “thank you” to people from all walks of life who take the time to volunteer and make a real difference to so many lives.
Why is volunteering so important?
Last year, an incredible 16.3 million of us regularly volunteered for a group, club or organisation, with a further 29.4 million people taking part in ‘informal volunteering at least once a year. The benefits to these organisations and our communities can be easy to spot, with improved services and support making improvements to people’s lives, but volunteering in this way can also be a benefit to yourself – making volunteering a real win-win!
Volunteering can help you to:
-
Gain confidence by giving you the chance to try out something new, sometimes challenging ling, and greatly rewarding
-
Meet people and make new friends
-
Learn new skills, gain experience and sometimes even qualifications
-
Boost your wellbeing – it’s human nature to feel good after helping someone out
Community Volunteering Days - Colleagues help to build school wildlife area
Connexus is committed to the communities we serve and one of the most direct ways we can show this is through our Community Volunteering Days. We encourage employees to take 1 day in a rolling 12-month period out from their normal role to volunteer in our communities. Colleagues use their volunteering days to take part in everything from helping out at a local food bank, to maintaining a local churchyard...and everything in between!
Trinity School is located nearby our recently completed Crossgates Meadow development in Ford, Shropshire, with children from the development now using this friendly village school. When the school's headteacher contacted us asking for help, it seemed the perfect way for our Development Team to use their Community Volunteering Day.
Our Team helped to create a new 'Wellbeing. Wilderness. Wildlife.' area for the children spending the day constructing a shaded seating area, woodland walk and erecting a much-needed safety fence around the wildlife area's pond. The 'Wellbeing. Wilderness. Wildlife.' area will help educate children about the importance of the environment and nature while allowing them to experience local wildlife and ecology. Well done, Team!
Connexus colleagues volunteering – Katie’s story
Here at Connexus, every employee is entitled and encouraged to take 1 day per year to volunteer in the communities we serve. Many go far beyond this, with some colleagues volunteering their own time on a regular basis.
People volunteer for all sorts of reasons, and we caught up with dedicated volunteer, and Connexus HR Officer, Katie Workman, to find out more about her volunteering journey.
“I have volunteered for many charities and youth groups since a young age, including Scouting, Girl Guiding and Hereford Deaf Children Society. This has forced me out of my comfort zone so many times but always gives me great pleasure and reward to give to my local community and further afield. I now have a 14 month-old and so have had to adapt to what I can realistically fit in, but I won’t let it stop my volunteering.
I have been a Girlguiding Leader for 14 years and I now support a Brownie Unit every Monday – Thomas (my son) is on board and has been attending with me since he was 6 months old! To see these young girls, develop, learn new skills and to support them through highs and lows is endlessly rewarding. I have taken the older girls on trips abroad and I currently have 9 weeks notice to organise another trip for them to Gibraltar – challenging, but always fun! This will see myself and another Leader take 20 Guides, aged between 10 and 14 years old, on a 6-day trip to meet up with other Guiding groups, volunteer in the community and experience some culture/historic sites.
My friends and family all know that I love to be busy and cannot say no to experiencing new challenges. Volunteering actually seems to help my work-life balance, by keeping my active, committed and engaged in my local community. Give it a go!"
Connexus colleagues volunteering - Vounteer Governor at local Primary School
I am a Governor at my children’s primary school. I find that this very rewarding to be able to use my life experiences to help the
school out in areas that they might not have any. I feel like I am giving something back to the school, the community and also getting involved in my children’s education; helping to shape the future of the local school.At times it brings me out of my comfort zone so that it challenges my development and I have lots of opportunities to undertake
training. Volunteering gives me a focus outside of work and everyday stresses, and so I'd say it's been a real positive for my mentl health too.
Shropshire Domestic Abuse Centre - Volunteer's story
I volunteer for Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service (SDAS) as a volunteer co-ordinator. My aim is to put together a small army of volunteers to help with the service, from supporting alongside staff, sorting donations, fundraising and much more. I talk to anyone that is interested in volunteering, what they have to give and what they would like to gain from volunteering with us. I may arrange to meet them if possible and get to know them a little, I also ensure any checks and training for them is completed, before they start. I enjoy doing this, I believe when you volunteer and enjoy it, you get a great sense of achievement. When the opportunity came, I choose to do this, as I am passionate about helping survivors and spreading the awareness of domestic abuse.
Find out more about the Shropshire Domestic Abuse Service here.