2023 marks the 39th year of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), when St Kentigern Hospice 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.
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.
For the latest statistics in England see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-life-survey-202021-volunteering-and-charitable-giving as well as https://www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/uk-civil-society-almanac-2022/#/