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Bristol celebrates its unsung heroes
‘Social action’, ‘giving something back to society’ and ‘people helping people’ are all words we are getting used to hearing. However, far from being new ideas, they are merely a new take on a well-established tradition in the UK; that of volunteering.
There are many ways that people help each other and, as a result, their communities and society at large. This could be anything from doing the shopping for a neighbour, to helping out with your local youth football team, counting different species of birds, or becoming a Bristol 2015 ‘Welcome Host’.
Volunteers are everywhere, like Jo, who has been helping Primary School children to catch up with their reading. She said: “I have loved reading in schools and have seen improvements to my children over the time. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience and I would love to do another stint if possible.”
Bristol has a very long tradition of volunteering and a sizeable voluntary sector which every day of the year provides a vast range of opportunities for people to help out. So at the beginning of June, organisations across the city will be celebrating National Volunteers Week and saying a big ‘thank-you’ to all those people who over the last year, have given their time, energy and enthusiasm to help out.
Throughout the week beginning on the June 1 there will be celebrations right across the city which will highlight the fantastic work people are doing in and for their communities.
Throughout this year we will see an increased focus on green volunteering as a result of all the activity emanating from the city’s status as European Green Capital 2015, and so it seems only right that the launch event should take place in the Live Lab right next to the Green Capital’s offices in the Harbourside.
On the Monday, Mayor George Ferguson will be thanking a selection of volunteers from across Bristol, young and old, who have been nominated by local the charities or local voluntary and community organisations they work for.
National Volunteers Week runs from June 1 -7. In Bristol it is being supported by the Cities of Service programme, in partnership with Volunteer Bristol and Bristol 2015 European Green Capital. Cities of Service is a new initiative, using a model developed in the US which is aimed at supporting people who want to give something back to their communities, focussing that activity on issues of citywide importance and measuring its impact.
If you would like to get involved either click here or email [email protected].