A big thank you
As Volunteers’ Week draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment, on behalf of everybody at Volunteering Matters, to say thank you.
By Amanda Naylor OBE, Chief Executive of Volunteering Matters
Every day across the UK, you help create stronger, kinder and more connected communities through the power of volunteering and social action. Whether you are supporting somebody experiencing loneliness, mentoring a young person, driving someone to an appointment, supporting families, helping communities come together, or simply being there to listen, your contribution matters enormously.
Over the last 12 months, more than 12,500 volunteers gave their time through Volunteering Matters projects across England, Scotland and Wales. Together, you supported tens of thousands of people and helped create spaces where people feel welcomed, valued and included.
Across our projects, we see every day that volunteering changes lives, not only for the people receiving support, but also for the people giving their time. We see friendships forming, confidence growing, communities becoming stronger and people discovering a renewed sense of purpose and belonging.
A powerful message we heard from our projects this year was this:
“
We fit the role to the person. We don’t make the person fit the role.
That captures so much about what makes volunteering at Volunteering Matters so special. Our volunteers help create spaces where people can be themselves, where barriers are reduced and where everybody feels they have something valuable to contribute.
Often, the most important acts of inclusion are the quiet ones:
taking time to listen,
helping someone feel welcome,
building trust,
offering reassurance,
or simply showing up consistently for another person.
Those moments may not always appear in reports or statistics, but they change lives.
At a time when many communities are facing increasing pressures, your compassion, generosity and commitment have never mattered more. You are helping reduce loneliness, improve wellbeing, strengthen community resilience and create connection in places where it is needed most.
Quite simply, Volunteering Matters could not do what we do without you.
