Volunteering Matters named charity of the year

The national volunteering charity Volunteering Matters was last night (Wednesday 30 September) named charity of the year at the European Diversity Awards (EDAs), held at the Natural History Museum. Known as the “Oscars for diversity” the European Diversity Awards recognise and celebrate those organisations and individuals that have shown innovation, creativity and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Previously known as Community Service Volunteers (CSV) Volunteering Matters was recognised for its work with volunteers, giving them the help they need to run projects and programmes supporting the communities around them. Alongside the award the charity received a donation of £5,000 from the event headline sponsor Société Générale.

Volunteering Matters Chief Executive Oonagh Aitken said “We are obviously delighted to receive this award – it reflects the commitment of our president, trustees, volunteers and staff to enable everyone to be part of their communities through volunteering. We believe that everyone can play a role in their community and should have the chance to participate; we build volunteering projects and programmes to reflect this – and are so pleased that the European Diversity Awards have recognised this.”

Diversity expert Linda Riley, who founded the European Diversity Awards, paid tribute to the winners, saying “all those nominated for a European Diversity Award should rightly feel proud because in their own way they have contributed to making Europe a more tolerant, diverse and just society. We should never forget how far we’ve come but there is still much more to do which is why these awards are so important.”

ENDS.

For press enquiries and further photos please contact Alison Harvie  at Volunteering Matters, alison.harvie@volunteeringmatters.org.uk / 020 3780 5876 / 07823 413244

Notes to Editors 

• Volunteering Matters, formerly known as CSV, is a national charity leading UK volunteering in policy and practice. We believe that everyone can play a role in their community and should have the chance to participate; we build volunteering projects and programmes to reflect this. We focus on the needs of four distinct communities; older and retired people, disabled people, vulnerable families and young people. We engage over 35,000 volunteers every year, and currently have 150 active programmes across the UK. For more information please visit www.volunteeringmatters.org.uk
• The European Diversity Awardsrecognise and celebrate those organisations and individuals that have shown innovation, creativity and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion during 2015. The awards recognise excellence in the areas of gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, race, culture and religion across Europe. www.europeandiversityawards.com