The start of June means one thing; it's National Volunteers Week again. Between 1 - 7 every June, charities are encouraged to take a moment and reflect about the difference that volunteers make in their service delivery. 

Volunteers are at the heart of our communities, enabling thousands of charities across the UK to deliver life-changing services to friends and neighbours all around us. According to NCVO, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, last year alone 16.3 million chose to give their skills and time to charities and groups. A whopping figure that perfectly showcases the giving spirit that's still very much alive across the UK. 

This year, National Volunteers Week will be part of wider Month of Community celebrations. Pioneered by Eden Project Communities, it is a chance for all of us to “say cheers to volunteers, connect with your neighbours, support a cause you care about, or simply to say thank you.”

 

   

From left to right: Preparing for the Celebrity Charity Match at Woking FC, volunteers braving summer showers to run a raffle at Music in the Park, plant sale put on by long-time supporters to raise money for Cherry Trees locally at East Clandon, Gordon taking on the role of Christmas Elf preparing festive greeting cards at Cherry Trees.

 

As always, Cherry Trees will be joining in with the celebrations by saying thank you to our amazing group of volunteer heroes. We are lucky to benefit from the generous support of over 200 volunteers, who are always happy to give a lending hand. Whether it's painting and decorating, important admin jobs, driving children to school in our minibuses, or helping deliver successful fundraising events, the thousands of hours volunteered are the backbone to Cherry Trees. 

To celebrate the hard-work and dedication of our incredible volunteer community, we thought we'd share some of our favourite volunteering moments from the past year. 

 

    

From left to right: Tiffany Budd local artist brining colour to our children's bathroom, volunteers from DMH Stallard on a CSR day giving our garden a much-needed refresh, the incredible Colin Thackery performing at our Christmas Market, summer time volunteering at Horsley Big Day Out, and Shetland Ponies dressed head to toe in Easter costume supervised by Caroline and Sarah.

 

If you fancy giving volunteering a go, we are always looking for kind people to join our flock of volunteer heroes. Whether you'd prefer to help out on an ad hoc basis, or a more regular role, please let us know by calling 01483222507 or emailing [email protected].