VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK SCOT

THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!

Check out all the thank you messages, volunteer stories, drawings, photos, poems, songs, video + more recognising and celebrating Scotland’s Volunteers!

Natasha is a mum of two and has been volunteering for the Breastfeeding Network (BfN) in Ayrshire for many years now.

Natasha, Breastfeeding Network Volunteer
READ HERE

Katrona Templeton is the voluntary coordinator for our breastfeeding support group in Kilmarnock. She coordinates the volunteer rota and activities for the group as well as regularly volunteering at the group herself.

Katrona, Breastfeeding Network Volunteer
READ HERE

Youth Highland would like to thank member club The Clay Studio for all the amazing art they do with young people all year round. And especially during lockdown – for buying, organising and delivering c.500 art packs to young people in Merkinch, Lochalsh, Tain and all across Highland Region. Here’s a blog we wrote to showcase The Clay Studio’s work.
Read more here

The world of Volunteering during Covid 19 – During this pandemic Pipe Major Iain Bryson has offered and delivered online and offline daily tutoring to every member of Dundee City Pipe Band. We would like to thank him for his outstanding commitment. More details about Iain can be found on dcpb website.

Rhona has volunteered for BfN for around 8 years now, first at Ayrshire Maternity Unit and then in Irvine for a while before settling at the Kilmarnock group from Oct 2012.

Rhona, Breastfeeding Network Volunteer
READ HERE

Everyone at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland wants to say a HUGE BIG THANK YOU to each and every one of our amazing volunteers!

Despite everything that is happening right now, they have been going above and beyond to fight back with kindness and make sure that no one is left struggling on their own.

All of our amazing volunteers – across every role – are so vital to the work that we do. So, we’re thanking all of you for everything you have done and are continuing to do! You’re spreading kindness to make sure there is no life half lived in Scotland! Here’s a message of thanks from everyone at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. #VolunteersWeekScot

“When I started my first counselling course and began to think of volunteering, Cruse was one of the first agencies I approached.”

Tomi, Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland Volunteer
READ HERE

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At Radio Lollipop Glasgow we are so excited to be celebrating Volunteers’ Week from 1st-7th June 2020! Some of our incredible playmakers took some time to share their memories, favourite moments and party tricks with you. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers for their hard work and energy over the last 12 months – you are all superstars!

Jennifer Reid , Radio Lollipop

https://twitter.com/FeelingStrongUK/status/1268938692321849344

Youth Highland would like to say thank you to member club The Buzz Project for everything they do for young people all year. & especially during lockdown for their essential services community response & swift adaption to online youth work which has been remarkable! Here’s a blog showcasing their work.
Read more here

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Volunteer Edinburgh would like to thank volunteers, past, present and future for their outstanding support and all that they do. Volunteers’ Week is a time recognise and thank volunteers for all they contribute to local communities, the voluntary sector and society as a whole and we wouldn’t be who we are as an organisation without the support of volunteers. Share your stories and experiences of volunteering on our webpage here.

CVS Inverclyde would like to thank all volunteers who have volunteered over the past year. Volunteering has helped our communities come together over the COVID-19 period and an extended Thank You to CVS Inverclyde own Prescription and Shielding Volunteers.

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Happy Volunteers’ Week to our amazing Aberlour volunteers. We thank you for all of your time, skills, support & dedication to our children, young people & families, throughout the year & during this time. This years theme is get involved, get creative & say thanks!

https://twitter.com/Health_in_Mind/status/1267739177535315968

I am so proud of each and every volunteer in my group for their time given, effort put in, compassion for the project. Great bunch of people to be working with.

Louise Speirs , Heart of Braehead

“Volunteers are such an important part of everything we do at Children 1st. Across the country volunteers have been finding new ways to support children and families through the coronavirus crisis. Volunteers like Rebecca”

Read Volunteer Story from Children 1st

In this time where we are facing many losses caused by COVID-19, the services offered by Cruse will be greatly valued and needed.

Lilian, Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland Volunteer
READ HERE

HDS would like to thank our volunteers (past, present & future). In particular, our current volunteer, Lee, who supports HDS through marketing, communications & events. THANK YOU Lee for your time, dedication and skills. From the Board of Trustees & everyone at HDS.

Growing up in Aberdeen I never liked history, partly perhaps I blame the teacher’s dull, droning, nasal voice.

Lorna Creswell tells us about Volunteering at The Forres Area Credit Union
READ HERE

https://twitter.com/MartinJDocherty/status/1267393298509037568

Thank You to Adam Jackson a new member of our team here at Eastend Empowering Stars for all the effort you have put into your role as a volunteer with us and helping and supporting our social enterprise during these time you are an inspiration and a star keep up the amazing work you do for us and hopefully you stay with us throughout the future:)

Mitchell Gavin , Eastend Empowering Stars

https://twitter.com/drbellsfamily/status/1267364769645965313

Listen to Alcohol and Drugs Action Aberdeen thank their volunteers for all their hard work and efforts from the last year,

As a little girl I remember visiting the beautiful ‘The Peoples’ Palace’ Museum in Glasgow as a treat on Sunday.  There was an exhibition on called ‘Scotland Sober and Free’ and they had a lot of information about the different Temperance Organisations in Scotland in the last century.  I found that Band of Hope was foremost among them and helped young people make drug-free choices.  All Band of Hope members had to be alcohol and drug free non smokers.  I thought this was wonderful and that these were my people.  I felt sad because I had the impression that they were no longer in existence and I had missed out.  Only many years later when I learned to use the internet did I find that they were still there now called ‘Hope UK’! I immediately became an educator and in the 13 years following I have worked with thousands of young people to share with them the benefits of drug free choices.  It is fascinating, rewarding work and I recommend Hope UK to anyone.  The training is free and you can do so much good.  With County Lines Drugs Gangs becoming increasingly prevalent all possible help is needed to enable young people to make drug free choices.

Listen to ACVO Development Officer Sandy Mathers thank and recognise the amazing efforts of Aberdeen’s Volunteers.

Thank you to all the young volunteers who work incredibly hard, supporting each other in classes, community events, performances and competitions. I miss you all during this lockdown and can’t wait to get our dance family back together again x

Natasha Stewart, Rhythm Nation Dance and Fitness

Massive thank you to the leaders and coordinators that helped me and my teammates over the past few years complete our Duke of Edinburgh Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. I am so appreciative and I wouldn’t be here without you all!

Youth Higland would like to thank member club The Place Youth Club for all they do all year round and for their amazing community response during covi19 lockdown. Here’s a blog showcasing their work.
Read more here

https://twitter.com/YoungScot/status/1268822366324310018

None of this would have been possible with the dedication of our amazing volunteers whose hard work has ensured that no-one referred to us has missed a meal.

Thank You to AdvoCard’s Volunteer Advocacy Workers. Read more here.

https://twitter.com/CHSScotland/status/1268551217300594689

“Pamela trained as a BfN Helper and began volunteering in the North Ayrshire Parent & Baby Cafés inApril of 2019, regularly making the journey from her home in Largs to Saltcoats and Kilbirnie to support families.”

Pamela, Breastfeeding Network Volunteer
READ HERE

We want to say THANK YOU to our volunteer board members who give their time, expertise and commitment to HDS. If you’re interested in joining our fantastic board, please contact us.

We’re so proud of all of our Catch 23 volunteers and the wonderful and positive contribution they make in so many people’s lives to support people experiencing mental illness and mental ill health. Their kindness and support means so much to so many people and helps people every day. Many have lived experience of mental illness themselves and their recovery jouney’s are truly an inspiration to us all. We are so proud of them and want to take this opportunity to celebrate their fantastic contribution and thank them for all that they do. X

https://twitter.com/JJLindenSNP/status/1267592829498544129

Sue trained with Hope UK in 2018/19 to become a qualified Voluntary Drug Educator. Before she had completed her final training week, she was already delivering drug education from stands in the Victorian market in Inverness.

Sue is clearly passionate about drug education and embodies Hope UK’s mission, in ‘equipping young people to make drug-free choices. She can even be found encouraging her friends and colleagues to consider their alcohol and nicotine usage.

Joe Griffith, Hope UK

“My story starts as a child, which is a very long time ago now in a land far far away … or so it seemed for many years. “

Audrey, Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland Volunteer
READ HERE

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Sarah Tomlins Thanks Edinburgh Home Library Service Volunteers

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We want to say a massive thank you to all of our amazing volunteers. We have people living in our communities who are scared and isolated and it’s so reassuring to know that our volunteers are joining us during this crisis and beyond to fight back with kindness.

Many people have lost their weekly support groups, often their only social interaction, which is devastating to them. However, our volunteers are able to help reduce feelings of isolation and provide small acts of kindness which can make a huge difference to people’s health and wellbeing. It can mean the world to them and it means the world to everyone at Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.

“Volunteers’ Week is a great time to celebrate their hard work and share our thanks and appreciation for all of our volunteers throughout the charity. We are so grateful for the work that they have done and continue to do; especially now as we need to make sure that that no one is left to fight Coronavirus alone.

Lockdown didn’t stop us thanking our volunteers during Volunteers’ Week 2020 as here at Home-Start in Dundee we held a Virtual Tea Party using Zoom! We had a great time catching up over a cuppa!

Youth Highland would like to thank member club – Ullapool Sea Savers for all their year round campaigning and litter picking to make our seas a better place. And for helping their community during lockdown #prawnageddon. Here’s a blog showcasing what USS do.
Read more here

https://twitter.com/Beatson_Charity/status/1268550038051000324

Staff have been delivering Goodie Bags to Home-Start volunteers today to say a big Thank You ahead of our Virtual Tea Party which took place on 3rd June Everyone had a nice time and enjoyed taking part in the Tea themed fun quiz!

A video of Thanks from NHS staff: a huge THANK YOU to volunteers past, present & currently stood down. We’re so looking forward to having you back in action when it’s safe to do so #VolunteersWeekScot

https://twitter.com/GUvolunteer/status/1267833351747940355

My name is Nicola and I am a Befriender volunteer in the Western Isles. I’m proud to be apart of the team to help others by making a difference. and coming up with with new ideas for Fundrasing events. A lot of people are in isolation or loneliness. Just having a cuppa and chat makes a big difference. It puts a smile on their faces. I think it’s fantastic to see so many people join to get trained up to become a Befriender, have some fun and enjoy it while we can. It’s an Amazing charity. Keep safe folks. Thank you staff and Volunteers for all your hard work and for your support, and members of the public for your donations every year. It’s greatly appreciated.

Nicola E Finlayson , Befriending Lewis & Harris

Jane Maciver Thanks Link Befriending Project Volunteers

https://twitter.com/KevinStewartSNP/status/1267476204128477185

Thank You to Men’s Shed St Andrews for being an awesome bunch of guys supporting the local community and being a caring group of friends, especially in the lockdown. From rebuilding beaches, to planting planters! We remember we were all young once! We may be older, but we are young at heart. #volunteersweekscot

A HUGE thank you to everyone who volunteers for Sustrans to look after the National Cycle Network and keep it safe and clean, and good for people and wildlife.

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Claire Buchanan, Health Walk Co-ordinator from Health and Social Care Moray, thanking her incredible walk leader volunteers!

We at Cue and Review recording service would like to thank out amazing team of volunteers. Here at Cue and Review we record daily newspaper articles for the visually and reading impaired. Our wonderful team of volunteers have kindly been recording these articles from home as we cannot get access to our studios. We understand that lockdown is a difficult time for some people as they may be working from home and home schooling children, as well as caring for loved ones. We are extremely grateful to our volunteers who are taking time out of their busy days to help us keep our service going. We have just under 2500 listeners who have been able to access the publications as they usually would. With 4350 people living with sight loss in East Dunbartonshire alone, our service is more important than ever. Keeping a sense of normality during this time is vital for the people who rely on us. A big thank you goes out to all our volunteers who are helping us right now. We couldn’t do it without you.

Stirling Young Carers staff and young carers would like to say a huge thank you to our volunteers who give up their time every week to support us with groups, and take the time to join us on day trips and residentials. Some young carers have created special thank you pictures to help us show our appreciation for all our fab volunteers!

Stirling Young Carers

The Seaton Linksfield Community Network a newly established group in Aberdeen. Setup by the Communities Team at Aberdeen City Council. The group has 7 volunteers who have been a part of the group since the beginning. The group has done a lot of work in the area, from litter picking to gardening and campaigning for safer streets. This group deserves a pat on the back for all the time and effort they have put in for the last couple of years. Without them, none of this would be achieved. I hope that the group can continue the good work and hope more community residents will join the group.

Elissa Claire Miller (Elise) is a mum of two and is the voluntary Coordinator of our Irvine Breastfeeding Network (BfN) support group. Alongside volunteering, she also organises the volunteer rota and activities for the group.

Elise, Breastfeeding Network Volunteer
READ HERE

A message from the Chair of the HDS Board of Trustees, “I have been kept abreast of all the hard work that all the HDS volunteers have been doing during my time as Chair of the Board. I recognise and appreciate you are all giving up your spare time in order to provide HDS with valuable support. I would like to say a big thank you to all volunteers (past and present) for all your hard work and dedication in helping the charity reach our goals. Every volunteer working at HDS is very much part of the team and a valued member of staff.”

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Youth Highland would like to thank member club – Thurso Youth Club for all they do for young people throughout the year. Since the start of lockdown their staff & volunteers have been working in partnership with Thurso Community Development Trust to deliver food and essential support to their community. Here’s a blog we wrote to showcase what they do.
Read more here

https://twitter.com/CHSScotland/status/1268829481038381058

The girl in this clip is amazing Carly definitely goes way beyond the extra mile. She’s a key worker in Tesco , volunteers in the hospital she launched an appeal early in lockdown for toiletries for patients in hospital where she works and spent loads of her own time and money driving round Glasgow collecting essential items and treats for patients locked down in hospitals. Thank you you are a true angel.

On behalf of Engage Renfrweshire and our members we wanted to say thank you to all the incredible volunteers who work so tirelessly across Renfrewshire. Members of our communities who support their neighbours both in this time of need and throughout the year. We hope you enjoy this short video which highlights just some of the incredible work being done.

A huge thank you to all our D of E Volunteers and Leaders!
From the Aberdeenshire Council D of E Team!

https://twitter.com/FifeVolAction/status/1268116382744555521

Thank you to all our Volunteers at Stepping Stones. At Stepping Stones we have many peers, volunteers and trainees who support the organisation in the work we do. The roles they take are wide and varied and include group work, peer support, governance and 1:1 counselling. They are a great bunch who are so committed to Stepping Stones and give so much back to their communities.

John White , Stepping Stones Organisation (Mental Health)

https://twitter.com/scottishtri/status/1267773259963121667

“When you think of bereavement, what do you think of? Despair? Loss? Grief? … a lot of pain? “

Chris, Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland Volunteer
READ HERE

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Linda Ireland-Tollaners’ bedroom has become a one-person, volunteer mission control. From it, Linda co-ordinates a team of 36 new volunteers (and counting) who are delivering the Royal Voluntary Service’s (RVS) Moray-wide shop and drop service for vulnerable people and those currently shielding.

Linda Ireland-Tollaners, Volunteer Manager
READ HERE

https://twitter.com/scottishtri/status/1267456472696397828

Without fail and for the past 6 weeks, Peter White has walked from his home in Lossiemouth down to the local Baptist Church to help Lossiemouth Community Council’s Covid-19 Response.

Peter White, Volunteer Story
READ HERE

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Listen to ACVO CEO Maggie Hepburn thank and recognise the amazing efforts of Aberdeen’s Volunteers for Volunteers Week Scot

Thank You, Art in the Gart Volunteers You who offer your time, your skills and your good humour.
With your energy, we can offer more creative activity; socialising and performance for patients of acute mental health services at Gartnavel Royal Hospital. Your presence brings the outdoors in and helps people connect outwards to their neighbourhoods, beyond their hospital stay. Whether through casual conversation or a game of chess; or with a dog at your side, or holding a paintbrush, guitar or garden spade, sharing activity and time with you keeps us looking outwards.
During Volunteers’ Week and during every week, Thank You.