UK: A week for volunteers

Volunteers' Week is a national celebration of volunteers and volunteering which takes place from June 1 to 7 each year. It plays a huge part in raising the profile of England?s 22 million volunteers while encouraging others to get involved.

During Volunteers? Week there is a burst of activity as events take place across the country to increase awareness of the UK?s volunteers. Volunteer managers organise events to publicly thank their volunteers and highlight their contribution to local groups and the wider community, while individuals are encouraged to use the Week to find out more about volunteering.

Everyone is invited to join this national celebration of volunteering – it's up to you to decide exactly how you join in.

Volunteers? Week began in 1985. Initially it was run on a local level but in order to raise greater awareness of the importance of volunteers the National Centre for Volunteering took the lead in promoting the Week.

The planning and development of Volunteers? Week in England is now led by the Volunteers? Week team at Volunteering England. The volunteer development agencies across the UK (Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), Volunteer Development Agency (based in Belfast), Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS) and Volunteering England work together to shape the major themes for the Week.

Each year more and more organisations get involved in the Week and participants take part in various events throughout the UK. These range from award presentations to setting-up information booths or sponsored walks and team challenge events with everything in between.

Read more on Vita Europe

• Volunteering week launched in Northern Ireland

Find out more about UK events

• www.volunteersweek.org.uk

Find out more online

• www.cvs.org.ik
• www.do-it.org.uk
• www.onlinevolunteering.org
• www.tufts.edu/talloiresnetwork
• www.volunteer.ie
• www.volunteering.org.uk
• www.volunteerscotland.org.uk
• www.vso.org.uk
• www.yearofreadingwales.org