Volunteers’ Week 2023: Celebrate and Inspire

Citizens Advice Southampton marks Volunteers’ Week 2023.

2023 marks the 39th year of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), when Citizens Advice Southampton will join thousands of charities and voluntary organisations recognising the contribution volunteers make across the UK. With this year’s theme of ‘Celebrate and Inspire’ we hope to encourage people to be the change that we want to see and get involved in volunteering in whatever way works for them.

The contribution of volunteers is often unseen and unrecognised by many, visible only through the incredible impact of their volunteering, so taking the time during Volunteers’ Week to celebrate their efforts and all they contribute to our local communities, the voluntary sector and society as a whole has never been more important.

This Volunteers’ Week Citizens Advice Southampton will be celebrating their 48 volunteers, by featuring our volunteers on our social media, holding a cream tea party for our volunteers, sending thank you cards and awarding them certificates.

“Volunteers' Week is a chance  for us to celebrate and recognise the fantastic contribution our volunteers make. The commitment, dedication and empathy  they show to Southampton Citizens Advice and our clients, is incredible and inspiring. Our volunteers allow us to support over 5000 people each year with a range of support with benefits, debt, housing, immigration, cost of living and so much more.

As a local charity, we rely on our volunteers, and want to take the opportunity during Volunteers week, to recognise their contribution, and celebrate the impact they have and to say THANK YOU”

• Chris Dixon, Chief Officer

“I find volunteering at Citizens Advice very rewarding. It is most satisfying to provide advice to those who otherwise would have little option than to put up with , potentially, being mistreated. Also , makes me aware of what is happening in society”

• Glyn Tudor, Volunteer

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Volunteering Stats During 2020 (UK Civil Society Almanac 2022)

• 16.3m people volunteered through a group, club or organisation in 2020/21.
• Levels of formal volunteering fell significantly from 2019/20 to in 2020/21.
• More than a quarter of the population were regularly involved in informal volunteering and about half did so at least once in 2020/21.
• Most people have formally volunteered at some point in their lives, dipping in and out of involvement over time.
• People volunteer in different ways, reflecting their lifestyles, values and priorities. The way they get involved has changed during the pandemic.

Notes to editors:

1. Contact: Alex House, ahouse@sotoncab.org.uk
2. https://citizensadvicesouthampton.org.uk/
3. Volunteers’ Week is an annual campaign, which takes place every year 1-7 June.
4. To find out more about volunteering in England, visit https://volunteersweek.org/
5. For the latest statistics in England see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-life-survey-202021-volunteering-and-charitable-giving as well as https://www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/uk-civil-society-almanac-2022/#/