Aberdeen gets set to celebrate Volunteers Week 2021

17 May 2021

Volunteers’ Week is being celebrated next month (Mon 01 – Sun 07 June 2020) providing the ideal opportunity to acknowledge and thank the thousands of volunteers for the contribution they make to community life all year round in Aberdeen, particularly with the unprecedented demand arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Figures from ACVO (Third Sector Interface for Aberdeen) reveal that there are 70,500 people in the city who volunteer every year, which equates to 4.4m hours of volunteering. It is estimated that the economic impact of volunteering to Aberdeen is £67.3m per year while impact on the lives of those benefitting from the help of volunteers is immeasurable.

Aberdeen City Council Leader, Councillor Jenny Laing, said: “We are looking forward to saying a huge Thank You to our Community Volunteers and celebrating the fantastic work they do in making our communities better places to live by going the extra mile.

“The variety of activities performed by the thousands of volunteers in our city is wide ranging but whether it be dog walking, picking up shopping, making sure our community centres have been open to distribute emergency food, or one of many other roles, it is important that we take the time to recognise all their efforts. That is why we will ensure our celebrations reflect our appreciation of their fantastic work and dedication to their fellow citizens.”

Events and resources lined up to help celebrate volunteers during the special week include The Big Lunch on 5 and 6 June encouraging people to join in online or own their own doorstep in celebration along with a host of templates and downloads to mark the occasion, available at https://www.volunteersweek.scot

This year will also see the launch of a New Volunteer Friendly Award. Tickets for the launch are available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/volunteer-friendly-new-standard-2021-launch-tickets-147533577903

Anyone wishing to join in helping as a volunteer in Aberdeen can visit: www.acvo.org.uk or www.volunteeraberdeen.org.uk for more details.