Government-funded project increases volunteering opportunities in the Harborough district

Harborough District Council has been working to develop volunteering opportunities in the district.

The authority received £8,000 government funding for the project which is run alongside Voluntary Action Leicestershire (VAL).

Over the past six months, VAL identified four areas to encourage the development of volunteering in Harborough.

The first area was ‘individual support’, which considers where and how potential volunteers could be reached, targeting specific areas in the district. As a result, events were held to promote the benefits of volunteering.

The second area was ‘supporting Volunteer Involving Organisations’ which aims to develop and promote volunteering opportunities by hosting recruitment activities to engage residents within their organisations. Thanks to this support, 42 more volunteering opportunities were developed.

‘Working with local businesses’ looked at developing corporate volunteering in the district. A networking workshop explored how businesses could support volunteering and community action in their area. It included discussions on how ‘micro-volunteering’ – which allows people to provide support in smaller, flexible ways including remotely - and sharing business skills with volunteers, could have a positive impact on communities.

Finally, developing micro volunteering aimed to create more inclusive opportunities to broaden the volunteer base in the area. From this, 12 ‘micro volunteering’ opportunities were successfully created.

District council leader Cllr Phil Knowles said: “Contributions that volunteers make shouldn’t be underestimated. They make a huge difference to our communities so providing them with further opportunities is important. Volunteering can often be the next step on the work ladder and can transform lives by giving people the chance to gain valuable, transferable skills.”

Visit the VAL website for more information.