Released on: 07 June 2021
NCT has joined the ‘Shaping the Future with Volunteering’ coalition, launching today (Monday 7 June).
A group of 18 of the UK’s leading volunteer-involving charities, including the Royal Voluntary Service, Scouts, NSPCC and Samaritans, are pledging to make communities dynamic and welcoming places for volunteering.
The coalition believes the expansion of volunteering through the recent pandemic has created an unprecedented opportunity to improve society. It is committed to working together across charities, government, and the private sector to make it happen.
One of the group’s aims is to make volunteering more accessible to people from different backgrounds and lived experiences, and to have their skills and experience recognised.
Angela McConville, CEO, NCT, said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us to work alongside other charities to help make the UK a welcoming, more inclusive place for volunteering. We all believe in the power of volunteering to change lives.
“Parents coming together in their local communities to support other parents is one of the most impactful and far-reaching effects of the work of our volunteers.
“So many people have stepped forward during the pandemic to support others. We’ve had hundreds of new volunteers to run our Walk & Talk groups, for example, supporting parents to build vital networks of support during the dark days of lockdown. This way, they’ve not only done something of real value but found new confidence, made friends and become part of a community.”
Over the past year, more than 12 million people have volunteered in the UK. The coalition will be recognising this amazing contribution by joining in a Thank You Day on Sunday July 4, aiming to get as many people as possible involved in community events and activities on the day.
The full list of the 18 charities involved in the ‘Shaping the future with volunteering’ group are:
British Red Cross ; Cats Protection; Girlguiding; Helpforce; NCT; NSPCC; National Trust; Papworth Trust; Rotary; RNLI; Royal Voluntary Service; Samaritans; Scouts; St John Ambulance; Stroke Association; The Conservation Volunteers; Volunteering Matters; YHA.
