Worcestershire honours those who give up their time for free

The County Council is celebrating volunteers across Worcestershire such as those who volunteer for charities, schools, libraries or care homes, as well as those who give their time through the council’s Here2Help service as the country marks Volunteers’ Week: June 1 to 7.

Aimmy Adagu is a volunteer who signed up to Here2Help through the coronavirus pandemic. Aimmy has over 20 years of volunteering experience and was motivated to offer help through Here2Help after wanting to help local vulnerable and elderly people, young children and teenagers.

As a Here2Help volunteer, Aimmy supported at local vaccination centres, assisting with stewarding, supporting people and checking people in at Knights Pharmacy, The Artrix Centre and BHI Parkside.

Aimmy also volunteered through Here2Help with assembling children’s activity packs as part of the Holiday Activities and Food programme for Ready Steady Worcestershire in Redditch.

Speaking about volunteering with Here2Help Aimmy said: “I really love volunteering and I really liked feeling that I was helping people when they were suffering and in need. It made me feel that I was there for them and that I was able to make a contribution.

“It’s been good to get to know new people and I’ve made new friends. The pandemic has been really hard for all of us, but volunteering has helped me because chatting with new people has made me feel better, made me more active and increased my confidence.

“There is lots of support from Here2Help when you want to volunteer too and when you’re volunteering it’s not just helping others, it helps your own confidence and wellbeing too.”

Here2Help was created by Worcestershire County Council and began in April 2020 as a response to the problems everyone was facing due to the pandemic.

Here2Help has continued to grow since then and now Here2Help volunteers are working in communities connecting with local people who are isolated or vulnerable and in need.

Councillor Marcus Hart, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Communities, said: “Volunteers play an incredibly valuable part in our communities and that has been especially evident in Worcestershire with the introduction of Here2Help. I want to thank all volunteers in Worcestershire whether they are volunteering through Here2Help, a charity or another avenue.

“We are very proud of the work Here2Help volunteers are continuing to do, as the service develops to support other needs such as the Ukraine Crisis.

“I would urge anyone who is interested in getting involved in volunteering to offer their help through Here2Help.”

Over 2,500 people are now registered as Here2Help volunteers and in the last 12 months alone over 2,535 hours have been offered by people wanting to help.

If you would like to sign up to give your time, then please visit the Here2Help page on the Council's Website.  

There is also an essential network of Volunteer Centres across Worcestershire run by local dedicated charities supporting a range of amazing voluntary and community activities. You can find out more and get involved by visit the We Can Website.