We are pleased to announce Volunteers’ Week 2016, is off to a great start today, recognising the commitment local people give to volunteering throughout Scotland, celebrating the achievements of volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations, acknowledging the difference volunteering makes to our local communities, encouraging citizenship and making Scotland a better place to live.

Across Scotland, over 1.25 million volunteers contribute 162 million hours, and £6.2 billion to the local economy. We believe that there are armies of volunteers out there offering their time and energy, skills and talents, helping out regularly or when needed, sharing and contributing to the lives of many within our communities, and for some, if it weren’t for volunteers there would be no services such as their lunch or youth club.

We believe the importance of raising awareness, recognising and promoting volunteering, and so we have extended Volunteers’ Week until 12^th June this year, to take time to thank those volunteers and also to encourage you and your friends and families to think about getting involved in volunteering.

As part of Volunteers’ Week 2016, we at CVS Falkirk have organised a #VolunteeringIn3 initiative, “What does volunteering mean to me?”

We want to know what volunteering means to you in three words, whether you are a volunteer, work with volunteers, or have interacted with volunteers in any way. Tweet us or comment with your three words, and we’ll feature them on Twitter and our growing graffiti wall!

Our volunteering team have also been visiting organisations throughout Falkirk, talking about the impact volunteers have on the services they can offer, what volunteering means to them, as organisations, as volunteers, and why it is so important. They have all kindly taken time out of their days to take part in the #VolunteeringIn3 initiative. Check out our spotlight articles on our website showcasing some of our local organisations.

Take time to think about volunteering: is this something you would like to get involved in, or know someone who would be interested? Give us a call on 01324 692000 to speak with our volunteering team, or alternatively email us at info@cvsfalkirk.org.uk

So from all the staff at CVS Falkirk to all the volunteers throughout our community THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!