The Cross Party Group (CPG) for Volunteering held a Volunteers’ Week 2025 event in Scottish Parliament to celebrate the impact of volunteering. Our volunteering team, Ashleigh and Beth, attended to hear more about the difference volunteering is making in Scotland, and wrote up their experiences of the day for our latest blog post!

The event started with a presentation from Bethany Sikes (Research and Policy Manager, Volunteer Scotland) about Volunteer Scotland and State of Life’s recent report on the social value of volunteering in Scotland. The report defines the social value of volunteering as the “impact on the wellbeing of the population” and translates that social value into financial worth. It is estimated that the social value of one individual volunteering formally once per week is worth approximately £1000 per year. When scaled to the population level of Scotland and combined with the economic value of the time people spend formally volunteering, it becomes evident that volunteers are contributing £2.3 billion to the Scottish economy in terms of their time and higher wellbeing. This demonstrates the scale of the impact volunteering makes in Scotland and reinforces the importance of recognising how vital volunteering is for not just the wellbeing of the Scottish population, but also the economy.

After hearing about the broad impact of volunteering, the director of Edinburgh-based charity Vintage Vibes, Georgia Artus, then shared the results of their volunteer study. Vintage Vibes was originally founded to help lonely and isolated over 60s by providing companionship, but it was quickly realised that the volunteers were benefiting hugely as well. In their recent study, 89% of volunteers claimed that they were happier, had an improved sense of wellbeing, and that life was better since they began to volunteer – really highlighting the mutual benefit and reciprocal relationship of volunteering.

This was further demonstrated by volunteer Natalja, who gave a heartfelt talk about how much her life in Edinburgh had improved after she was paired with 95-year-old Maja. Natalja described Maja as her “friend and soulmate”, and Maja also added that she felt so grateful for the relationship she shared with Natalja.

There was also then a presentation from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) which highlighted how important their 1,222 volunteers are to their life-saving service, while volunteer Sophie explained how much volunteering with RNLI has also helped her. Sophie shared that after relocating to a new town due to her partner’s work, becoming a volunteer was vital to building a community and finding her own identity. Beyond the personal benefits, volunteering also helped Sophie professionally as she is now able to appreciate how diversity of thought improves organisations; to understand the human factors in decision making; to ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and to a high standard; and to put herself forward for leadership roles. You can hear more about how RNLI has touched the lives of volunteers, survivors, and more, through their 200 Voices podcast.

During the discussion section of the event, further personal testimonies and volunteer voices were shared. For instance, two volunteers with Young Scot described how they had gained professional experience and dramatically improved their confidence through volunteering. A volunteer with Inclusive Skating also shared how they had achieved coaching qualifications and skills, while an Inclusive Skating staff member highlighted how integral the Volunteering Support Fund was for enabling them to deliver SQA qualifications.

The event then concluded with some final thoughts by Alan Stevenson (CEO, Volunteer Scotland). Alan reiterated the value of connections made through volunteering and called for volunteering to be supported and endorsed throughout society – a sentiment that CVS Falkirk & District strongly supports. It has never been more evident that volunteering vastly improves the lives of everyone involved and it is important that people are supported to get involved, particularly in the face of declining participation levels and in the cost-of-living crisis.

If you would like to find out more about volunteering, from measuring impact to getting involved, then please reach out to our volunteering team at info@cvsfalkirk.org.uk.