People choose to volunteer for lots of different reasons. For some it offers the chance to give something back to their community or make a difference to the people around them.

For others it’s an opportunity to develop new skills, expand their CV or build on existing experience and knowledge.

Have a look at this one minute YouTube video to see five inspirational volunteering stories:

Volunteers can do all sorts of things, from helping at a nursery, doing conservation work, to helping at a day centre.

Volunteering has many positive benefits and gives you a chance to:

• build on your skills
• improve your self esteem
• gain work experience
• improve your CV
• explore other possible careers
• make new friends
• make a difference to your community

We asked some local volunteers why they volunteer and what they get out of it….

If you want to learn new skills, help your community or build on your experience, we have over 300 volunteering opportunities to choose from right now, in a wide range of areas including: community support, befriending, outdoor activity, practical/DIY, advice, retail, administration, advocacy, IT/Website, transport and much more.

Here’s a selection of the 100s of volunteering opportunities on offer this month: 

Find out more by:

• Phoning or emailing janice@wlcvs.org at the CVS Volunteer Centre on 07598 552 945 for a chat or to arrange a telephone appointment
• Going to www.doit.life to register online and look at current volunteering opportunities.  Due to the current COVID-19 crisis some of these opportunities will not be available at present.

Volunteers are the life blood of many organisations across the Borough and West Lancs CVS Volunteer Centre has recruited thousands of volunteers for hundreds of local organisations over its long history.

We help public, private, voluntary and community organisations find volunteers by:

• advertising your volunteer opportunities
• recruiting volunteers
• helping with your training needs
• giving ongoing support and advice on volunteering issues
• including your organisation’s volunteers in our Certificate Scheme and help with the preparation of the paperwork
• helping and advising on the development of good practice in volunteering

Here’s what local organisations are saying about the importance of volunteers to them:

Every day thousands of people across West Lancs help others in their community by volunteering. It may be a formal volunteering role with a local organisation, or helping to run the local community group, or it could be helping their older neighbour next door.

They all play a vital part in making sure families get fed, new people are welcomed, sick people get the provisions they need, people have green spaces to enjoy, lonely people have someone to connect to.

Volunteers do it for little thanks, with no fanfare, and West Lancs would be lost without them!