By Dianne Craven
This year’s Volunteers’ Week runs from Monday, 3 June to Sunday, 9 June 2024.
Volunteers’ Week celebrates the amazing contributions volunteers make to communities across the UK. It was first established in 1984 by what was then known as Volunteering England.
As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to improve volunteers’ wellbeing too.
At present, there are lots of volunteering opportunities in the West Leeds area.
WLD community reporter and volunteer extraordinaire, Helen Garrand, talks about her experiences as a volunteer at the PDSA shop at Bramley Shopping Centre. She has carried out a variety of roles, including working on the shop floor, the sorting of donations, and tagging. Helen has been volunteering for the PDSA for 10 years.
She loves her role and said: “Volunteering is good to get you out meeting people and improving your skills.”
Helen added there were a number of volunteer vacancies at the PDSA, specifically working on the shop floor, working on the till. If you are interested you can contact Helen’s manager, Kath Driver, at the shop, or go online.
Volunteering can be about giving something back to the community. It can also be a healing process, or help you gain new skills. But working in a shop may not be your cup of tea. Charites such as St Gemma’s and Bramley Elderly Action are looking for drivers, befrienders, and shopping assistants. You can contact the individual organisations direct.
Volunteers’ Week will culminate in “The Big Help Out”, which begins on Friday, 7 June. You will be able to discover local volunteering opportunities. Watch out for volunteering taster sessions on offer in the West Leeds area.
If you have a volunteering opportunity you would like publicising contact WLD with the details at news@westleedsdispatch.com.
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