Organisations which took part in the recent volunteer recruitment event at the Sefton Hotel were honoured to be invited by the Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood to a reception at Government House to acknowledge the Island’s first ever Volunteers’ Week. The organisers of the event have acknowledged that having the support and recognition of the Lieutenant Governor in promoting the week has been much appreciated.
 
Celebrating and appreciating the work of volunteers has been the aim of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) in the UK for 30 years, where Volunteers’ Week takes place annually during the first week in June.
 
Realising the importance of this, the Noble’s Hospital Volunteer Service spearheaded the launch of the first ever Isle of Man Volunteers’ Week this year, which will now be held annually during the first week of March instead of June, due to the clash with TT races.
 
Volunteers’ Week is an opportunity to reward and recognise the valuable contribution volunteers make to our community, and to highlight the vital role volunteering plays in Island life.
 
The recruitment event at the Sefton was a huge success, with almost 500 people collecting information and finding out more about the volunteering roles on offer from the 30 organisations who were present.
 
Alison Lester, Volunteer Service Manager at Noble’s Hospital, who organised the event said: “The success of day showed that an annual event like this is needed. I am always impressed at the generosity of Isle of Man residents who are willing to give their time to volunteering. I would like to thank the organisations for taking part in not only the recruitment event but also our inaugural Volunteers’ Week.  I hope this will be adopted by all of the Island’s charitable and voluntary organisations. How they celebrate Volunteers’ Week is entirely up to the individual groups; however we are happy to share ideas, make suggestions and distribute the Volunteers’ Week logo.”