Press release (3) - new digital volunteering platform
134 #DenbighshireVolunteers step up as volunteers in last year
DVSC has seen 134 volunteers placed in Denbighshire in the last year the latest figures from Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council have shown.
Volunteers are the backbone of Welsh communities, many of which would not have access to the services they need without the support of volunteers.
In Wales 28% of people describe themselves as currently taking part in volunteering, with 61 million hours a year given to help improve Welsh society and meet people’s needs and aspirations.
People volunteer their time across a vast range of activities from volunteer librarians, drivers, interpreters and animal fosterers, to fundraisers, mental and physical health support workers, and those that provide vital emergency services.
Sylvia (2nd left) with staff and volunteers at DVSC who supported her.
[endif]--Sylvia moved to a Women’s Aid Refuge in April 2016 having been married for around 41 years. She had no formal qualifications and no work experience. Through DVSC Sylvia found a volunteering opportunity at St Kentigern hospice shop in Ruthin which gave her confidence, skills/experience and most importantly value. Since then she has gained employment using her new found skills and confidence yet still fits in time to volunteer at the shop; helping a local charity and the local community. Sylvia says “I feel marvellous, like someone feels I’m worth something. I couldn’t have done this without the support of DVSc and their volunteers"
This week people across the UK celebrate Volunteer’s Week. The annual celebration takes place 1-7 June and aims to recognise, reward and recruit volunteers.
To mark the occasion DVSC along with other Third Sector Support Wales partners has today announced the ‘go live’ date for an exciting enhancement to our #DenbighshireVolunteers digital platform in partnership with the Wales Council for Voluntary Action with a new digital volunteering platform to replace the current system on volunteering-wales.net from 8 June 2018.
The new platform enhances the #DenbighshireVolunteers.net service offer, and can be found direct from the site with a click of the Get Involved button. It is free for volunteers and for organisations looking to recruit. As before you can find opportunities by searching for keywords or according to distance from your location. However, volunteers can now also log the hours and skills they gain through volunteering and will receive digital badges for volunteering 50, 100, 200 hours or more.
Registration is straightforward, and the website will remind you of your forthcoming commitments as well as being a record of what you have achieved, particularly useful for updating your CV.
Helen Wilkinson, DVSC’s Chief Executive Officer says:
“We developed the #DenbighshireVolunteers website last year as a platform for inspiring citizens and people working in Denbighshire to become involved in volunteering through public engagement campaigns. Our innovative approach has been recognised and it is great to now be able to enhance our digital offer to the public and our members and partners with this new user friendly system for registering interest as a volunteer or registering the volunteer opportunities available in organisations across Denbighshire. We hope our members find it useful and that our partners will promote it so that we engage as many people as possible in voluntary action.”
The system will help volunteer involving organisations in Denbighshire to recruit and manage volunteers, log volunteer hours, plan rotas and events, record training and experience and produce reports.
DVSC is encouraging organisations to register for the new platform now by visiting www.denbighshirevolunteers.net/get-involved/.
Organisations that register during Volunteers’ Week will have their opportunities live on the site from 8 June 2018.
For more information, please contact Helen Wilkinson, Chief Executive on: 07713 997075
Notes to editors
134 volunteers were placed in Denbighshire through volunteering-wales.net April 2017 - March 2018,
28% of people currently volunteered, either formally or informally according to the National Survey for Wales, 2016-17
61 million hours a year given to volunteering based on latest figures from Third Sector Support Wales’ national partner, WCVA’s data hub - www.wcva.org.uk/what-we-do/the-third-sector-data-hub
Third Sector Support Wales is a network of support organisations for the third sector in Wales. Our shared goal is to enable the third sector and volunteers across Wales to contribute fully to individual and community well-being, now and for the future.
DVSC is a membership led charity. Our miss
ion is to provide excellent support to volunteers, volunteer involving organisations and the third sector and to be an influential voice in Denbighshire.
DVSC is the leadership body in Denbighshire for celebrating, promoting and supporting #DenbighshireVolunteers and we join forces with our partners in Third Sector Support Wales to inspire voluntary action throughout Wales.
Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council
Canolfan Naylor Leyland
Well Street
volunteer@dvsc.co.uk / 01824 702441
Registered Charity 1054322 Company limited by guarantee 3132487
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