Volunteers' Week is an annual national campaign. It takes place 1-7 June every year and gives us an opportunity to say thank you to our volunteers for their fantastic contribution.  

As a result of the social distancing, this year's Volunteers' Week will be different. We are finding different ways to say ‘‘Thank You" to our volunteers, including Val singing! 

Thanking our volunteers  

Staff at Help on Your Doorstep would like to say a huge thank you to all our volunteers. We wouldn’t be able to support the community in Islington without you. Our staff have made a film saying thank you to our wonderful volunteers, which includes Val, Good Neighbours Coordinator, singing!

Our staff recognise the unique contributions volunteers make to Help on Your Doorstep. Nicky, Good Neighbours Coordinator says, “A massive thank to for our Canonbury Good Neighbours volunteers. Without you we would be able to deliver these big, great groups. You bring life to the groups. You give your time to the groups and to the community. We all appreciate you so much!” 

“To all you wonderful people out there supporting our clients through these challenging time, we couldn’t do it without you! Thank you!” says John Warby, Connect Team Leader.  

Gabi, from our Archway Connect team, wanted to share her appreciation “I want to say thank you to all of our volunteers. You give the best present to anyone- your time and your kindness. Thank you!”   

Acknowledging volunteer energy and commitment

Our volunteers give so much to Help on Your Doorstep. We wanted to acknowledge their energy and commitment. So we’ve sent them each a card and chocolates to recognise their unique contributions to the organisation and to Islington.

Ways to volunteer  

We currently have 75 volunteers. Last year 32 volunteers were involved in Good Neighbours Scheme, dedicated 788 hours of their time to support residents in Islington. They do a range of things to support Help on Your Doorstep, from outreach to leafleting and events to befriending. 

There is also a lot of informal volunteering, within our Good Neighbours community. For example, residents helping their neighbours to attend activities and sharing skills learnt at the Good Neighbours Scheme. This informal volunteering has grown during the current crisis with residents supporting each other - phoning to have a chat, checking up on neighbours, cooking meals for those that are not able.  

To help Islington residents during the Coronavirus pandemic we have inducted and trained almost 60 new volunteers. They are supporting vulnerable and isolated people across Islington, with regular befriending calls or deliveries of essential items. If you know someone who might benefit from support from a volunteer, refer them to us by contacting our general enquires line on 020 3931 6080 or by emailing us at [email protected]  

Volunteering in Islington 

Islington Life is celebrating Volunteers’ Week by saying thank you to all the amazing volunteers in Islington. They are highlighted the work of two Help on Your Doorstep volunteers, Paul and Simren. 

Paul has been volunteering on our befriending service. He says: ‘I often have the sense at the end of a call that the person perhaps feels a little happier than at the beginning of the call, perhaps simply as a result of speaking to someone else.’ 

Simren has been supporting an elderly gentleman in her local area. So far, she has managed to get him connected to the internet, collected prescriptions for him from the hospital and speaks to him at least twice a week to check he is OK and keep him company. 

You can read their full stories here.  
 

Volunteering matters

When Fabiana met Chanelle, one of our Connect Advisors, on her doorstep little did she know that the conversation would lead her to volunteering regularly, attending training and dropping off art supplies to a local family. 

Although Help on Your Doorstep’s services have moved online in response to coronavirus, Fabiana continues to support members of her community.  Recently she came across a family who had 2 small children who were shielding as a result of COVID-19 and wanted to ensure that they had access to play opportunities.  

Fabiana contacted Nicky, our Good Neighbours Coordinator, to ask whether Help on Your Doorstep had any resources that might help. Nicky arranged for Fabiana to pick up an arts and crafts kit, which Fabiana dropped off to the family. The children were delighted to receive the kit, which contained paints, paint brushes, colouring pencils, coloured paper and stickers.  

Find out more about why volunteering matters to Fabiana here.  

Benefits of volunteering  

These are just some examples of how volunteering positively impacts the lives of individuals and creates resilience within Islington. Our volunteers tell us that they volunteer because they want to give back to their local community. They know that their kindness multiplies when they volunteer at Help on Your Doorstep.  

Find out how you can support the fantastic work of our volunteers here.