Volunteers’ Week takes place annually between 1 to 7 June and this year marks the 39th year of celebrating and recognising the contribution volunteers make.

This Volunteers’ Week, we will be recognising the contribution our volunteers make across the Bay and thanking them for their invaluable work across a range of areas.

With this years’ theme of ‘Celebrate and Inspire’ we hope to encourage more people to get involved in volunteering.

The contribution volunteers make is often unseen, visible only through the incredible impact of their volunteering. So taking the time during Volunteers’ Week is the perfect time to celebrate their efforts and all they contribute not only to the council, but communities and the local voluntary sector as a whole.

We have volunteers across a range of different service areas including events, sports, SWISCo and at Torre Abbey.

From helping to make events successful, to being a Tree Warden and maintaining gardens, parks and open spaces and guiding people on local walking trails – our volunteers make a priceless contribution.

Every volunteer has their own reason for wanting to get involved; some like to keep busy after retirement, others are looking to improve their horticultural skills or take a moment away from stressful jobs or situations. Whatever the path that brings them to volunteering, they get involved to share a sense of belonging and achievement.

Jenny who is a volunteer Tree Warden when asked about why she volunteers said; “I really enjoy being part of a community that has helped with tree planting, collecting, and processing tree seeds and caring for the resultant seedlings, and visiting the two micro-nurseries to care for the saplings and small trees growing there. Volunteering has provided me with the motivation to get outdoors, with the added bonus of being able to meet like minded people in my community.”

The garden volunteers at Torre Abbey have helped the garden team to develop and maintain the gardens, winning ‘Outstanding’ every year (for the last twelve years) from the RHS for their efforts.

Our flagship events such as the English Riviera Airshow and more recently the Bay of Lights Illumination Trail and Royal celebrations rely on volunteers to help make the events the success they are.

Cllr Hayley Tranter, Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and Equalities for Torbay Council, said: “I’d like to thank all of our volunteers who give up their time to help others. The difference they make on a daily basis deserves to be recognised and what better time to do that than during Volunteers’ Week. Look out for volunteering stories across the council’s social media pages over the next week.”

Volunteering is open to everyone, with individuals deciding how much time they can give, it can be as little as 30-minutes a week that can make all the difference.

Young people who volunteer in Torbay have gone on to find permanent employment, demonstrating that the skills learnt when volunteering are really valued by employers. Volunteering also looks great on applications for further and higher education.

Find out more about our volunteering opportunities.