Volunteers Week starts on 2 June, and as part of this, free sessions have been developed to celebrate all our volunteers and the incredible work they do.
Volunteering can make a real difference to your own life and the lives of those around you.
You can meet new people, do something interesting and rewarding with your time and pick up new skills or make use of existing ones.
Jenny, who is one of our Good Neighbour Support volunteers, said: “As a new Good Neighbour Support Volunteer I was recently matched up with an elderly resident and have been visiting her for two weeks now.
“Helping someone else makes me feel good about myself and it also helps me get out of the house. I like talking to people and having a laugh, which makes me feel happy.
"For me the benefits of volunteering are that it keeps your mind active, doing the resident’s shopping keeps you fit, and you get to meet interesting people.
“I feel looked after as I have safety and protection from the team and the coordinators. It’s great to meet other volunteers at our regular tea and cake socials and we support each other.”
38 per cent of our residents who responded to our 2022 city survey do voluntary work, and 19 per cent of residents help their neighbours out on a regular basis.
As part of the week, a celebration event will be held at The Box on Saturday 7 June as part of their Super Saturday’s programme.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “Volunteers are an important part of our city, and we appreciate the time they all give to the community.
“Our volunteers make a positive difference to people’s lives, the community and our environment.
“As well as the 680 volunteers that we have at the Council, I also want to say a huge thank you to all the volunteers across the city.
“We want all of our volunteers to feel valued, that is why we are celebrating them this Volunteers Week.”
If you would like to know more about volunteering, and are interested in joining one of our many programmes, visit: Volunteering | PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK
As part of us saying thank you, we have worked as a partnership to create free activities for our volunteers during the week, see the list here: A 'thank you' to our volunteers on National Volunteers Week 2025 - Plymouth Sound National Marine Park
Thank you to all the organisations that are involved in making this week possible:
- Plymouth Sound National Marine Park
- The Box
- National Trust
- Plymouth Active Leisure
- Mount Batten Centre
- Mount Edgcumbe
- National Lottery Heritage Fund.