Volunteers working with older people in Bath and North East Somerset contribute over £100,000-worth of their time each year, says Age UK B&NES.
To mark Volunteers Week, June 1st – 7th, the local charity has worked with local businesses to put on a series of activities for the volunteers as thanks for their work and commitment.
Volunteers can choose to attend a wine tasting; fish and chip lunch at High Littleton; a Bizarre Bath Walk; a talk about fossils, or a visit to the American Museum.
The week culminates with a private screening of Tea with Mussolini at The Little Theatre followed by a party at the St Michael’s Day Centre in Bath, with a celebratory cake donated by the Best of British Deli.
All these activities have been made possible thanks to funding from Hartwells car sales, Bath. The Little Theatre has also given a special rate to the charity for the special screening.
Age UK B&NES has around 150 volunteers providing a lifeline for many of the over 60s living in the community. By giving their time for free, they provide essential services that couldn’t be provided without them.
Janet Dabbs, chief executive of Age UK BANES, said: “Our volunteers give us more than 11,000 hours of their time per year. This is equivalent to around £100,000. We really couldn’t provide the range or quality of services for older people, their families and carers that we do without them so we’d like to extend a really big thank you to all of them.
“We also need new volunteers so I’d like to encourage anyone who could give us even a few hours of their time each month to get in touch. We need everything from drivers through to befrienders, who can pop in and see lonely older people for a chat.”
Age UK B&NES is a local charity that supports around 12,000 older people, their families and carers every year, with essential services. It has a small team of staff and around 150 volunteers who assist with a variety of tasks including day care and lunch club provision, toenail cutting and home from hospital services.
If you are interested in developing your skills, meeting new people and adding value to your community, contact Age UK BANES about volunteering.
