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Volunteers' Week 2026
- freya527
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
Monday 1st – Sunday 7th June
Volunteers’ Week is an annual UK-wide campaign held from the first Monday in June to celebrate and recognise the incredible contributions volunteers make within communities, charities, and organisations across the country.
This week gives us the opportunity to say thank you to those who generously give up their time and skills to support others and make a difference.
Volunteers at WHM
At Women’s Health Matters, we are incredibly grateful for the volunteers that have supported and continue to support us. Some volunteers support our groups and activities on a regular basis and help us to create welcoming and supportive spaces for the women we support. We are also supported by our dedicated board of trustees, who provide guidance and leadership to help strengthen our organisation.
Every volunteer and every contribution makes a meaningful difference to WHM.
Hearing from our volunteers
"I got my life back thanks to Women’s Health Matters and now I like to help in any way possible to raise awareness and to help other women build better lives for themselves”
“I volunteer with WHM because of its commitment to supporting and empowering women. I have the opportunity to help women gain knowledge, explore their creativity, build confidence, and access the support they need to thrive.”
"As a WHM volunteer, helping other women with similar lived experiences has been so empowering, and I feel super lucky to be a part of such a supportive and uplifting community of women who genuinely care about one another."
"WHM changed my life, so when the opportunity to become a volunteer came, I didn't hesitate. I wanted to give back to the organisation that had given me so much and a be a part of the first steps towards a brighter future."
What is volunteering?
Volunteering is the act of freely giving your time, energy, and skills to support a charity, community group, or individual without expecting financial payment in return. It can take many forms, from helping at local groups and events to offering professional expertise or supporting organisation governance through trustee roles.
There are informal and formal types of volunteering. Informal volunteering can include helping your neighbours, supporting local initiatives, or taking part in one-off community activities. Formal volunteering involves a regular commitment with an organisation or charity.
People choose to volunteer for many reasons. For some, it’s about giving back to the community or an organisation that has supported them. For others, it can be an opportunity for personal growth, building confidence, learning new skills and gaining experience. Whatever the reason, volunteering creates positive change for both the people supported and for the volunteer themselves.
Volunteering in the UK: How things have changed:
Volunteering across the UK has shifted dramatically since the Covid-19 pandemic.
During lockdown, communities saw a huge rise in informal volunteering and mutual aid support. Neighbours helped neighbours with shopping, prescription collections, food deliveries, and wellbeing support. However, informal volunteering like this decreased following the pandemic as people returned to their ‘normal’ lives.
According to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the Community Life Survey:
Formal volunteering dropped from 23% of UK adults (pre-pandemic) to 16% in 2022
Current formal volunteering levels sit at around 17%, showing some recovery but remaining low in comparison to pre-pandemic levels
Informal volunteering rose significantly during lockdown periods before retuning to previous levels
Who volunteers?
NCVO research shows that:
Adults ages 65-74 continue to have the highest levels of formal volunteering
Adults aged 25-34 currently have the lowest levels of formal volunteering
Women are more likely to volunteer than men
People living in rural and less deprived areas are more likely to volunteer formally than those living in more deprived communities.
The pandemic has had a particularly significant impact on older volunteers. Many stepped away from volunteering due to health concerns, social isolation or due to barriers created by the rise in digital and online volunteering opportunities.
Barriers to volunteering
Many people want to volunteer but face practical barriers that can make it difficult.
NCVO research highlights that challenges include:
The rising cost of living and travel expenses
Health conditions and wellbeing challenges
Lack of flexible opportunities
Digital exclusion and accessibility barriers
Feeling that volunteering processes can be intimidating or too formal
People from more deprived communities are also less likely to access leadership volunteering opportunities within volunteering, such as trustee roles, despite often expressing a strong desire for involvement and skills development.
At Women’s Health Matters we aim to create and maintain inclusive and accessible volunteering opportunities for both volunteer roles supporting specific projects and on our board of trustees.
Thank You
This Volunteers’ Week, we want to give a great big thank you to every volunteer who has given their time to support Women’s Health Matters.
Your kindness, dedication, and generosity is invaluable and you have made a big difference.
If you are interested in volunteering at Women’s Health Matters, keep an eye out on our website and social media for any volunteer opportunities we have.
Information and statistics from:
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