VOLUNTEERS FIND THEIR VOICE!

Partners and Volunteers from the “VOICE Mid Galloway” project have been celebrating their achievements during National Volunteers Week at the end of an extremely productive and successful year. The Project was launched in June last year, funded by the Volunteer Action Fund Scotland, to provide support and training opportunities for volunteers across Mid Galloway. Supported by the Machars Area Partnership, the project was led by staff from Building Healthy Communities (Machars), and Dumfries & Galloway Council’s Community Learning & Development  and Social Services.

Other partners from a wide range of agencies and service providers were invited to the initial launch to raise awareness of the project and identify further opportunities for joint working.

In addition to the existing 30 volunteers who were initially signed up to the project, a further 107 volunteers – individuals, members of community groups and organisations - have benefited from a wide range of training opportunities.

Volunteers were then supported to utilise their newly found skills on a range of local and community opportunities. Training was sourced and held locally.

One of the trainers said: “I have been privileged to have been involved with the Voice Mid Galloway Project. Local volunteers were invited to participate in funded courses, involving inclusion, team involvement, support, and received recognition with a fully recognised accredited certificate, gained by their own merits. The Voice has certainly raised the bar in showcasing that volunteers are committed, hard working and dedicated to their cause!”

Nathalie Guillaume, Community Health Development Worker said: “We have established through the project that volunteers are currently contributing over 330 volunteer hours on a weekly basis - given ever increasing funding constraints on agencies and service providers and the launch of the new Health & Social Care agenda, this is an integral part of establishing and building on resilience in local communities. These volunteers are running groups and clubs and are providing services that would otherwise not happen – we feel it is imperative that these volunteers are supported, recognised and their achievements celebrated”.

A member of the local Community Resilience Team said: “We cannot offer our services in the community unless our volunteers are fully trained in areas including Food Hygiene & First Aid, so being able to access this training for free makes a huge difference to us.  Our thanks to the project for offering such a valuable service to the voluntary sector.”

Sue Reedman – Chair of the local Partnership said: “The partnership are delighted to have been involved in the development of the project – it has made such a difference to a whole range of individuals and community groups who have been able to access specific training required free of charge, which they would otherwise have been unable to do. We are currently working to identify further funds to continue to build on the success of the project.”