Volunteering doesn’t happen with a sprinkling of magic fairy dust: it takes investment in people.

          Whilst a persons own interests and motivation may have helped to recruit them as a volunteer, effective support retains volunteers and makes the role rewarding for the volunteer and the organisation or person for whom they are volunteering.

          Volunteer Centre Ryedale is committed to providing good, sustainable volunteering opportunities and to look at new ways to continue to increase the number of volunteers who engage with volunteering in Ryedale.  We are hoping to widen our field of volunteering opportunities, in order to attract volunteers from a more comprehensive age range.

          Over 18 million people volunteered in the UK last year, a good percentage of them through volunteer centres like ours. Volunteering can help to meet objectives such as improving community cohesion, increasing participation in sport, reducing anti-social behaviour or the perception of it, providing skills and a stepping stone into work, improving the environment, supporting isolated and vulnerable people, encouraging arts and   leisure and much, much more.

          Volunteer Centres are responsible for six core functions.  These are:

 Brokerage, between potential volunteers and organisations

 Marketing of volunteering in general

 Development of opportunities to meet volunteers’ needs

 Good practice Development in volunteer using organisations

 Policy Response and Campaigning

 Strategic Development of Volunteering

          Your feedback on the work that we are doing is always welcome, as are new ideas and reports on successes.  Let us know by emailing us at sandi@rva-cvs.org.uk  or just call in to see the interesting and varied volunteering opportunities that we have on offer.

 Sandi Clark, Volunteer Centre Coordinator.