Credit Crunch leads to boom in Volunteering

Another HVA Press Release. This one's about the ever increasing number of volunteers who've registered with the Volunteer Centre.

Would you to make a positive difference to the lives of people in Halton? If so, perhaps you could add your number to the ever increasing scores of people in Halton who've decided to become volunteers.

The staff of Volunteer Centre Halton (based at Halton Voluntary Action) have never known life to be so busy. In 2009 they've already helped 230 people to take up voluntary opportunities in Halton. This is an increase of about 13% more than from this point at last year. "It's not that we weren't running at full capacity last year", said Linda Goodier, a member of staff at HVA. "But this year, we've been amazed by the number of people coming forward to volunteer. We're a tiny bit overwhelmed, but we're enjoying the challenge of matching new volunteers with opportunities that they find inspiring."

Despite dealing with record numbers of people wanting to volunteer, the staff at Volunteer Centre Halton have continued to deliver an excellent service. "We're extremely pleased," said HVA Chief Executive Officer, Debbie Dalby, "that the feedback we've received from new volunteers (regarding our service) has been extremely positive."

Staff at HVA are at a loss to explain why so many people are coming forward to volunteer though they believe that the current economic climate could be responsible. "The Credit Crunch has made jobs even harder to find", said Debbie Dalby, "and people are beginning to recognise that when they volunteer, they learn new skills and gain experiences which will beneficial to them in the job market."

This massive increase in new registered volunteers will obviously be beneficial to the 500 plus voluntary organisations that operate in Halton. HVA are able to list the voluntary opportunities that exist within each organisation and promote them to the new volunteers who come through their doors.

If you're interested in volunteering, or would like to promote voluntary opportunities within your own organisation, contact Linda Goodier or Alison Gleave on (01928) 592405 or e-mail lgoodier@haltonva.org.uk. Alternatively, you can drop in at HVA between 13.00 and 16.00 on any Thursday afternoon. HVA's office is easy to find, positioned by Wetherspoons in Runcorn Old Town.


Has you organisation noticed an increase in the number of people wanting to volunteer? Do you think the Credit Crunch is the cause of this boom? Is HVA doing enough to support new volunteers? Is HVA doing enough to support your organisation so that it can work with volunteers? Please post below.

Matthew Roberts
(01928) 593 118
mroberts@haltonva.org.uk