RBLI’s Volunteering Programme, provided over 16,000 hours of vital support from over 500 individuals last year, ensuring that our organisation can continue to provide support to the Armed Forces community, people with disabilities and those who are out of work.
Our volunteers are crucial to all the work we undertake, providing outstanding support right across RBLI, whether that is helping out in our Social Enterprise, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, supporting Fundraising initiatives and events or providing invaluable Befriending support to help reduce isolation, to name but a very few.
To celebrate National Volunteers Week, RBLI’s Chief Executive, Steve Sherry praises the invaluable contribution made every day by our fantastic volunteering team
The first week of June marks UK’s annual National Volunteers Week which is an opportunity for organisations to publicly celebrate and showcase the incredible contributions individuals make.
I would like to offer my sincerest and most heartfelt thank you to each and every person who has given their valuable time to support RBLI across the organisation in the last 12 months. Without the support of these volunteers, we would simply not be able to improve so many lives across the UK as we have.
This year is particularly significant as it marks RBLI’s 100 year birthday and volunteers have played a valuable contribution to our success for many years, although our formal Volunteering Programme is still relatively new. This has gone from strength to strength and I am constantly overwhelmed by the dedication and commitment volunteers show.
It is with the dedication and enthusiasm volunteers show every day that they make a direct impact on not only the lives of those we support but also the wider community.
We were delighted and immensely proud to work on the There but Not There project, manufacturing small commemorative Tommy figures, the proceeds of which helped a number of charities. I was personally overwhelmed by the response of our volunteers existing and new to our call for help when orders were at their peak. These volunteers made a significant contribution to ensuring these souvenirs were packaged and delivered to customers efficiently.
I am really delighted that Our New Care Facility will be opening imminently, and we have already begun the refurbishment of our nursing home Gavin Astor House, which will include a specialist Dementia floor. Volunteers already provide vital support at our nursing home, befriending our residents and we need even more to continue to make this a thriving, lively and stimulating home for our residents.
We have an ambitious plans for our village providing even more accommodation and facilities for veterans. We urgently need volunteers to support us with our busy programme of events and fundraising activities to help raise the funds that are vital to the success of these projects.
Whilst I have been celebrating the contributions made by our volunteers, I also want to acknowledge that it is extremely important to us our volunteers feel supported, rewarded and fulfilled in their role which enable them to continue their own personal development and I sincerely hope that this is the case for each and every RBLI volunteer.
It is the with the greatest pleasure that I say thank you to all our volunteers for all the invaluable time, enthusiasm, passion, loyalty, patience and understanding you have shown in supporting our beneficiaries at RBLI and the work that we do.
Steve Sherry CMG OBE
Chief Executive
Could you or someone you know give time and support to help RBLI improve lives every day?
We have a fantastic range of volunteer roles available and always looking for enthusiastic, passionate people to get involved and volunteer their time.
If you are interested in finding out more then please get in touch with the RBLI’s volunteering Team, either by email on [email protected] or by phone on 01622 795924
