This week is Volunteers’ Week (Monday 3 June to Sunday 9 June), in which the contributions volunteers make to communities across the UK are celebrated, and this year Volunteers’ Week marks its 40th anniversary.

Why volunteer?

Volunteering is not only good for the community, but it can also improve your physical and mental health and your overall wellbeing. Being a volunteer can bring meaning and purpose to your life, while increasing your self-esteem and wellbeing.

It can also relieve stress and alleviate symptoms of depression, and as well as having a positive impact on your community. Volunteering can also improve your relationships, help you make new friends, and feel more connected to the community.

It can also help you learn new skills and gain valuable work experience, as well as giving you a chance to share your existing talents, knowledge and experience to help people in need, valuable causes and the local community. 

Volunteering opportunities in the Royal Borough

The Borough is proud to have a strong voluntary and community sector that reaches right across the area – offering structured support and multiple opportunities to get involved in all sorts of events and activities.

RBWM is committed to helping local people get involved in their communities to take action for things that matter to them. To achieve this, the council works with local voluntary sector partners to promote volunteering and offers a range of opportunities. Examples:  

• Environment and sustainability: there’s many local opportunities to take action to protect and enhance our local environment, from litter picks to adopting a roadside verge, to becoming a friend of our parks to monitoring local wildlife 
•  Library volunteers: Library volunteers are vital in helping our libraries extend the activities on offer and it’s a really rewarding way to spend your free time in an interesting and friendly environment   
•  Royal Borough Ambassadors: the primary role of a Royal Borough Ambassador is to keep event participants and spectators safe, and our ambassadors regularly support annual Royal events, the Royal Windsor Flower Show, the Windsor Duck Race and many more   

How do I get involved?

the RBWM Together webpage ihas information about what’s going on in the Royal Borough, and the volunteering page has all the latest information about current. volunteering opportunities. 

And you might be interested to learn that RBWM is supporting Volunteers’ Week by co-hosting a Volunteer Fair at Maidenhead Library, Saturday 8 June, 10am-1pm, and you can read all about the fair in the article below. 

Volunteer fair at Maidenhead Library RBWM is co-hosting a Volunteer Fair at Maidenhead Library, on Saturday 8 June 10am-1pm.  Come along to meet community and voluntary organisations from across the borough. The fair is free to attend and will be a great opportunity to find out about what’s happening in your local area and how you might like to be involved.  Stallholders and attendees will attend for The Big Lunch afterwards (from 1.30pm). The Big Lunch is a way for communities to get to know each other. Everyone should bring their lunch for a big picnic at the amphitheatre outside Maidenhead Library, weather permitting of course!  This Volunteer Fair is brought to you by the Voluntary & Community Sector Partnership. The partnership brings together the council, Berkshire Community Foundation, WAM Get Involved, Windsor & Maidenhead Community Forum and East Berkshire Community Learning and Skills Service, to offer our combined knowledge and resources to support the wonderful work of the local voluntary and community sector, that engages and supports residents across the borough.  I f you have any questions or queries please email volunteer@rbwm.gov.uk or, if you would like to reserve a stall please contact WAM Get Involved at info@wamgetinvolved.org.uk.