Community spirit in full force for The Salvation Army thanks to local volunteers
A charity is celebrating the Bolton community spirit thanks to the support it receives throughout the year from a team of volunteers.
The Salvation Army’s Bolton Citadel, located on St George’s Road, has a strong number of volunteers that offer support across various departments and the organisation has chosen Volunteers’ Week to share the message of how important volunteers are to the local community.
Volunteers’ Week, which runs from Saturday, June 1, to Saturday, June 7, is an opportunity to celebrate volunteering in all its diversity, something that The Salvation Army Bolton Citadel is proud to be a part of, with 10 volunteers supporting the organisation throughout the year.
Research* out this month has shown that the numbers of young people volunteering aged 16-24 has increased from 17 per cent in February 2008 to 38 per cent of young people in November 2018. This comes as The Salvation Army is encouraging people from all walks of life to consider offering just a few hours of their time.
The 10 volunteers, men and women, support the church and community centre across a number of departments and occasions including the weekly drop in, coffee mornings the monthly dementia friendly singing session, Singing by Heart, and seasonal activities.
Major Paul Westlake, leader of The Salvation Army Bolton Citadel said: “Our volunteers are a big part of the corps here in Bolton and we’re so thankful to all of them for the support they help us provide to the local community.
“We believe that everybody has something that they can give and we try and get as much out of our volunteers as possible and volunteering can also be a stepping stone for getting people back into work.
“We couldn’t support the local community as we do without the hard work and dedication that all our volunteers provide on a daily basis.”
The Salvation Army has more than 12,000 volunteers across the UK who are involved in every part of the charity’s frontline services – from anti-trafficking and modern slavery, to homelessness and addiction support, care for older people and community services.
Claire Bonham, Volunteer Development Manager at The Salvation Army said: “We see every day how much our 12,000 volunteers are gaining from giving their time to help others. Often people are looking for a way to give back to the community they live in but we would encourage everyone to consider volunteering to see how it might improve their own wellbeing and positivity.
“Every volunteer comes with skills, talents and experiences that contribute to the work of The Salvation Army, whatever their background.
The Salvation Army run a host of volunteering opportunities from one off events to more long term commitments across the country. To find out more please visit - https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/volunteer-for-us