Suffolk’s volunteering legacy, inspired by last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games continues to build, with the launch of a brand new campaign to encourage more people to get involved in local events volunteering.
The ‘Just Once a Month’ campaign was launched as part of a Suffolk Volunteering Legacy summit, organised by Community Action Suffolk and Suffolk County Council. The purpose of the summit was to update delegates on continuing efforts to secure a volunteering legacy for Suffolk from the London 2012 Games.
The campaign specifically links potential volunteers to the hugely successful County Events Team. The Team was established in the run-up to the Games to provide support for sport and cultural events in the county. In just two years hundreds of volunteers have given thousands of hours of support to dozens of events.
Suffolk resident, and County Events Team member, Huw Samuel was the inspiration behind the campaign after returning from being a Games Maker at last years Olympics. He said, “I enjoy volunteering at local events. It feels good to be helping others. I volunteer once a month because it suits my lifestyle. It fits well with my busy schedule – it means that I can volunteer without having a negative effect on all of the other things I do”.
“Volunteers like Huw are doing a terrific job in helping us to establish a 2012 volunteering legacy in Suffolk. There is plenty of talk across the UK about ‘legacy’ – thanks to the great volunteers here in Suffolk and the support of our partners, we are busy doing something about it”, said Mike McCarthy, the Legacy Project Officer from Community Action Suffolk.
Cllr Colin Spence, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for public protection commented that, “Suffolk County Council is delighted to support the ‘Just once a month’ campaign because it encourages people to volunteer more and we know that people who volunteer have better mental and physical health than those who do not volunteer. This links directly to our ambition of helping Suffolk to become the most active county in England.”
For further information about the ‘Just Once a Month’ campaign, volunteering at local events in Suffolk or the Suffolk Volunteering Legacy Project, contact Mike McCarthy on 01473 275196 or visit the project website at www.suffolkvolunteeringlegacy.org.uk