Celebrating our volunteers
- Shrewsbury Ark
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Volunteers’ Week, Monday 1 June – Sunday 7 June
This week Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), we joined thousands of charities and voluntary organisations across the UK recognising and celebrating the vital contributions our volunteers make. Â
Launched in 1984, Volunteer’s Week has been running for over 40 years; it provides organisations and communities a platform to thank current and past volunteers for their invaluable efforts, and recognise the value of their time, passion and skills.
Nationwide, in the Community Life Survey, 2024/2025, 17 per cent of adults had participated in formal volunteering at least once a month in the last 12 months, and 28 per cent of adults had participated in formal volunteering at least once in the last 12 months.
Volunteers at The Shrewsbury Ark
Employing just five staff, and with over 30 people currently using our services each week, like many charities, our volunteers are essential for us to operate, and this is why the charity is a recipient of the Queens Voluntary Service Award; this award is equivalent to the MBE and is the highest award that can be made to a voluntary group.
As well as cooking, helping people navigate the complexities of housing and other support services, our team of over 35 volunteers help with back-end admin, sorting donations, assisting with activities, and lend a listening ear, quietly supporting people with their life challenges, giving reassurance, keeping them connected and engaged, and reducing the risk of mental health relapse.
Our Board of 10 Trustees are all volunteers, and each bring with them different skillsets to uphold governance and ensure every pound, every project, and every story aligns with the charity’s mission.
Plus, there are many, many more volunteers who support us in other ways, such as by organising fundraising events for us, and volunteering as a part of their company’s corporate social responsibility programmes.
The amazing people who freely give their time to us, have a diverse range of experiences and skills, but they all have one thing common - they care.
Read the deeply moving poem on grief, homelessness, trauma, and survival one volunteer wrote in this blog, when a person connected to our community died recently.
Thank you to each and every one of our volunteers for everything you do – you are all truly amazing!
Join us. Volunteer. Change lives — maybe even your own!
We have so many opportunities for those who are looking for a volunteer role, so please get either by filling in this form, or emailing us at ark@shrewsburyark.org.uk, or call us on 01743 363 305.
Could you bring your creative know-how to the Ark?
We are introducing more activities into our afternoon sessions, between 1 -4pm, Monday – Friday, and would love for volunteers to share their creative know-how.
This could include photography, art, knitting, crafts, music, printing, or anything else that gives people a chance to try something new, or develop their creative side.
It goes further than that though; as well as nurturing a hidden skill, creative activities can help people build confidence, reduce isolation, start conversations and importantly, make a person feel part of something.
You do not need to be a professional. You just need to be patient, friendly and willing to share something you enjoy or are passionate about.
Everything we do to support vulnerable people in our community is because of your generosity – huge thank you!
We never charge for our services, and your contributions, whether through donations or volunteering, can help us continue our mission of providing support for those in need across Shropshire.
What to do if you see a person sleeping rough
If you are concerned someone is sleeping rough on the street, contact Streetlink online at www.thestreetlink.org.uk. Call 999 if the person is in immediate danger, needs medical assistance, is under 18 or is with someone who is under 18.