Latest news with #RoyalVoluntaryService
Scotsman
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Local over 55s try Mandala Painting For the first time
A group of over 55s from Elgin tried their hand at Mandala Painting last week for the first time at a fun, free craft workshop at Roseisle Hall in Moray. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The free event was part of First Time for Everything,a community programmedesigned by Royal Voluntary Service to support physical and mental health and wellbeing. Supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery, First Time for Everything gives people, particularly those that are older or less mobile, the opportunity to try something new for free in their local community, and to be social and active. Sharon Finlay, Royal Voluntary Service activity coordinator for Moray, introduced participants to the art of Mandala Painting. A mandala is a geometric design with deep symbolism in Hindu and Buddhist cultures. Making Mandala art is often used as a way to meditate and practice mindfulness. Participants learnt the basics, and made their own designs to take home. They also enjoyed free light refreshments afterwards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The First Time for Everything programme launched in 2017. Since then, and with support from Royal Voluntary Service volunteers, over 1,000 First Time for Everything events have taken place across Great Britain. More than 15,200 people have come along to date to try new activities like hot yoga, group singing, open water swimming, forage walking, chocolate making and line dancing. According to a recent participant survey, 97% of respondents said they felt happier after attending a First Time for Everything event and 93% felt more connected to their local community. A group of participants working on their painting Laura Chow, Head of Charities, People's Postcode Lottery, said: 'Being active, getting out and about and feeling part of the local community are important for health and wellbeing, no matter what our age, ability or circumstances. With generous support from players of People's Postcode Lottery, 'First Time for Everything' brings local people together to try something new, to meet new people and have fun.' One participant, Polly Atkinson from Burghead said:'I was very nervous about coming to the workshop as it was my first time attending but everyone was so friendly and kind that I soon felt welcome. I enjoyed the Mandala painting and look forward to attending more activities especially in the winter months. I am my husband's carer and it is good to get out and meet and hopefully make new friends.' Frances Whyte from Hopeman said: 'The afternoon was really enjoyable and relaxing. It was great to spend time doing a creative activity which I found very mindful. Opportunities to socialise can sometimes be difficult to find and spending time chatting with other ladies in a relaxing environment is a real pleasure. These RVS sessions reduce/prevent feelings of isolation. Sharon had planned for the whole session with a friendly welcome, thorough instructions with pre-prepared examples and regular encouragement making everyone feel included. I hope these sessions will continue as they are really appreciated.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Morag Lyons from Roseisle said: 'I cannot stress enough how much I enjoy these events. Not only do I get to try things I'd never get the opportunity to otherwise, more importantly I get the chance to meet new people and make friends which is difficult in a rural community such as ours. I wouldn't be overstating it to say that they give me a huge boost, and I look forward to each event very much. kindest regards' One of the completed paintings Sharon Finlay, Royal Voluntary Service activity co-ordinator for Moray, says: 'Thanks to the generous support of players of People's Postcode Lottery, we have all sorts of exciting First Time for Everything activities for local people to try this year. Participants tell us how much they enjoy trying something new and chatting with new people at these events – they really do make a difference to people's lives.' To register for a place at First Time for Everything events or for more information, contact Royal Voluntary Service activity coordinator, Sharon Finlay, by email: Booking for all events is essential as places are limited. For those unable to get out and about to First Time for Everything activities in person, Royal Voluntary Service has designed the Virtual Village Hall. The Virtual Village Hall is a free, online activity hub and community that helps people stay physically and mentally active, socially connected and having fun. It helps people to better manage their health, including long-term health conditions. Supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery, the Virtual Village Hall offers live online activity sessions every weekday on Facebook and YouTube, from exercise and dance, yoga and meditation to crafts, interesting speakers, creative writing and cooking. There's an extensive archive on YouTube too with more than 3,000 free activity sessions to try, plus shorter- bite-sized activities on TikTok and Instagram. It is free to join and anyone can take part with no sign in or subscription required. Where activities require equipment, ingredients or materials, these are low-cost and easy to source. To find and take part in the Virtual Village Hall, search @VirtualVillageHall. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Royal Voluntary Service is one of Britain's largest volunteering charities with volunteers supporting the NHS, adult social care and thousands of vulnerable people in the community. The charity also works in local communities running home libraries, companionship support, home from hospital services and patient transport. To find out more about local volunteering opportunities with Royal Voluntary Service, visit To make a donation to support the charity's work, visit:
Scotsman
23-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Over half of Scottish firms committed to employee volunteering, research finds
A new wave of workplace volunteering is quietly reshaping how Scottish businesses are approaching productivity and employee wellbeing. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... New research commissioned by national charity Royal Voluntary Service found 57% of firms in the country now offer paid volunteering time to staff, with 26% introducing it in the last 12 months alone. The data suggests this uplift in volunteering amongst the Scottish business community is being driven by a desire to tackle employee burnout (36%), engage staff (27%) and boost performance (31%), as well as to deliver social impact – 80% of businesses in the region agree volunteering is important to their company purpose and ESG goals. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 1000 UK companies were questioned for the study, with the findings published in a new repor t Untapped impact: unlocking the 140 million hour opportunity. Volunteering can boost productivity and improve employee engagement The report also features new analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), which reveals that increasing participation in employee volunteering could also generate substantial financial gains. Cebr's analysis suggests the UK economy could stand to benefit from productivity gains worth £32.5 billion each year, or £5,239 per employee working in professional and managerial occupations - if workplace volunteering days were fully utilised The study stresses these productivity gains could be higher still, if the voluntary efforts of those in other job roles were also considered and if paid volunteering time was offered to more employees. However, despite the momentum, across all the UK, companies are not realising the full potential of their volunteering programmes. Employers offer an average of 2.3 days annually, but the study showed more than 140 million hours of gifted time went unused last year. Additionally, not all employees are being given equal access to volunteering opportunities - less than one in five (19%) firms with programmes offer it to all their employees. On average, just half of employees receive the benefit. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Reasons businesses cited for not realising the potential of programmes included a lack of flexible one-off volunteering opportunities (28%) and team activities (17%), difficulty finding the right roles (21%), and not knowing where to start (12%). Unlocking the millions of unused hours could breathe new life into civil society at a time when volunteering is in decline and demand on charities hits new highs. In response, Royal Voluntary Service has unveiled a new Volunteering Marketplace – a suite of services designed to help businesses build, embed and optimise their volunteering and social impact activities. The offer will include bespoke programme design, measurement and reporting, expert consultancy and digital badges to recognise success. At the heart of the charity's Volunteering Marketplace, is a new digital volunteering platform, currently in development thanks to a £5 million investment from players of People's Postcode Lottery. Set to launch later this year, the platform is designed to remove barriers to volunteering for all – offering thousands of flexible, inclusive roles to suit modern working patterns. For businesses, it will offer an end-to-end solution: matching staff to relevant opportunities, making volunteering easier to manage, and enabling organisations to track participation and impact. Subscription-based, the platform aims to become the UK's largest digital volunteering community – one that works for businesses, causes and volunteers alike. It will be free for charities and the public to use. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Catherine Johnstone CBE, Chief Executive, Royal Voluntary Service, said: 'Employee volunteering programmes are fast becoming one of the smartest investments a business can make. As our research shows, those who do it are seeing great results – from improved staff wellbeing and motivation to increased productivity. 'If just some of those 140 million lost volunteering hours were used it could be transformational in its effect. With our new Volunteering Marketplace we will help unlock that potential – making volunteering work for more businesses and their employees and enabling them to click and connect to the causes they care about.' Chris Breen, Head of Economic Insight at Cebr, added: 'Business leaders and employees alike may wonder what's in it for them when it comes to volunteering. Our research shows the answer is quite a lot. If every employee in a professional or managerial role offered volunteer days actually used them, it would have resulted in a £32.5 billion boost to UK productivity in 2024 alone.'
Scotsman
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Over-55s invited to get active on free walking tour in Moray
Moray's over 55s are invited to attend a fun, free Walking History Tour of Elgin's High Street and Closes. The walk will start from the Elgin Cathedral Gates, King Street, Elgin IV30 1HU on Wednesday, August 13 at 6pm. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The free tour is part of First Time for Everything,a community health and well-being programmedesigned by Royal Voluntary Service. First Time for Everything is supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery and gives people opportunities to try something new for free, to socialise and be active, particularly those that might be older or less mobile. The tour will be led by Lynda Dean from Elgin Ghost Tours, who will guide participants through the intriguing places, people and events of Elgin's past. There will also be some light refreshments afterwards. Participants are encouraged to please dress for the weather and wear sturdy walking shoes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Some of the tour is over uneven ground and will take around an hour, so unfortunately may not be suitable for less mobile people. Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay Laura Chow, Head of Charities, People's Postcode Lottery, said:'Being active, getting out and about and feeling part of the local community are important for health and wellbeing, no matter what our age, ability or circumstances. With generous support from players of People's Postcode Lottery, 'First Time for Everything' brings local people together to try something new, to meet new people and have fun.' To register for the Walking Tour or other First Time for Everything events, or for more information, contact Royal Voluntary Service activity coordinator, Sharon Finlay, by email: [email protected]. Booking for all events is essential as places are limited. For those unable to get out and about to First Time for Everything activities in person, Royal Voluntary Service has designed the Virtual Village Hall. The Virtual Village Hall is a free, online activity hub and community that helps people stay physically and mentally active, socially connected and having fun. It helps people to better manage their health, including long-term health conditions. Supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery, the Virtual Village Hall offers live online activity sessions every weekday on Facebook and YouTube, from exercise and dance, yoga and meditation to crafts, interesting speakers, creative writing and cooking. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There's an extensive archive on YouTube, too with more than 2,500 free activity sessions to try. It is free to join, and anyone can take part with no sign-in or subscription required. Where activities require equipment, ingredients or materials, these are low-cost and easy to source. To find and take part in the Virtual Village Hall, search @VirtualVillageHall. Royal Voluntary Service is one of Britain's largest volunteering charities with volunteers supporting the NHS, adult social care and thousands of vulnerable people in the community. The charity also works in local communities, running home libraries, companionship support, home from hospital services and patient transport. To find out more about local volunteering opportunities with Royal Voluntary Service, visit
Glasgow Times
18-06-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Scotland's charities urged to join new volunteering platform
The call comes as part of a drive to boost volunteer recruitment and reduce admin for organisations across the sector. Developed by Royal Voluntary Service, the digital platform helps charities connect with would-be volunteers in their communities. Read more: Public urged to shape health board's anti-racism strategy - how you can help Supported by players of the People's Postcode Lottery, the platform addresses a key challenge facing charities of all sizes: a decline in volunteer numbers in recent years. Catherine Johnstone CBE, chief executive of Royal Voluntary Service, said: "We have shaped this exciting new platform in partnership with charities big and small across the country, to make sure it's valuable for causes of all sizes. "Together we can make volunteering more accessible and empower more people to give their time to support the host of invaluable charities and causes they care about, across Scotland. "The platform addresses what we know to be barriers for would-be volunteers and makes fitting volunteering into modern life easier than ever. "Thanks to support from Postcode Lottery players, we are on the cusp of a volunteer revolution, and I am passionate that as many charities and causes be a part of it as possible." Research by the Royal Voluntary Service suggests there is a pool of untapped volunteering potential. Nearly half of Scots surveyed said they would be more likely to volunteer if opportunities were available on an ad-hoc basis and could fit around their lives. The platform, set to launch publicly in the autumn, will allow volunteers to browse, filter, and connect with charities and roles that match their interests and availability. Jeff Zycinski, manager at Partnerships for Wellbeing - a Highland charity known for community transport, walks, and friendship groups - praised the new project. He said: 'Small community-based charities like ours are always looking for new ways to recruit volunteers. "It's been so great to be involved in the early development of this project which has the potential to be a game-changing tool for people looking for ways to include an element of voluntary work in their lives and so make a difference to the lives of others.' Charities can sign up now free of charge and begin uploading roles ahead of the full launch. The platform is designed to offer flexible, digital-first volunteering opportunities and reduce the administrative burden on charities. Once registered and identity-checked, volunteers can move between roles and organisations without having to re-register or repeat basic checks. Read more: Scotland's Home of the Year star runs Glasgow Men's 10k in unusual footwear Clara Govier, managing director at People's Postcode Lottery, said: "We work with a range of amazing charities and we understand the fundamental part that volunteers play in their operations and civil society. "Thanks to our players' support, Royal Voluntary Service is creating a platform that makes it simpler for volunteers to find the opportunities that suit them, either where they live or online." Charities interested in signing up or learning more can visit the Royal Voluntary Service website.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
South East charities urged to sign up for volunteering platform
Charities in the South East are being encouraged to sign up to a new volunteering platform to help recruit more Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) has created a digital platform which will launch in the autumn and allow potential volunteers to browse opportunities and connect with across the region can sign up for free and will be invited to upload roles to test the platform, which has benefitted from People's Postcode Lottery RVS said: "Local and regional charities are vital to the fabric of the South East, and many rely on the time and support of volunteers, yet charities across the board are seeing fewer people step forward in recent years." An aim of the platform is that once a person has registered and completed an identity check, they will be able to move between volunteering opportunities through the platform without the need to re-register and repeat basic charities will also be able to utilise free criminal record checking, which will be introduced to the Johnstone CBE, chief executive of the RVS, said: "The platform addresses what we know to be barriers for would-be volunteers and makes fitting volunteering into modern life easier than ever."
