Latest news with #VolunteersWeek
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
David Beckham's knighthood demonstrates everything wrong with the honours system
There's a lot of noise around David Beckham this week – and, for once, it's not about the supposed feud involving him and Victoria with their son Brooklyn and Brooklyn's wife Nicola Peltz. All the signs are that the former England footballer is to be given a knighthood in the forthcoming King's Birthday Honours. Many will see it as a well-deserved accolade for a man who played more than 100 times for his country and captained the England squad. And he has since gone on to do his bit for charity, from UNICEF to being an ambassador for the King's Foundation. When certain celebrities skipped the queue, Beckham patiently waited in line with the rest of us to pay his respects to Elizabeth II during her lying in state in Westminster Hall. But while it's good to learn that Becks will soon become Sir David, it's less encouraging that the kind of people who really deserve gongs – the volunteers who are the backbone of Britain – have been ignored these past few days, despite the fact that this has been Volunteers Week. This is supposed to be the time of year when we hear about the people who litter pick, visit the elderly, give children extra help with reading, serve teas on hospital stalls – and even save lives by manning lifeboats. But Volunteers Week has been well under the radar. With the King's Birthday Honours coming up, the attention will be not only on Sir David, but all kinds of other celebrities too. Scour the honours lists when they are published in a few days time and the chances are that, as usual, the top gongs will go to other sports stars as well as musicians to join Sir Mick, Sir Paul, Sir Elton, Sir Rod, and Sir Cliff in the pop pantheon. There's bound to be yet another theatrical dame. Meanwhile, well-paid local authority chief executives and elite civil servants will also secure honours, as if the high salary and equally sizeable pension isn't enough for a would-be Sir Humphrey. This system is now so broken that the people who truly deserve recognition – the volunteers on whom Britain relies to give their time and skills for free – receive the lowlier gongs if any mention at all. I doubt any of them do it in the hope they will one day secure an OBE or a British Empire Medal. But a little more recognition would surely go a long way. It particularly matters now because recognition puts the spotlight on volunteering – something worryingly in decline. Balancing family and your job, irregular working hours, and the women who might once have volunteered because they didn't work but now have fulfilling careers – all these are reasons why fewer people step up to help in all kinds of endeavours, from scout groups to nature reserves. Covid didn't help, either: many older volunteers disappeared during the pandemic and didn't return. This is why publicity is vital. Those of us who do volunteer – and mine is hardly in the saving lives on a lifeboat category, but instead involves a few hours being a guide in an idyllic garden – know how personally beneficial it is. You learn new skills, meet people, spend some time out of the house. It's the ideal incentive for putting down your smartphone: you can't volunteer if you are glued to a screen. These personal benefits are matched by the benefits to society. Back in 2020, the National Churches Trust did some groundbreaking research which assessed that the contribution to society as a whole of churches – and most of the benefit was the support services churches provide, such as lunch clubs, youth groups and food banks – was worth a remarkable £55 billion to the economy. But there's another reason why volunteering matters. It's about the kind of country we live in. It's vital that the temptation for services to be taken over by the state is resisted – not just because we can't afford it financially, but we can't afford it in terms of what it would do to society. A statist society loses something profound – a sense that as individuals we can contribute something not for financial gain or because we're ordered to do so but out of a sense of service. We need that reflected in the honours system before it's lost for good. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
David Beckham's knighthood demonstrates everything wrong with the honours system
There's a lot of noise around David Beckham this week – and, for once, it's not about the supposed feud involving him and Victoria with their son Brooklyn and Brooklyn's wife Nicola Peltz. All the signs are that the former England footballer is to be given a knighthood in the forthcoming King's Birthday Honours. Many will see it as a well-deserved accolade for a man who played more than 100 times for his country and captained the England squad. And he has since gone on to do his bit for charity, from UNICEF to being an ambassador for the King's Foundation. When certain celebrities skipped the queue, Beckham patiently waited in line with the rest of us to pay his respects to Elizabeth II during her lying in state in Westminster Hall. But while it's good to learn that Becks will soon become Sir David, it's less encouraging that the kind of people who really deserve gongs – the volunteers who are the backbone of Britain – have been ignored these past few days, despite the fact that this has been Volunteers Week. This is supposed to be the time of year when we hear about the people who litter pick, visit the elderly, give children extra help with reading, serve teas on hospital stalls – and even save lives by manning lifeboats. But Volunteers Week has been well under the radar. With the King's Birthday Honours coming up, the attention will be not only on Sir David, but all kinds of other celebrities too. Scour the honours lists when they are published in a few days time and the chances are that, as usual, the top gongs will go to other sports stars as well as musicians to join Sir Mick, Sir Paul, Sir Elton, Sir Rod, and Sir Cliff in the pop pantheon. There's bound to be yet another theatrical dame. Meanwhile, well-paid local authority chief executives and elite civil servants will also secure honours, as if the high salary and equally sizeable pension isn't enough for a would-be Sir Humphrey. This system is now so broken that the people who truly deserve recognition – the volunteers on whom Britain relies to give their time and skills for free – receive the lowlier gongs if any mention at all. I doubt any of them do it in the hope they will one day secure an OBE or a British Empire Medal. But a little more recognition would surely go a long way. It particularly matters now because recognition puts the spotlight on volunteering – something worryingly in decline. Balancing family and your job, irregular working hours, and the women who might once have volunteered because they didn't work but now have fulfilling careers – all these are reasons why fewer people step up to help in all kinds of endeavours, from scout groups to nature reserves. Covid didn't help, either: many older volunteers disappeared during the pandemic and didn't return. This is why publicity is vital. Those of us who do volunteer – and mine is hardly in the saving lives on a lifeboat category, but instead involves a few hours being a guide in an idyllic garden – know how personally beneficial it is. You learn new skills, meet people, spend some time out of the house. It's the ideal incentive for putting down your smartphone: you can't volunteer if you are glued to a screen. These personal benefits are matched by the benefits to society. Back in 2020, the National Churches Trust did some groundbreaking research which assessed that the contribution to society as a whole of churches – and most of the benefit was the support services churches provide, such as lunch clubs, youth groups and food banks – was worth a remarkable £55 billion to the economy. But there's another reason why volunteering matters. It's about the kind of country we live in. It's vital that the temptation for services to be taken over by the state is resisted – not just because we can't afford it financially, but we can't afford it in terms of what it would do to society. A statist society loses something profound – a sense that as individuals we can contribute something not for financial gain or because we're ordered to do so but out of a sense of service. We need that reflected in the honours system before it's lost for good.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Record
West Lothian volunteer recognised for hard work with local kids initiative
Donna Watson from Livingston, received a £100 Gift Card from The Centre, Livingston in recognition of her 10th anniversary as a volunteer with the social enterprise, Kidzeco during Volunteers Week. A West Lothian volunteer has been recognised for her hard work at a local kids initiative. Donna Watson from Livingston, received a £100 Gift Card from The Centre, Livingston in recognition of her 10th anniversary as a volunteer with the social enterprise, Kidzeco during Volunteers Week. The Centre, Livingston Volunteer Award is part of the shopping centre's 'Support in the Community' initiative, established almost 10 years ago, to pay tribute to people like Donna who are doing an outstanding job helping other people in the local community and reward them for all their efforts. Kidzeco, which has a team of 35, including 20 volunteers, who like Donna give up their time every week to help the social enterprise, was founded by Tracy Murdoch in 2010, with the aim of enhancing the happiness, health, and resilience of parents and children in the local area and empowering them for a better future. Their focus is to support disadvantaged families in West Lothian by providing services and facilities that build skills, confidence and wellbeing. Kidzeco, which has a retail outlet at the shopping centre, offers affordable, high-quality pre-loved goods, including baby clothes, toys and essentials like prams and highchairs, promoting a circular economy by tracking waste diversion and CO2 reduction. The social enterprise also creates local job opportunities, particularly for those distant from the job market. As a social enterprise profits are reinvested back into the community to run various projects including the Bumpz 2 Babiez café in Whitburn community centre, every Tuesday from 10am to 1pm and the Bumpz 2 Babiez café, 'Kidz n Kin', at the shopping centre every Thursday between 10am to 3pm, both for parents with children under two. Donna, who marks her 10th volunteering anniversary at Kidzeco this year, was nominated by the Retail Operations Manager, Steph Forsyth, in recognition of her outstanding dedication over the past decade. Steph said: 'Donna is very deserving of this Volunteer Award in recognition of her enthusiasm, attention to detail, reliability and genuine passion for everything we do at Kidzeco. 'Over the years, Donna has taken on a wide range of tasks, from customer service to keyholding, processing and filtering donations and pricing. 'Her current role is to look after our preloved clothing section, ensuring all items are of the highest quality - clean, refreshed and steamed - before they reach the shop floor. 'In addition to her hands-on work, Donna is also a tremendous support to new volunteers and staff. With her deep knowledge of our processes, she's always ready to answer questions, offer guidance or demonstrate tasks to help others feel confident in their roles. 'Most recently, during our restructure and store refit, Donna went above and beyond - she even increased her hours to help ensure we were ready for our grand reopening. 'Her dedication is truly invaluable and highly commendable - we are incredibly grateful to have her as part of the team and can't thank her enough.' Donna said: 'I absolutely love volunteering with Kidzeco because I believe in everything they stand for as an organisation and really enjoy giving something back to the community. 'As a parent, shopping there is a lovely experience – it doesn't feel like a typical preloved store, there's real care in how everything is displayed. 'I was so excited and honoured to get this Award in recognition of my efforts – it's nice to know my contributions make a difference." Tracy said: 'Volunteers are the golden thread woven through everything we do at Kidzeco — they are the heart of our services, and we simply couldn't operate without them. 'Each and every volunteer brings something unique and valuable, and we are truly grateful for their time, passion, and dedication. 'Donna has been an incredible part of our team for the past 10 years, and her commitment has made a real difference. We're genuinely grateful to have her as part of the Kidzeco team and deeply appreciate everything she brings to our work and our community.' Tess Sundberg, Marketing Manager at The Centre, Livingston said: 'We are delighted to be able to pay tribute to Donna with our special Volunteer Award for all of her outstanding efforts at Kidzeco. 'It was great to hear about her role and the incredible impact she is making in the local community. 'If you know someone who is also going the extra mile and making a big difference helping people in West Lothian, please email The Centre, Livingston at enquiries@ and share their story with us so that we can shine a bright light on the great work they are doing.'
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
Northern Irish CEO opens up on life and work: ‘I have a colleague who tells everybody she's a dentist – it's easier than explaining what we do'
As part of our weekly Meaning of Life series, Denise Hayward, CEO of Volunteer Now, speaks to Áine Toner about the importance of giving back and making a difference The CEO of an organisation promoting volunteering in Northern Ireland is keen to spread awareness of its benefits. Denise Hayward spoke to this newspaper ahead of Volunteers Week, which runs until June 8, and celebrates those who typically do not ask for recognition for their efforts.
Leader Live
2 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Delyn MS provides updates from across North East Wales
MS for Delyn It was recess last week in the Senedd, which gave me the chance to get out and about in North East Wales – and it was interesting to see the response from the ban on disposable vapes coming into effect. My first job in government was back in 2017 when, as Minister for the Environment, I kicked off the process to ban single-use plastics in Wales, as part of a wider effort to tackle plastic pollution, reduce litter and landfill and move Wales towards a circular economy – the law finally came into effect in 2023. The recent disposable vapes ban takes that legislation a stage further – littering spoils our communities, introduces harmful substances into soil, rivers and streams and causes harm to biodiversity and many people will have seen discarded vapes lying around, so I wholeheartedly support this ban. Regular readers will know that I've been learning Welsh for some time, so it was good to hear about the boost to the language this week – after a two-year study by the Commission for Welsh Speaking Communities, the Welsh Government has accepted several proposals to protect Welsh as a community language. As the commission says, Welsh is a national language that belongs to us all – whoever we are, wherever we live or however much of the language we speak – so efforts to protect the language for future generations, as well as the target of increasing the number of Welsh speakers to one million by 2050 as laid out in the Cymraeg 2050 action plan, gets my full support. This week is Volunteers Week, an annual campaign to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers in our communities and to highlight the diversity and unity of volunteer work across the UK. Our communities have a real debt to the people who give up their time to volunteer and, along with all the grassroots organisations which rely on volunteers, Volunteers Week is a good time to simply say 'thank you'. I am grateful to all those across our communities who give up their time to help others and our corner of North Wales wouldn't be the same without them. It was recently announced that free period products are now available in even more public spaces across Wales, thanks to the Welsh Government's £3.2m Period Dignity Fund. From schools and colleges to libraries, leisure centres, food banks, sports clubs and youth hubs, essential period products are now freely accessible to thousands. With the aim to eradicate period poverty by 2027, no one should have to miss out on education, work or social life due to a lack of access to period products. Our local authority, Flintshire County Council, has introduced 'reusable period product parties', which have made a practical difference, providing free reusable kits and encouraging open, everyday conversations about menstrual health. These efforts are part of a wider plan to tackle period poverty and improve access to menstrual health support across Wales. More locally, Flintshire Local Voluntary Council (FLVC) has recently opened applications for its Youth Led Grants – if you are aged between 14 and 25 and full of ideas to make a difference in your community, then these grants of £250 to £1,000 are now available to help you kickstart youth-led volunteering projects here in North East Wales. Whether you're passionate about tackling poverty, boosting mental health, protecting the environment or celebrating Welsh culture – FLVC want to hear from you. Funded projects should support one or more of the Well-being of Future Generations Act goals and money can be used for equipment, materials or anything needed to get your idea off the ground – to find out more, call Heather Hicks on 01352 754004 or email or info@ And on the funding theme, congratulations are in order for two local organisations which have secured National Lottery Community Fund grants. Daffodils in Mold, a charity which supports disabled and additional needs children and their families, has secured £20,000 which will help to create a weekly two-hour youth club in Sychdyn, monthly tenpin bowling and swimming sessions at the Jade Jones Pavilion and a festive Christmas party. Also, Cilcain village hall has been awarded a grant to install solar photovoltaic panels on the roof of the village hall – Cilcain is an active and lively village with real community spirit and the village hall is very much the hub of the community. Llongyfarchiadau to both organisations! As always, if you would like advice and/or support, please don't hesitate to get in touch on any of the following contact details – 52 High Street, Mold, Flintshire, on 01352 753464 or by email You can also keep up to date via my Facebook page – Constituents are, of course, welcome to contact my office to arrange an appointment to see me, you don't need to wait for an advice surgery.
