Charity Celebrates Essential Contribution of Inspirational Glasgow Volunteers

As well as a crucial opportunity to thank volunteers and recognise the value of their time, passion and skills, Volunteers’ Week also acts as a chance to inspire others to give volunteering a go.

Volunteers support Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland in retail, driving, kindness, administration and event fundraising roles to help CHSS provide support for those with chest, heart and stroke conditions as well as Long Covid. Together, volunteers help to ensure there is no life half lived in Scotland.

Those selfless volunteers include people like Anne Cook from Glasgow.

The mum-of-two has been living with the symptoms of Long Covid since 2021 and was forced into medical retirement from her role in a nursery.

Anne has been a member of the CHSS Long Covid Support Group for the last two years and has recently take on a Community Connector volunteer role.

The 59-year-old said: “When I heard about the role, it seemed ideal for me. I share posts on social media and encourage other people to do that, too. It’s a great way to spread the message about the support people like me can get from CHSS.

“After all the help I got from the Advice Line and the support and friendships I’ve made on the support group, it seems the least I can do to give a little something back.”

Volunteers’ Week is a UK wide campaign that takes place in the first week of June every year. It’s a time when volunteering involving organisations and groups are encouraged to thank their volunteers, past and present and celebrate and recognise volunteering efforts.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Chief Executive Jane-Claire Judson commented: “I want to say a huge thank you to all our volunteering heroes at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.

“Their commitment and dedication to volunteering with CHSS allows us to support the 1 in 5 people living with chest, heart and stroke conditions across Scotland to live their lives to the full.

“Their contribution to our charity cannot be overstated. Last year our volunteers gave a total of 183,439 hours and the estimated value of their volunteering time is worth £2.7 million to the charity.

“But volunteering is about more than monetary value. Volunteers bring human connection and understanding when it is most needed, often when people are at their most vulnerable and lonely, and bring this to all the work we do.

“By giving us their time, our volunteers enable us to run our retail stores, support groups, Kindness call service, fundraising events and much more. Quite simply, we couldn’t do what we do without them.”

Volunteering even just a couple of hours a week can have a huge impact, not only for charities and their service users, but also for the volunteer, improving mental health, fostering friendships, and helping with social isolation.

To find out more about volunteering opportunities with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland please go to Volunteering – Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (chss.org.uk).