As we celebrate the difference volunteers can make in communities across the UK, Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children is saying a huge ‘thank you’ to all the volunteers who give their time, to help Newlife provide specialist equipment and support to thousands of disabled children and their families each year.

Taking place between June 1-7, National Volunteer week can also inspire others to take the plunge and decide to volunteer themselves.  From de-labelling brand news clothes donated by high street retailers to be sold in its ten Newlife stores, either by individuals or corporate groups, to those providing volunteer support in admin roles to volunteering in one of our stores, or by taking on a fundraising challenge, there are lots of ways volunteers can get involved at Newlife.

Although volunteering has always been part of the charity’s vision, this was initially in small numbers but volunteering increased as the charity grew, peaking at 24,000 volunteer hours a year, pre Covid pandemic. In the two years since returning to the workplace after the height of the pandemic, Newlife is pleased to say that many of our volunteers have returned and have been joined by many new volunteers, with 130 regularly volunteering across the UK, ranging in ages from 18-80.

The charity is now calling on more volunteers to join them, which will not only benefit Newlife, but the individual too. As well as learning new skills to help a return to paid work, voluntary work is also a great way to keep active and meet people – especially after life changing events such as retiring. All volunteers carry out their roles to the best of their ability, flexibly and with no minimum requirement.

Chris Clewlow, a volunteer with Newlife for nearly 16 years, said: “I became a volunteer because I had seen things in life that made me realise what a valuable charity Newlife was and how important it was to families with disabled children to have this support. It is a wonderful way to try to help families that are struggling.”

Sue Blick, Newlife’s Volunteer Recruitment and Support Officer said: “We can’t thank our volunteers enough for all their hard work, which directly contributes to helping disabled, terminally ill children and their families across the UK.

“Many volunteers have been with Newlife since the volunteer programme began almost 15 years ago, with some achieving more than 3,000 volunteer hours. Our Volunteers frequently tell us how much they enjoy volunteering, which is lovely.

“We recognise that we have some amazing volunteers, each with their own individual personalities and it makes us proud to see how they support each other too. Around 50% of volunteer hours are from volunteers with health or other additional needs and are from a wide variety of backgrounds.

“As the UK’s largest charity provider of equipment for disabled children, we provide a supportive volunteering environment helping young people make the transition from disabled child to disabled adult. So, if you, or someone you know, would like to support Newlife as a volunteer, we’d love to hear from you!”

Anyone who would like to speak with the Newlife Volunteer Team can do so between 10.30am and 2pm on Tuesday June 6 at the Superstore at Hemlock Way in Cannock. Alternatively you can email the volunteer team at volunteer@newlifecharity.co.uk or visit here for more information.