Blog. Thank you to all our amazing volunteers

June 7, 2019 | Author: Hospitality Action

As National Volunteering Week draws to a close we wanted to send out our thanks to all our amazing volunteers – without them we simply wouldn’t be able to raise all the funds and offer the range of services we do. Our volunteers support us across the breadth of the charity, from our Trustees and committee members, to regional fundraisers and befrienders.

Volunteers are crucial to the running of our Golden Friends scheme. Last year our scheme coordinator wrote a heartfelt blog on the value of our volunteers and this has not changed. Without the volunteers who support across the scheme it would not have the impact that it does.

Our Golden Friends scheme is open to all industry retirees who have worked at least 5 years in the UK hospitality industry. It is a contact scheme that enables us to keep in touch with all those who have dedicated so many years to the industry and helps us prevent loneliness and social isolation within the group. Through the scheme they receive a bi-monthly newsletter; card and gift on their birthday and at Christmas; invites to regional lunches/teas; and the offer of befriending calls.

We now have over 1,600 Golden Friends across the UK and further afield and every 2 months a dedicated team of volunteers joins us to collate, stuff and frank so we can get the newsletters out. That’s nearly 10,000 envelopes to stuff over the year! They bring with them a joy of being able to do a little something to help that is infectious and lifts the office.

We have volunteers across the country who help us host our Golden Friends get-togethers. They ensure that everyone we are expecting has arrived and ensure that the event goes without a hitch (well with as few hitches as possible!) Most of our lunch volunteers have been helping in this way for years and have built relationships with the attendees who love to catch up on what’s been happening since they last met.

Finally, where would we be without the amazing Denise who has been helping us in the office since 2013 ensuring that all our Golden Friends get a hand written birthday card – she has been writing around 170 cards a month for us for over 6 years!

Our thanks go out once again to all our amazing volunteers and all the other millions of volunteers across the country who give their time so generously to so many wonderful causes.

For more information on volunteering or donating a get-together to Hospitality Action please contact Cathie.