02/06/2026
Volunteers’ Week runs from 1–7 June each year. It’s been going since 1984 – over 40 years of the UK stopping to say: volunteers matter. And they really do.
Across the UK, 14.2 million people formally volunteer at least once a month. A further 25 million volunteer informally. In 2024 alone, volunteering contributed £4.6 billion in productivity gains to the UK economy. Behind every one of those numbers is a person who chose to show up, for a food bank, a community garden, a helpline, a trustee board, a befriending service.
Here in Essex, VCS organisations depend on volunteers every single day. They fill gaps that paid staff can’t. They bring lived experience, community connections, and commitment that you simply can’t put a price on. Without them, many of the services and groups we all rely on would not exist.
So Volunteers’ Week isn’t just a nice occasion. It’s a prompt, to reflect, to recognise, and to act.
For organisations, it’s a chance to think about how you involve volunteers, how you support them, and whether the experience you offer is one that makes people want to stay. The E-Portal has resources to help with all of this, from volunteer management to understanding volunteers and the law. If you haven’t explored that section yet, this is a good week to start.
But more than anything, Volunteers’ Week is a reminder that the people giving their time deserve to feel it’s valued. You don’t need a budget or a big event to do that. Sometimes it really is as simple as saying thank you.
Visit volunteersweek.org to find out more about the national campaign and how to get involved.
