MANY of the services and organisations operating in Worcestershire would simply not exist if it was not for the army of volunteers giving their time, skills and knowledge.

There are literally thousands of them forming the backbone of organisations like Citizens Advice, the Scout Association, the Samaritans, Age UK, the National Trust, Guide Dogs, Midlands Air Ambulance, Worcester Talking News, Onside Advocacy, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, Tudor House heritage centre and Acorns Children’s Hospice.

The list is endless and national Volunteers’ Week (which ends today Wednesday June 7) has been an opportunity for those organisations to thank their volunteers for what they do, highlight the benefits of volunteering and appeal for more Worcestershire residents to step up to the plate.

Volunteering is not just about altruism. There are many reasons why people chose to offer their time and energy to unpaid activities.

Sometimes they are passionate about the cause such as the conservation; sometimes they have a personal connection to the organisation such as a hospice; sometimes it is an opportunity to gain new skills or get experience in a particular field and sometimes they enjoy making new friends and learning.

It is basically all down to the individual but there is generally a volunteering opportunity that will be the right match for every person.

But it is well documented that volunteering helps to improve happiness, health and general wellbeing. A study into the effects of volunteering on a large group of adults by the London School of Economics showed the more people volunteer, the happier they become.

St Richard’s Hospice in Worcester, which provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses and supports their loved ones, relies on nearly 1,000 volunteers to help run the organization alongside its paid professionals.

They fill a range of roles from working in charity shops and fundraising to supporting patients in their own homes, hospice administration and offering life-skills supporting the care provided by the hospice.

During the last financial year, volunteers gave 143,506 hours of their time to help care for patients and families.

Antony Deaves, aged 39, began volunteering after his wife, who died of secondary breast cancer in December 2015, was cared for by St Richard’s.

The dad-of-three is a hospitality volunteer and helps liaise between patients and kitchen staff taking patients’ orders from the hospice menu and relaying them to the kitchen before delivering their meals at lunch time.

“I enjoy helping all the patients and all the families, because the last thing they want to worry about is getting food for their relatives,” he said.

The hospice is holding a social event for its volunteers on Friday June 9 to show its appreciation for their work. During the day from 11am to 1pm, there is an open event at St Richard’s in Wildwood Drive, Worcester, for anyone interested in volunteering.

There is a mini army of more than 500 volunteers, contributing around 20,000 hours a year, across Worcestershire helping to run the county councils library services. They do a range of jobs from delivering books to people who are housebound, acting as Summer Reading Challenge mentors, Job Club supporters and digital champions.

Ann Gray, from St John’s, is a meeter-and-greeter at The Hive, in Worcester, and has been meeting visitors and dealing with their queries one morning a week.

She said: “I'm a people person and it has been an absolute joy to be part of the Hive team. I've made lots of friends. Being a volunteer has really helped me settle into a very happy life here. My husband and I envisaged returning to Kent in our retirement but Worcester is home for us now. We can't imagine being anywhere else.”

She also volunteers as a cook, server and friend of homeless and vulnerable people at the city's Maggs day centre.

Janet Dickinson is based at Kidderminster Library and for 42 years has delivered books to the housebound and those with mobility issues. One of her regulars is Margaret (known at Rita) Brown aged 102, who loves to read.

“She is wonderful," said Rita. "I can't get about easily now without support and I couldn't get to the library so if it wasn't for Janet I wouldn't be able to keep up with my reading."

Janet said: “I love our visits. I often end up chatting for half an hour or more with Rita – as I do with most of my customers. Everybody at the library pulls my leg about how long my round takes.”

Like many volunteers, Janet's eagerness to help others also extends to other charity work. She has recently been recruited as an Age UK befriender, visiting isolated people at home; has supported Kemp Hospice for several years; looked after a stroke patient at home; worked on a hospital ward; and been a host on an Age Concern minibus service.

Volunteers also make a huge contribution to running services provided by West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre.

Counselling manager Rebecca Weir said: “Our volunteers ensure that the organisation can provide a helpline service to support those affected by sexual violence. Volunteer counsellors also allow the service to provide free, face to face counselling across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

“Last year our volunteers travelled a total of 29,180 miles and they donated 3,646 hours to the centre. Without their support we would not be able to provide all of the current services.

“We would like to publicly recognise and thank their volunteers for their ongoing support of the organisation.”

She added that the next volunteer training course is scheduled to take place in November this year. If anyone is interested in volunteering for the centre please email counselling@wmrsasc.org.uk for an application pack and more information.

For further information about West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre please contact the Worcester office on 01905 611655 or visit www.wmrsasc.org.uk.

The Bewdley-based Wyre Community Land Trust (WCLT), which takes care of local orchards, meadows and woodland, is also celebrating Volunteers’ Week and as part of that it is providing courses on wild flowers, birds and first aid.

Kate Quinton, Volunteer and Community Development Officer at WCLT said: “Without the volunteers we wouldn’t be able to do any of the work we do. They dedicate so much of their time, which is crucial and invaluable to us.

“The volunteers bring so many different skills from a variety of backgrounds. We have nurses, carpenters, vets and teachers. It’s amazing.”

Les Birch, aged 69, from Stourport-on-Severn, is one of WCLT’s longest serving volunteers after contributing more than 360 days of his spare time over the past seven years.

He said: “I was made redundant and spent 12 months at home, just doing some gardening and pottering about in my workshop. Then I saw this volunteering opportunity advertised in the local paper and I said to my wife that I need to get out of the house. So, I went along to have a go and I’ve never looked back.

“I love this sort of work and it’s so nice being out in the countryside, especially when the sun is shining. I see a great difference in the things we do. We’ll cut back an overgrown field and it really opens the area up and transforms it into a lovely place, for us and the wildlife.”

WCLT is looking to recruit new volunteers and is inviting people from all walks of life to join. The volunteers look after local land and wildlife by repairing fences, gate hanging, moving cattle, hay cutting and pruning trees.

WCLT holds volunteering days on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should visit www.wyreclt.org.uk/index.php/volunteers.

For other volunteering opportunities contact Worcester Community Action by calling 01905 936751, email worcestercommunityaction@gmail.com or visit http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20002/community_volunteering_and_act_local/994/volunteering