Event to salute the army of unpaid and unsung heroes (From The Northern Echo)

Event to salute the army of unpaid and unsung heroes

12:47pm Monday 2nd June 2008 in Campaigns

AN unpaid army of men and women who help to shape the community in their own time will be celebrated this week.

National Volunteers' Week, which began yesterday, shines the spotlight on often unsung volunteers around the country.

There are more than 1,300 voluntary and community organisations operating in County Durham.

The vast majority survive on limited funding and the goodwill of their volunteers.

Some of those volunteers will be at an event on Friday, at County Hall in Durham City, between 11am and 2pm.

The programme aims to recognise, reward and recruit volunteers and is open to council staff and members of the public.

It has been organised by Durham County Council and the Volunteer Bureaux/Centres (VBCs) in the county as part of a 12-month pilot Employee Volunteering Scheme.

The scheme is a partnership between the council and the VBCs which allows staff to take an agreed amount of time off work to engage in volunteer activity.

Volunteer centres provide a range of tools, resources and advice to help groups value their volunteers, including how to recruit and look after the helpers and raise publicity.

Individuals can register with them to take part in a wide range of opportunities in their local area.

In County Durham, all the support organisations have joined together with a single helpline number, 0845-270-5606, and a website, shapingthecommunity.

org, to make things easier.

This will be the 24th National Volunteers Week and runs until Saturday, June 7.