Volunteers’ Week 2026: Our Reflections
Story by Beth Cowen, Volunteer Engagement Officer
This has been my first Volunteers’ Week here at CVS Inverclyde, and it’s been great to see everyone come together to celebrate! With so much going on, it’s important to take the opportunity to reflect on everything that took place.
Although Volunteers’ Week takes place annually on the first week of June, the team here at CVS Inverclyde were busy for months planning and preparing. One of our first activities was organising Celebrating Inverclyde’s Volunteers certificates. The certificates were professionally printed for local volunteer-involving organisations to present to their volunteers as part of their own celebrations. We were pleased to print more than 200 certificates for fourteendifferent organisations.
In the lead-up to the week, we gathered blogs, quotes and promotional materials. It was amazing to hear how valued volunteers are from some of our Volunteer Coordinator Network members, share Travis Watson’s volunteering experience, and launch the Volunteer Hero comic project developed by our CVSI volunteers and Magic Torch Comics CIC. If you missed any of these, please visit our socials where you can find all our Volunteers’ Week 2026 content.
A week of celebration
When Volunteers’ Week began, we reflected on why the campaign continues to matter more than 40 years after it first launched. Through our video, we highlighted the contribution volunteers make every day. Many volunteers don’t give their time and effort for the recognition, but taking the opportunity to promote everything they do matters.
We then kicked off our in-person activities. These included hosting a promotional stall in West College Scotland to promote the campaign, a special radio show at Clyde Coast Radio, and opportunities for our own staff and youth volunteers to volunteer their time with local organisations. What a week!
A particular highlight was being able to work in partnership for some employee supported volunteering. We worked with the National Literacy Trust on a free book stall to promote their Go All In campaign for the National Year of Reading, while other staff took part in outdoor volunteering activities with RSP Off Grid Adventure Centre CIC.
Throughout the week it was inspiring to see all the different ways that organisations across Inverclyde showed their appreciation for their volunteers. It is heartening to see how many people take the time to get involved in their communities, and to think about the difference volunteers are making.
So, here is one final THANK YOU to all volunteers!
How to get involved
If you are considering volunteering:
identify the skills you can offer and the causes that matter to you
try volunteering at a single event or a short-term role to get a feel for what you like
start with the organisations already active in your area
look for remote volunteering if you prefer flexible, home‑based involvement
Places to find opportunities:
contact admin@cvsinverclyde.org.uk where our staff can help match your skills and interests to local needs
search volunteering opportunities at Volunteer Inverclyde