Volunteer Focus - 18 June

Volunteers Week Reflections

It’s hard to believe it’s already been nearly two weeks since Volunteers’ Week, and what a fantastic week it was! A huge thank you to all our members who took part, whether you hosted a stall at the Volunteer Fair or joined us in celebrating your volunteers at the Appreciation Evening. It was an inspiring week, and it was brilliant to see so many of you getting involved and showing your support.
 
See photos from our Appreciation Evening in partnership with the Tannahill Centre here . Thanks to David Cameron, photographer.


Community and Voluntary Action Team update

As you’ll have noticed from the photo above, the Community and Voluntary Action team at Engage has expanded over the past few months – and we have some new faces! If anyone would like to reach out to the new members of the team, please see below:

Malin Wollberg - Funding and Organisation Development Officer
mwollberg@engagerenfrewshire.com

Rima Said - IN-Ren Network Facilitator
Rsaid@engagerenfrewshire.com

Keely Wilkinson – Smoking Cessation Community Officer
Kwilkinson@engagerenfrewshire.com

We asked partner organisations to share what they did during Volunteers’ Week, especially if they organised their own activities. The responses highlighted the creativity, appreciation and warmth shown to volunteer’s right across Renfrewshire. Here’s a wee look at how some of our members celebrated Volunteers’ Week in their own way:

• Finding Your Feet threw a BBQ garden party for their volunteers, a lovely way to catch up, connect and say thanks.
• Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership held a special thank you day to recognise the efforts of volunteers, part of their ongoing commitment to showing appreciation.
• NHSGGC organised a civic event to honour their volunteers, a more formal affair, giving their volunteers a proper moment in the spotlight.
• Accord Hospice went all out with handwritten thank you cards, cake deliveries across departments and a gorgeous afternoon tea to bring everyone together.
• Paisley Police invited their volunteer ‘Special Constables’ into the station for behind-the-scenes learning sessions and meet-and-greets with officers they don’t usually work alongside – a brilliant way to build connection and celebrate their contribution.
• ROAR Connections for Life took their volunteers on a cracking day out to the Falkirk Wheel. Complete with lunch and lots of laughs. A proper treat!
• STAR Project put on a celebration afternoon with great food, drum lessons, and a wee thank you voucher!

This is just a snapshot of the brilliant things that went on across Renfrewshire during Volunteers’ Week and we’d love to hear about what you got up to and how you marked the occasion. If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to complete our short survey – your feedback is genuinely valued and helps us shape future celebrations.

Complete the survey here


 

Volunteer Recognition Award

Hugh Lindsay, a volunteer from Renfrew, has been honoured with a Recognition Award from the National Hospital Broadcasting Association. The accolade was presented by Norman Ross, a trustee of Quality Radio, during Volunteers’ Week 2025 at the Wynd Centre in Paisley.
 
The award recognises Hugh’s dedication in producing and presenting the Sunday “Hospital Request Show” at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley. The show offers a weekly mix of patient song requests, chat, news updates, and messages between hospital patients and their loved ones. It airs every Sunday at 3 pm on Quality Radio 107.5 FM in Paisley and Renfrewshire, via DAB across Glasgow, online, smart speakers, and via the Listen Anytime service.

Huge Congratulations Hugh!

You can read the article here

OSCR - New legal requirement for charities 

From 30 June 2025, OSCR will begin collecting trustee information via OSCR Online, and submitting these details will become a legal requirement for all charities. Any online annual return started on or after this date must include trustee information as part of the submission.

To prepare, make sure your trustees are aware of the change, gather the required details in advance (see OSCR’s website for what’s needed), and ensure up to three individuals from your charity have access to OSCR Online.

Read more about providing trustee information here

The Saltire Summit Award recognises outstanding contributions from young volunteers (aged 12-25) who go above and beyond in their volunteering journey. It's the highest level of Saltire Award and is reserved for those who’ve made an exceptional impact. Following on from a brilliant Volunteers’ Week, we’re excited to announce that nominations for the Saltire Summit Award have now reopened!

In the first half of 2025, we celebrated 8 incredible young people who achieved the Summit Award, their dedication and passion were truly inspiring. We can't wait to hear your nominations this time round. If you know a young volunteer who has gone the extra mile, now’s your chance to shout about them! All nominations will be reviewed by our Saltire nomination panel, and this year’s Summit Award winners will be announced later in the year.

Find out more and submit your nomination here

Interested in mentoring a young person?

Intandem, a national mentoring programme for children and young people experiencing or at risk of entering the care system, is hosting two informal online drop-in sessions for anyone curious about becoming a volunteer mentor.

Come along to:

• Learn what mentoring involves
• Ask questions
• Hear about training and support
• Meet the intandem team

Drop-in dates:

• Wednesday 19 June, 12–1pm
• Tuesday 25 June, 6–7pm

Join on Zoom: https://bit.ly/4jxYAIP
Meeting ID: 828 7031 3046
Passcode: 264632
More info: intandem.scot
Feel free to pop in at any time during the session.

Volunteer Wiki

VolunteerWiki is a free, online toolkit developed by Volunteer Edinburgh to support volunteer managers. It provides practical guidance on managing volunteers effectively, from recruitment and role development to induction, supervision, and recognition. The tool includes templates and ready-to-use documents such as volunteer agreements, role descriptions and feedback forms, which can save managers valuable time.

It offers inclusive advice tailored to diverse volunteer needs and aligns with current UK legislation and best practice.
 
https://volunteerwiki.org.uk/wiki/Welcome_to_VolunteerWiki