Service with a smile

October 19th, 2009

Earlier this year, the hospital tea bar run by the League of Friends volunteers came under threat from the health board.

But our community was able to show our appreciation for their hard work by mounting a campaign to save them from closure.

Having donated more £1 million from its proceeds to the hospital and currently raising more than £100,000 a year for good causes, the value of those volunteers should be in no doubt.

In my role as the local MSP, I have been fortunate enough to meet with many volunteers - too many to name - whose selfless work is just as valuable.

Those great people were utmost in my mind when the Scottish Parliament held a debate into volunteering recently.

Currently, there are 1.3 million volunteers in Scotland who work across 45,000 voluntary organisations.

Those volunteers put in more than 142 million hours among them every year with a value to the economy of around £2.2 billion.

They all provide a valuable service in supporting individuals, families and communities and in shaping and delivering services locally.

But the voluntary sector faces a number of challenges in maintaining these services.

In this time of economic recession, the squeeze on the support for the voluntary sector is even greater.

For example, a volunteer placing organisation called Project Scotland had been successful in giving opportunities to more than 3,000 young people since it started up in 2005, including many locally.

This gives those volunteers the opportunity to learn skills and build confidence that help them in their own lives and careers.

But its future has been thrown in doubt now that central funding has been withdrawn.

The reality is that virtually all voluntary organisations are forced to live this hand-to-mouth existence, constantly keeping the wolf from the door.

Yet they still put on a fantastic service – something worth remembering next time you buy a cup of tea or accept a helping hand from a volunteer.