Volunteer Now appeals for more volunteers as ‘every hour can make a difference’

Denise Hayward, Chief Executive of Volunteer Now, the leading voice of volunteering in Northern Ireland, has highlighted the need for more volunteers in the hope that the new year will inspire people to give their time for others.

Whilst research published by NISRA in November shows that volunteer numbers in Northern Ireland are back to levels pre-pandemic (28% of the population volunteered within the last year), Volunteer Now would still like this number to increase and has noted a change in the amount of time that those volunteering are able to offer.  This is a development that Volunteer Now believes is the result of various factors including longer working hours, the cost of childcare and an increasing reluctance to make long-term commitments.

“The drop in available volunteer hours is a knock-on effect from the pandemic and the general pressure put on everyday life through the cost of living,” comments Denise Hayward, Chief Executive, Volunteer Now.

“Whilst we have a fantastic, engaged network of volunteers and are thrilled to see numbers coming back up following the challenges we faced since 2020, we are now looking at a different challenge.  People appear to have less time to give so in short, we simply need more people.  More and more organisations need the support of volunteers and we have an ageing population who rely on voluntary services.  We want to stress that not everyone needs to give up a huge amount of time either, as every hour can make a difference to someone’s life.  We just need more individuals to give volunteering a go,” Denise said.

Research by Volunteer Now has also shown that many people have misconceptions about what volunteering may involve, a challenge the organisation is directly tackling:

“There are so many volunteering roles available in Northern Ireland for people of all ages in every area – each of which play an important role and have a positive impact in our society,” continues Denise Hayward.

“We have been highlighting these through a series of awareness campaigns and will continue to do so.  From assisting at a sports event to packing items at a food bank, from befriending an isolated older person to driving someone to hospital.  These are all roles that we cannot fill without volunteers.”

Volunteer Now is hopeful that with the new year approaching, people will consider adding volunteering to their list of resolutions.

“We tend to try new hobbies or introduce healthy habits in the new year.  We’re hoping that volunteering could be top of that list,” adds Denise.

“Importantly, if volunteering is new to you, you aren’t alone.  We support volunteers every single step of the way, and if it doesn’t work out, that’s absolutely fine.  Our volunteers talk about how volunteering clearly benefits others but also how much it benefits them.  The mental and physical benefits of volunteering are proven.  It can help you feel more active, more connected and give you a sense of purpose.  It can create an enormous sense of wellbeing for individuals or for employees whose employer gives them time to volunteer.

“By trying volunteering, you might just find it becomes a part of life you didn’t know you needed.  Volunteering changes lives and we hope more people in Northern Ireland will make 2025 the start of their volunteering journey.”

Volunteering opportunities throughout communities in all parts of Northern Ireland can be found on the banner on our homepage.