Make 2013 your year of community volunteering

Scottish MSPs have joined forces with Focus Scotland Magazine to make the promotion of community-based volunteering their New Year’s Resolution.

The MSPs pledged their support and signed banners promoting the campaign, which aims to get the Scottish public embarking on a volunteering journey in 2013. Focus Scotland hopes to build on the positive image of volunteering provided by last year’s summer of Games. They want the campaign to remind individuals of the impact they can have when volunteering at community level.

Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker, one of the first to sign the campaign banner, said: “Volunteering is a great way to improve your community, since no one knows more about the needs of a community than the people who belong to it.

“I often publicise the commendable voluntary projects taking place in my Dunfermline constituency through news releases, publicity on my website, and so on.

“I would encourage anyone who has a community project in mind, but who is struggling to get it off the ground, to make themselves aware of the many opportunities out there for support.”

Focus Scotland Editor Selina Ross added: “Volunteering has never been more in the news, and we want to see 2013 be the year we put community volunteering in Scotland clearly on the map.   Every day, people throughout Scotland make the lives of themselves and others better by contributing their time, skills and care in a wide variety of ways. We hope in 2013 even more will take the time to get involved.”

The last Scottish Household Survey showed that 30% of adults volunteer. This campaign hopes to add to that figure by encouraging everyone to kick off the New Year with a resolution to volunteer in their local community and make a difference.

If you are interested and have any time to donate, you can find out more by visiting the portal for all volunteering in Scotland, http://www.volunteerscotland.org.uk, or by contacting your local Volunteer Centre.

Bill Walker MSP signs community volunteering campaign banner