By Amie Strachan

ESSEX County Council is launching a new campaign encouraging residents to volunteer this summer.

Today, Monday 3 July, the Summer of Volunteering campaign is launched, inviting more residents to support their community by volunteering. Ahead of today’s campaign launch, Cllr Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader of Essex County Council and Cabinet Member for Levelling Up and the Economy, joined volunteers cutting back undergrowth in Hutton on Friday.

Cllr McKinlay said: “I was recently joined in Hutton by volunteers and local councillors where we collected litter and cut back bushes to make it easier for people to walk down the pathway. These are great examples of how people can get involved this summer in volunteering. Just spending a small amount of time can really help to improve local areas”

“With a variety of opportunities there is something to suit everyone’s skills, experience and availability. Volunteers in Essex work in a wide variety of roles, from offering companionship to people who are socially isolated, to providing practical help in the community.”

Volunteering for even just a few hours can make a huge difference to communities across Essex. The benefits of volunteering include a sense of pride, an opportunity to make new friends and the chance to learn new skills and gain work experience.

Several varied volunteering opportunities are now on offer at Essex County Council via its volunteering webpage, which can be found here: https://www.essex.gov.uk/jobs-and-apprenticeships/volunteering

Opportunities include supporting mental health charities or becoming an Adult Community Learning Digital Champion, helping people to use online services. Among the volunteering opportunities in Essex are:

• Gaming Guru in Maldon: https://www.volunteeressex.org/opportunities/gaming-guru-12986/
• Trustee for a mental health charity in Braintree, Chelmsford and Maldon: https://www.volunteeressex.org/opportunities/trustee-11951/
• Walk volunteer in various parts of Essex: https://www.volunteeressex.org/news/walk-volunteers/

However, volunteering is not only limited to opportunities posted online. You are encouraged to find a cause you care about and organise your own activities to make a difference. You can easily create your own opportunities to help support the local community, whether this is litter picking or helping an elderly neighbour.

If you have a local volunteer group which you feel deserves recognition, you can nominate the group for a Kings Award for Voluntary Service. The award is given to volunteer groups across the country to recognise the incredible work they do.

If you have a group in mind, make a nomination online here: https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/make-a-nomination/about-nominating/