Work of community support celebrated for Volunteers' Week

Environmental and wellbeing charity Groundwork North Wales and their partner charities, nature conservation charity, Wild Ground and waste reduction charity, Refurbs, will join thousands of voluntary organisations for the celebration of their volunteers.

This year the theme is Celebrate and Inspire, and the group want to encourage more people to get involved in volunteering across the many different projects and activities delivered by the three charities.

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Head of programmes and partnerships, Lorna Crawshaw, said: "Volunteers' Week is our chance to celebrate and recognise the fantastic contribution our volunteers make. They make an incredible difference to individuals, communities, and the natural environment.

"We are proud that in 2022, 748 volunteers gave over 15,000 hours of their time to support the environmental, social, economic, and cultural wellbeing of communities around North Wales, making a real difference to the communities they have supported."

Volunteer Matt at one of the repair sessions at Refurbs Buckley.

Volunteers at Refurbs have been helping to reduce waste and delighting residents by offering Repair Sessions to promote the benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling by repairing small household items rather than sending them to landfill.

Helen brought her coffee machine to be repaired at Refurbs in Buckley, and Matt one of the skilled volunteers, saved it from going to landfill.

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Grateful Helen said: "A big thank you for the repair of our coffee machine! It was going to the skip and is now working nicely in the kitchen! A fantastic service which I would recommend."

Wild Ground volunteer Eddie, a retired nurse, supports his local nature reserve, Trefnant near St Asaph, in Denbighshire. Eddie gives his time and skills week in and week out to support nature and improve the nature reserve, ensuring wildlife is protected and the habitats conserved. Eddie also loves to volunteer somewhere where he can express his passion for the natural world and use his wide knowledge of birdlife by regularly surveying wildlife at the reserve.

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He said: "I have volunteered for Wild Ground for the last two years after retiring as a community psychiatric nurse, it's really nice to do something for the environment, to support great crested newts and to get a much better understanding of the biodiversity on site. Being part of a friendly team is important to me, as is continuing to learn new skills."

To keep up to date with volunteering opportunities across the Groundwork North Wales group, visit www.groundworknorthwales.org.uk or look for Groundwork North Wales, Refurbs and Wild Ground on social media.

To find out more about volunteering with Groundwork North Wales, email info@groundworknorthwales.org.uk or call 01978 757524.