Volunteers’ Week, which takes place from 1-12 June 2016, celebrates the contribution of the 21 million people in the UK who volunteer at least once a year. The national celebration is an annual event run by NCVO in partnership with Volunteer Develop Scotland, Volunteer Now (Northern Ireland) and Wales Council for Voluntary Action.

Victim Support’s volunteers play a range of vital roles, from providing support to people affected by crime, to raising funds for our services, and supporting our office teams with project work.

Anita has been volunteering with Victim Support for almost nine years. Using her skills for a worthy cause and contributing to her local community were two of the reasons she gave for becoming a Victim Support volunteer.

“Helping people less fortunate than me has always played an important part in my life, and knowing that I might be able to help victims carry on with their lives, despite being affected by crime, was also an incentive for me.

“Being able to see the positive impact I make is one of the reasons I choose to volunteer. It feels good to go to bed and think about a day knowing I might have changed someone’s life and done something good. Seeing the bravery of some of the victims I have supported in building a new life is very inspiring.

“Volunteering with Victim Support allows you to strengthen your core skills and develop new skills, working as part of a team with people from all walks of life. You receive excellent training, which enables you to carry out your volunteer duties, and help people in moments that could be described as severely stressful and traumatic.”

During Volunteers’ Week, we’ll be celebrating the work and dedication of our volunteers, who make such a vital contribution to people affected by crime in England and Wales. Follow our updates during Volunteers’ Week on Facebook and Twitter and if you volunteer, let us know what it means to you using the hashtag #VolunteersWeek.

Want to volunteer with us? Find out more about how you can get involved and hear from some of our current volunteers on our volunteering pages.