Year of the Volunteer 2005 is now officially over

We are leaving some information up about the year here for reference only...

Year of the Volunteer Themed Months

Each month of the Year of the Volunteer had a particular theme. This allowed charities working in the same field to come together in partnership to raise the profile of their cause.

Highlights of the year included 'The Big Picture', a project to give disadvantaged young people the chance to try out media workshops as part of Youth and Children Month.

Older People's Month featured 'The Big Knit', which caused quite a stir in the south west! A news anchor on BBC's Points West practised knitting on air with a volunteer, prompting over 600 knitting volunteers in the south west to contact RSVP (CSV's Retired and Senior Volunteer' Programme).

A reunion of the volunteers involved in Manchester's Commonwealth games was one of the highlights of August's aptly timed sports month. Many volunteers were hoping to get together again for London's successful Olympic bid, announced in the same month.  

The Animals' Month roadshow toured the country, starting in London and drawing to a close in Gateshead. One particularly memorable moment occured at the Leicestershire event when both an Irish Wolf Hound and a Blue Cross Great Dane joined the show! The two of them together created quite a spectacle and turned some heads. Each roadshow event saw an average of 3,500 pledge cards given out.

There is no doubt that there is a huge legacy from the Year of the Volunteer and the themed months are no exception.

MENCAP, SCOPE, RNIB and the National Trust were all partners in Disability Month and have agreed to continue to work together.