Both Cherie Booth and Sarah Brown were out in force today as they showed support for a record number of volunteers taking part in CSV Make a Difference Day, the UK’s biggest single day of volunteering (Saturday 28th October 2006).
Sarah Brown, the wife of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown joined the 6th Kirkcaldy Brownies of Fife at a volunteer baking event this Saturday (28 October). Money raised from the sale of fair-trade brownies will be donated to the Jennifer Brown Research Fund Fife Appeal, in memory of Gordon Brown's daughter.
CSV Make a Difference Day is supported by Barclays Community Investment Programme and at least 115,000 people are known to have taken part, giving time instead of money to improve the lives of others.
Gordon Brown also sent his own message of support: "What's so great about CSV Make a Difference Day is that it shows how easy it is for people of all ages to become a volunteer. It is important for people to feel part of their community and volunteering your time to help others promotes social harmony and fosters community spirit. I am honoured that the money raised by the hard work of the 6th Kirkcaldy Brownies will be donated to the Jennifer Brown Research Fund."
The recipe for the fair-trade brownies was specially created by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and is part of the CSV Make a Difference Day 'How to...' guides which encourage people to volunteer their time for the good of the community.
Elsewhere, there was another surprise VIP volunteer at the Gerrards Cross Barnardo’s shop. Barnardo’s President Cherie Booth QC gave up her Saturday morning to volunteer at the charity shop in support of the CSV Make a Difference Day Campaign to encourage people to volunteer.
“I really want to help encourage people to volunteer, it may seem that a few hours won’t make much difference, but added together, volunteers’ time contributes a vital £22.6 billion a year to the work of charities. Volunteering isn’t just for older people, everyone is welcome, you can meet new friends, gain useful experience and boost your self confidence while supporting Barnardo’s projects across the UK.”
Cherie Booth gave the store some unwanted items of her own and got involved in some of the many activities carried out by volunteers at Barnardo’s shops; including steaming clothes, stacking racks and shelves and designing window displays.
Andrew Nebel, UK Director of Marketing and Communications at Barnardo’s, said:
“ We are extremely grateful to Cherie Booth for giving up her Saturday morning to encourage people to volunteer for Barnardo’s. Volunteers are the unsung heroes who keep charities going, and we are incredibly indebted to them. Hopefully today will make some more people think, “could I do that?”
Claire Ghoussoub, CSV Make a Difference Day campaign Manager explains: "Around 55% of those people who take part in CSV Make a Difference Day are new to volunteering, and 63% of those go on to volunteer again. (1) This shows how the campaign provides an excellent taster opportunity for new volunteers and provides a stepping stone into more sustained volunteering."
This year’s campaign is backed by a host of stars including: Eamon Holmes, Wendi Peters, Pete Waterman, Sian Lloyd, Oliver Rowe, Kirsty King, Andrea Maflin, Hugh-Fearnley Whittingstall, Kelly Holmes, Jo Swift, and Maxi Jazz.
CSV Make a Difference Day is on Saturday 28th October, with activities taking place a week either side.
If you would like to make a difference in your community visit www.csv.org.uk/difference or call FREEPHONE 0800 284533. Activities call be registered up until 4th November.
Further press information: Jason Tanner, 07941 433598 or Esther Freeman, 020 7812 0035/07981 591150 efreeman@csv.org.uk or Paul Donohoe 020 7812 0037/07779 624 385 pdonohoe@csv.org.uk
Latest press releases: www.csv.org.uk/press
Notes for editors
1. The Great British Time Survey, commissioned by CSV Make a Difference Day and Barclays and conducted by ICM (June 2005)
2. Justin Davis Smith, National Survey of Volunteering, 1997
3. CSV Make a Difference Day takes place on Saturday 28 October 2006, and activities take part a week either side. Around 115,000 people are expected to give time rather than money to improve their local community. The campaign is organised by CSV (Community Service Volunteers) and supported by Barclays community investment programme and the Home Office Active Communities Directorate.
4. CSV (Community Service Volunteers) creates opportunities for people to take an active part in the life of their communities through volunteering, training and community action. Each year 195,000 people give 4.9 million hours of their time as volunteers through CSV. CSV trains 11,500 people of all ages.
5. Barclays PLC actively encourages employee involvement and provides direct support through its employee community programmes. These include paid time off in work time for volunteering, grants for group volunteering activities, matched fundraising and matched payroll giving.
6. In 2005, more than 26,000 Barclays employees around the world took advantage of the support available to them for their work in the community - to the benefit of more than 7,500 charities and community groups.
7. More than 10,000 Barclays employees took part in Make A Difference Day activities globally, including projects in Africa and Spain. Volunteering activity included mentoring, beach clearing, gardening and painting.
8. Barclays is taking its community investment responsibilities seriously - investing £39.1 million in 2005. The organisation focuses on the areas where it can use its knowledge and expertise to make the biggest difference to key social issues. In the UK, this includes programmes about money education, debt advice, financial inclusion and getting people into work. Barclays also strives to strengthen the local communities in which they operate, and are investing £30 million over three years in grassroots sport through Barclays Spaces for Sports.
9. For further information see social responsibility at http://www.barclays.com. Media enquiries contact: Jon Logie, Barclays PLC on 0207 116 6040.