It has been a really successful year for sports volunteering in Lancashire with over 400 volunteers being recruited who between them have delivered 20,000 volunteering hours. These 16-25 year old volunteers have been giving up their own time volunteering in a variety of roles such as officiating, coaching, umpiring, administration and so on. These roles have been delivered in a wide range of settings (clubs, schools, community groups, and local authorities) across the fourteen boroughs within the county. Through the co-ordination work from designated volunteer leads within Local Authorities and School Sport Partnerships, this fantastic achievement has been made possible. It is the first time in Lancashire that such figures have been attained and it is purely through the commitment and effort the volunteers, mentors and volunteer leads have shown.
Lancashire Sport Partnership Chief Executive, Adrian Leather commented;
“Volunteering can look like a one-way process – volunteers offer themselves and their time to a club or sports programme, producing significant achievements for the individual and communities – these outcomes are well known and hugely valuable to the delivery of Sport in Lancashire.
However, we at Lancashire Sport have been promoting the inclusion and personal development opportunities available to the Volunteer through Sport through programs such as Positive Futures and Step into Sport – we believe volunteering has unique rewards and benefits for the individual.
That’s why Lancashire prioritises volunteering strategically, continuing to support volunteering opportunities across the County and contributes to the SVNW as a Board member.”
The impact volunteering is having on sport in Lancashire is immeasurable. Previous gaps in workforce capacity for placement providers is being irradiated resulting in the placements being able to concentrate their efforts on maximising the quality of delivery and provision within their setting. Many clubs for example, are now able to begin to work towards the national quality standard of Clubmark; in fact 17 clubs have been accredited within the past year. Volunteering has not just created an impact on the structures within sport, but it has had a personal effect on so many of our volunteers. Through the volunteer programme that Lancashire Sport partnership offers, volunteers are taking advantage of the many incentives offered during their volunteering experience. One in particular can be accessed beyond 200 voluntary hours and helps to enhance the volunteers CPD. Lancashire Sport partnership contributes a significant amount of funding towards a course of their choice, usually an NGB Level 1 or 2 course. This in turn increases the likeliness of future employability within the field for any volunteer and it is often a course which they wouldn't otherwise be able to attend. For example one of our Positive Futures volunteers Jack Eastwood is now a paid referee after completing the Basic Football Referees (Level 9) course. Also Lynne Holden achieved her Netball Level 2 Coach Qualification and is now using this as part of her work as a full time Community Sport Coach.
Beth Wadsworth, Volunteer Development Officer for Lancashire Sport partnership, added a few words
"I would just like to thank all the dedicated volunteer leads and staff with the school sport partnerships for their co-operation and commitment to volunteering. The communication networks that have been set up have made the process for any volunteer simple to follow. So now that we have established ourselves and set the standard for years to come, I just hope we can keep the momentum up and encourage more people into sports volunteering and continue to provide them with the recognition that they deserve."
A strong platform for sports volunteering in Lancashire has been formed and things are really looking promising for its future. Particularly with 2012 on the horizon, it is a really exciting time to get involved in sports volunteering!!
To find out more about volunteering in Lancashire, please contact Beth Wadsworth on 01995 642280 or bwadsworth@myerscough.ac.uk or visit our Volunteers section