Volunteers urged to 'Help Out Harrogate' by signing up for new community project

Help Out Harrogate recognises that not everyone has the time to dedicate to regular volunteering and provides opportunities for people to get involved in their local community as and when they can.

Volunteers can sign up to be part of a crew that is called on for anything from marshalling at flu clinics to planting crocus bulbs on the Stray, packing hampers for a charity, helping with outdoor community events, litter picking or getting involved in conservation tasks.

No two opportunities will be the same and there is no minimum commitment.

HADCA is working with charities and community groups to identify tasks and opportunities.

Potential volunteers are being asked to sign up, which will add their name to a mailing list to receive notification of all the opportunities. These will also be promoted via the project’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HelpOutHarrogate

Anna Glazier, Help Out Harrogate organiser, said: “Everyone’s motivations for volunteering are different and while dedicated, long term volunteering opportunities are crucial to the running of small charities, having ad hoc opportunities to get involved are equally as valuable as they cater to people’s increasingly busy lives and provide a flexible way of contributing to your community.

“Crucially, this injection of volunteering support into small charities or local groups will help make a difference to the people, places and spaces that matter to our community.”

Help Out Harrogate sits alongside HADCA’s Community Fit project, which combines being active, social and helping out in the local community.

Community Fit members ("FitStars”) meet every Wednesday evening to run together at an easy pace to a local charity or community group to lend a hand.

Helping out can involve anything from sorting donations, basic gardening, delivering leaflets, tidying a warehouse, litter picking or preparing materials for craft projects - anything that can safely be carried out by the group within the hour.

Anna continued: “The group meets at Harrogate Community House on East Parade at 5.45pm every Wednesday, runs 1-2 miles to a charity, school, community or environmental group where they help out for around an hour, before making their way back to Community House for 8pm.

"Participants don’t have to be fast or sporty; runs are at a social pace and nobody gets left behind.

“We’re also looking for new ‘TaskStars’: members who run, walk or cycle to help individuals with small, unskilled jobs in their homes or gardens that they are unable to do themselves due to age, ill health and/or mobility, helping them to live independently for longer.

"This offers those who aren’t motivated to join the group runs to get involved with the project, choosing their own method of active travel at their own pace.”

Help Out Harrogate builds on the legacy of the incredible volunteering efforts of local people during the Covid pandemic.

HADCA had over 350 people come forward to help individuals isolating at home and a further 150 volunteer marshals supporting the vaccination programme at both the Harrogate and Ripon vaccination centres.

The new pilot harnesses the incredible power of this volunteering "workforce” to support local charities and community events and activities and is being generously supported by The Shears Foundation, Councillor Peter Lacey and Councillor Sam Gibbs.

To find out more about Help Out Harrogate, visit https://hadca.org.uk/HelpOutHarrogate

For more information about Community Fit, visit https://hadca.org.uk/CommunityFit

HADCA connects and supports local communities, charities and volunteers. The team provide information, resources, networks, promotion and support for charities, community groups and social enterprises.

The charity’s Where To Turn Directory helps connect people to local charity services, support groups and community activities to support good health and well-being.

Through their Volunteering Directory, HADCA helps people find meaningful volunteering opportunities, and also supports small charities and community groups to host and recruit volunteers successfully.