Solihull SUSTAiN - Helping Solihull's Third Sector Get Fit for the Future

Nominations are sought for a Solihull NHS Care Trust volunteer of the year. The award recognises the value of a significant contribution to the community and nominees do not have to be health or social care professionals. Download the Volunteer Nomination Application Form. The deadline is Friday 30th July.

The West Midlands for 2010 volunteering portal is now open for business and will hold details of 2010 related news and opportunities within the region.

70,000 volunteers will be required to help run the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games but in the West Midlands the primary focus is to get people to volunteer for 2012 related programmes within the region as well as in London.

Major international sports events taking place in our region, the Culture programme and the Community Games provide great volunteering opportunities which will continue to grow as the West Midlands rolls out its legacy.

Go to: www.wmfor2012.com/volunteering

How many times have you come across small gestures of generosity, the help and support that changed somebody’s life? We all experience and know about it. The nice neighbour who holds our spare keys in case we get locked out, the person on the bus or in the queue who starts an encouraging conversation on a bad day, the many nice smiles strangers give us, the neighbour who takes our parcels in when we are at work.

Come and visit us at http://volunteeringinsolihull.blogspot.com/ and add your stories of small acts of kindness that have made all the difference.

Solihull’s National Volunteers’ Week celebrations were a storming success with 103 people putting themselves forward to become volunteers.

At recruitment road shows in Mell Square, local people were keen to sign-up to offer their time and skills to Solihull’s charities and voluntary groups.

Manjit Johal, SUSTAiN’s Community Development Officer said: “the turnout at this year’s events has been absolutely fantastic, a brilliant way to mark 25 years of National Volunteers’ Week”.

Arden Hall played host to a gala dinner to celebrate the achievements of volunteers in the Castle Bromwich area, with a very special lifetime achievement award going to Margaret and Albert Turner for over 60 years of remarkable dedication to their local community.

And at Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, voluntary organisations in the North of borough showcased their work – everything from park conservation to care homes for elderly people to keeping the community safe. The event even attracted the attention of BBC Midlands Today, showing to the whole of the West Midlands what a great job Solihull’s community groups and volunteers do.

As Manjit continues: “I’m very positive about the enthusiasm I’ve seen from local people, which I know will help Solihull’s charities and voluntary groups to thrive and survive the pressures they are currently facing”.

If you missed the events but are interested in giving your time and skills to a local cause we’d love to hear from you.