A Thank You

We’ve had one of our busiest spells ever at Wealden Volunteering during these first six months of 2024, during which time we’ve successfully re-branded.

Changing our name to reflect our growth over the years is really only the tip of the iceberg, with a lot of work going on behind the scenes to facilitate us helping an increasing number of people. All of this has been made possible thanks to the hard work of our CEO, Board of Trustees, Volunteers, and crucially the support of our local communities.

We’ve been able to do all sorts of terribly exciting things behind the scenes to facilitate our growth, such as strengthening our governance, and changing from an unincorporated to incorporated charity. I know, restrain yourself. But these are vital in allowing us to continue fulfilling our purpose going forwards.

Having previously been the Uckfield Volunteer Centre, initially we operated only within the town and immediate surrounding area, but since 1991 the number of people requesting knowledge, advice and help getting into volunteering from further afield meant that the change was inevitable at some point. Now, we have a regular pop-up session in Heathfield, and one to follow in Crowborough soon. We’re looking at further expansion of our pop-up sessions across Wealden so that rather than need to travel to Uckfield, call or email us, we can make it out to as many people as possible, giving them a face to talk to when they ask their questions.

Statements from organisations that speak of their thanks can occasionally sound somewhat hollow, but it has been truly wonderful to see the steady stream of people applying to give their time for worthwhile causes. As a cost of living crisis continues to force many into difficult choices, we’ve still seen so many people making the decision to select a charity to offer their services too.

Even more organisations needing volunteers from across Wealden have been joining as members, and local businesses have showed their generosity with donations to our raffles for when we’ve attended local events or by sponsoring us. As this year has progressed, an ever-increasing number of people and organisations have been getting involved, seeking to help out where they can, which all contribute to the picture of a community in Wealden which is on the rise.

We’re thrilled to be a part of that, and that you all think to use us for our services and advice. We hope that the growth we’ve seen will persist, and perhaps more riveting behind the scenes changes will be required to match the continuous progress happening.

Our thanks for continuing to use Wealden Volunteering.