Volunteers are at the heart of the community. They are behind many of the services we all rely on.  

Every June, Volunteers’ Week takes place in the UK. It's a chance to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to our communities and say thank you.  

Here at Durham, staff can volunteer for up to five days a year in paid, work time. We have built relationships with community groups, organisations and charities that benefit from working in partnership with the University. Our students can choose to volunteer with any of the 45 student-led projects on offer. They can also volunteer within their own College outreach programme or as part of their degree programme, sports team or society. 

Many colleagues choose a volunteering opportunity as a team-building exercise. Colleagues from our Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) recently took part in a clean-up (pictured above) of Seaham beach in County Durham for Seascapes, a North East coastal project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

One of the volunteers, from DARO, said:

The beach clean-up was an ideal way to welcome a new member of the team. Though we did have to point out that WFB (working from the beach) is not part of our standard working model!  

 

“It was an excellent opportunity not only for team building but also to catch up as Covid-19 had meant that the team hadn’t been together in some time. 

“Initially the beach didn’t seem too littered, and we doubted that we would be able to fill a single bag. However, once you started looking, it was surprising how much you could find and how blind we’ve become to our environment. It was a sobering moment to think that without volunteers engaging in these projects, the beaches could quickly become a waste ground and unusable for the public and a danger to wildlife.” 

There is something for everyone in the huge range of volunteering opportunities we have available. Register and find out more about our volunteering opportunities at: DU Volunteering