Local charities gathered in Aberdeen’s Trinity Centre on Monday 8th May for the Big Help Out Volunteering Fayre to inspire Aberdeen residents to get more involved with their communities.
The Big Help Out was hosted nationwide as part of the celebrations for the Coronation of HM King Charles III with the aim of encouraging the country to lend a hand in their communities and support the work of local charities and community groups by giving the gift of their time.
An estimated 6 million people took part in the volunteering drive on May 8th across the UK with the occasion marked in Aberdeen with the Big Help Out Volunteering Fayre, hosted by Aberdeen based family and children’s charity We Too! in partnership with ACVO TSI and the Trinity Centre.
The event saw Aberdeen residents given the opportunity to discover more about the importance of volunteering in the city and the huge positive impact it has day to day. The gathering was hailed as a huge success with almost 7,000 people visiting the centre over the duration of the fayre, a 51.6% increase in footfall during that period in the Trinity Centre compared to last year, highlighting the great support for volunteering and community action from the people of Aberdeen.
Lord Lieutenant and Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Councillor Dr. David Cameron, kindly opened the event and expressed his immense appreciation towards volunteers, acknowledging how important they are for the city while urging everyone to get involved with their communities and to give their time where they can.
Entertainment was provided by a showcase of local talent from Touch of Love Outreach’s young achievers group and cast members from the Ayetanic Student Show.
Third sector, community and voluntary groups who took part in the Fayre included Aberdeen Foyer – Nightstop North-East Scotland; Aberlour Children’s Charity; ACVO; Asthma and Allergy Foundation; Barnardo’s Aberdeen Young Carers; CHAS – Children’s Hospices Across Scotland; Childline; Cultivate Aberdeen; Denis Law Legacy Trust; Future Choices Aberdeen; Girlguiding Aberdeen & Shetland; Grampian Opportunities; Guide Dogs Aberdeen Branch; Inchgarth Community Centre; Legion Scotland; Rape Crisis Grampian; RNLI – Aberdeen Lifeboat Station; shmu; Soroptimist International of Aberdeen; STAND International; Team Jak – Jaks Den Aberdeen; TLC Befriending; Touch of Love Outreach & We Too! charity.
Mike Melvin, Volunteering Services Manager at ACVO, said:
“HM King Charles III’s dedication continues to inspire and encourage people to get involved in their community and volunteer. The amazing support shown for volunteering during the Big Help Out in Aberdeen has helped to bring our communities closer together and has created a fantastic lasting volunteering legacy from the Coronation weekend.”
Kenny Bruce, Operations Manager, Trinity Shopping Centre stated: “The Trinity Shopping Centre were delighted to support We Too! & ACVO with The Big Help Out as part of the Coronation celebration events.
“Aberdeen has a wonderful network of dedicated volunteers across the city, and we’re thrilled to be able to help showcase and celebrate this by providing a platform to demonstrate how their organisations support the local community.”
For more information about The Big Help Out, please visit thebighelpout.org.uk
Details of volunteer opportunities in Aberdeen are available at volunteeraberdeen.org.uk and acvo.org.uk/opportunities/volunteering
Information about We Too!, ACVO and the Trinity Centre are available at: wetoo.org.uk, acvo.org.uk and trinityaberdeen.co.uk
