PICTURES: Volunteering heroes clock up staggering 137k hours

Skegness Mayor unveils a Volometer at Hildreds. Kathryn Laverack of Lincolnshire CVS with Jolly Fisherman. ANL-190325-121415001

Over 40 organisations used the week to say thank you to their volunteers and others took the opportunity to organise taster events and microvolunteering opportunities.

Among them were Winthorpe Community Partnership, Gibraltar Point, Skegness Eco Centre, Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway, Oxfam and St Barnabas Hospice, with many other groups joining them at the Hildreds Shopping Centre.

Thirty-seven organisations sent in the volunteering hours donated last year, adding up to an impressive total of 137, 429 hours.

MP Matt Warman planting seeds in the Hildreds Centre during Skegness Volunteers Week. ANL-190325-123048001

#SkegVolunteers have also planted over 200 seeds for the Community Planters at the Hildreds Centre and Winthorpe Community Partnership and knitted hundreds of thank you volunteers to display around the mall to help celebrate.

The big gathering of the volunteers who give their time to support the people, animals, landscape and heritage of our town took place at the Hildreds Centre in Skegness and around town all last week, with the unveiling of the total hours on Saturday afternoon.

The project has been initiated by Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service (LCVS) with support from Lincolnshire County Council, Skegness Town Council, Lincolnshire Coastal Destination BID and local charities including Skegness Rotary Club and Skegness Round Table.

Activities included a town clean-up, some guerilla vegetable planting and guerilla knitting, and chances to try out being a radio presenter with County Linx Radio, pilot a trishaw with Cycling Without Age Skegness, be a campaigner for Diabetes UK, and help with habitat and woodland conservation at the Eco Centre.

Winthorpe volunteers celebrating Skegness Volunteers Week. ANL-190325-122317001

Andrew Quickfall, of Skegness Rotary Club, said: “The Rotary Club are often recognised for the fundraising they do for the local community, but Skegness Volunteers’ Week has allowed us to focus on the value of people’s time.

“Just like the Rotary Club, many local charities and community groups would just not exist without the time given by their members and volunteers.

“A celebration that encourages people to keep giving their time and inspires others to get involved, we recognised as a great initiative and one that the Rotary Club has been very pleased to have been able to support and get involved with.”

Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service Area Officer for East Lindsey Kathryn Laverack commented: “The response to our appeal for knitted thank you volunteers has been quite overwhelming.

Muchael James of Spilsby, a volunteer at the Age UK shop in Skegness, planting seeds in the Hildreds Centre. ANL-190325-123215001

“Thank you to everyone who gave their time to do this. They look amazing and are great way to celebrate #SkegVolunteers in all their diversity.

“We will be gathering up all the knitted volunteers to be displayed again later in the year, so look out for their next appearance.”