This week, we gathered with partners and volunteers to celebrate the North of Tyne Volunteering Project, reflecting on its successes and looking ahead to 2025.
The North of Tyne Volunteering Project, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, was set up in 2021 by North Tyneside VODA, Connected Voice, North Tyneside Volunteer Centre, Volunteer Centre Newcastle and Northumberland Community and Voluntary Action, to improve support for volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations across Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland. Since then, we have worked to create a more connected, accessible, and impactful volunteering system.
Inspiring Volunteer Stories
At the event, we heard from volunteers and organisations who have made a real difference:
- Kerry Clegg (Read Easy UK) shared her experience setting up Read Easy, helping adults improve literacy skills.
- Jule Wilson spoke about her involvement with Sector Connector, demonstrating how businesses can support voluntary organisations.
- Andrew Garaba, a Trustee at Edberts House, explained how he stepped into his role through Connected Voice’s Trustee Match event with Home Group.
- Kevin Dickinson, a long-time volunteer, reflected on what works well in volunteering, what could improve and the value of using a Volunteer Centre to find opportunities.
Keith Hardy, Deputy CEO at VODA commented: “The inciteful and informative speakers were able to articulate how the project has enabled them to engage in volunteering and provided the audience with lots of food for thought to discuss in the action planning session.”
How the Project Has Made a Difference
The feedback from our 2021 survey shaped the direction of this project. Here’s how we have responded:
- Better coordination – Volunteer Centres in Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, and Gateshead now work together to share opportunities, saving time for organisations.
- More training and resources – Guides and training modules are available online, covering topics from safeguarding to trustee training.
- Pre-volunteering support – Potential volunteers can now complete introductory training before joining organisations, reducing onboarding time.
- Support for volunteer-involving organisations – Good Practice Guides, health checks, and legal training help organisations manage volunteers more effectively.
- Digital tools – New resources help organisations use technology to support and manage volunteers.
- Employee volunteering – The Sector Connector project links businesses with voluntary organisations, offering pro bono support in areas like HR, IT, and governance.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As well as celebrating the achievements so far, the event aimed to hear from the partners and volunteers about how the changes have helped their organisation and what additional support they need to manage and grow their volunteer programmes. A huge thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussions.
Images from the Event
Here are some of the images from the event. You can also view our video here.
