Volunteering in the city will get a boost as Portsmouth’s City Council’s libraries services are being given £130,000 to support community volunteering opportunities.
The funding is for a two year project to increase volunteering opportunities for young people and people who experience barriers to accessing volunteering. It is being distributed by Arts Council England from the Volunteering Futures Fund.
The project will increase the breadth and diversity of volunteer opportunities across Portsmouth. It will particularly concentrate on providing volunteering opportunities for people with disabilities.
The council will promote opportunities for all communities across the city to engage in volunteering by holding recruitment fairs, taster sessions and celebration events. They will also be making easier for people to find out about new and different volunteering opportunities and to get involved.
It will break down barriers to volunteering and enable organisations across the arts, culture, sport, civil society, youth and heritage sectors to continue their valuable work within local communities whilst volunteers enjoy the personal benefits of making a difference.
Lindy Elliott, libraries and archives service manager, said: “We already have lots of amazing volunteers who do a fantastic job in supporting the library service and wider cultural offer in the city.
“This new funding gives us an opportunity to look more closely at our volunteering offer and work with different and diverse communities in new ways so we can benefit from what they have to offer, and they can enjoy the personal benefits of making a difference.”
To find out more about volunteering opportunities with Portsmouth libraries service visit https://librariesandarchives.portsmouth.gov.uk/ or ask at your nearest library.
