Tuesday 2 June 2015

Volunteers' Week




Before I joined the team of volunteers at the British Schools' Museum, I was unaware of this week of celebration. The Chairman of the Britosh Schools' Trust reminded us that volunteers contribute billions of £s to the national economy..








The British Schools' Museum was one of only two museums to be awarded the Queens' Award in 2012.














In this, the 800th year of Magna Carta, Martyn Lewis CBE, chairman of NCVO’s trustee board says this;

Whether driven by a neighbourly passion to help others or to achieve a personal “high” of satisfaction, it is the finest example of real democracy in action – people voting with their feet not in response to the relatively long-delivery election promises of politicians, but to identify and tackle immediately an issue on their doorstep or in society at large.  Of the 164,000 registered charities that weave a web of support across our country, an amazing 90% have no paid staff.  And it is estimated that there are another 150,000 non-registered organisations also run entirely by volunteers. They are all succored and sustained by an army of people who get a real kick out of donating personal time and effort to help others.

The Hitchin British School (founded 1810) was an early example of how education provides social mobility. A child born in the slum yards beside the parish church could move out of dire poverty and into a relatively comfortable existence.