Thank you! Diolch o galon! That’s the message from Shelter Cymru colleagues to all our brilliant volunteers, past and present, during this year’s Volunteers’ Week.
We’re taking the chance to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contribution volunteers make to our fight for home, as well as highlighting exciting opportunities for new people to get involved.
“My message to volunteers is a huge thank you,” said Charlotte Besant, who looks after our telephone and online advice, within the Housing Services team.
“Our volunteers allow us to help over 10% more clients every year in terms of providing housing advice as part of our Pathways project.”
Volunteers’ Week 2025 is taking place across the UK from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 June. The annual campaign was launched in 1984 and has been running for more than 40 years.
According to figures from the Royal Voluntary Service and National Council for Voluntary Organisations, 25 million people in the UK volunteered informally at least once last year.
A spokesperson for Volunteers’ Week said: “These statistics highlight the remarkable contributions of volunteers across the UK. Together, we can continue to grow the impact of volunteering and create stronger, more connected communities.”
Our Pathways programme, which has been running for four years, provides training and mentorship to volunteers to learn the skills needed to contribute to the work of the Shelter Cymru Live team, who run our email, phone and webchat advice services. Last year, 20 new volunteers joined the project and two started permanent jobs.
“Volunteers are so important, as they strengthen our capacity to help as many people as possible,” said Charlotte.
She explained that volunteers who have experienced homelessness themselves in the past bring an extra level of compassion, empathy and understanding to the team.
“If you’re interested in volunteering, then please just get in touch,” added Charlotte. “It not only helps us as a charity to fight for home, but also gives volunteers unprecedented access to training and on-the-job experience to boost their own knowledge and skills.”
The Pathways programme is just one of many ways volunteers can get involved with Shelter Cymru’s work fighting to end the housing emergency in Wales.
Jane Ellis, Lived Experience Co-ordinator, said: “We’re so grateful to everyone who volunteers their time to support our work. Whether you’re offering your skills as a trustee, lending a hand at our fundraising events, or sharing your lived experience with us to strengthen our fight for home – thank you, diolch o galon. We couldn’t do it without you.”
Our Take Notice project is designed to give people who have faced or experienced homelessness or housing need first-hand an opportunity to make their voices heard. Last year, 53 people with lived experience were involved in Shelter Cymru’s work, aiming to improve housing and homelessness services across Wales.
One Take Notice member, who asked not to be named, said: “All I want to do is help people to understand how hard it is to be worried about where you’ll be sleeping next week. I never thought it would happen to me, but it did and it was horrible. Shelter Cymru has done so much for me and my son. Anything I can do to give back, I’ll do. I don’t have much money to donate, but I can give my time.”
Another Take Notice volunteer added: “It’s such a relief to be with people who have had similar experiences. It helps me to remember that I’m not alone. I really like getting the chance to say what needs to be said. I’m going to keep repeating myself until the changes are made that would have saved 18-year-old me from all the trauma.”
Our calendar is full of exciting events and our Fundraising team are always on the lookout for volunteers to help as event assistants, whether that’s handing out snacks to riders at our Castles & Cathedrals cycling event or waving flags at a cheer point at the Cardiff Half Marathon.
What’s more, our community fundraising colleagues organise regular collections at supermarkets and shopping centres across Wales. These are valuable for collecting donations, as well as getting out into our local communities to spread the word about our fight for home. We also need volunteers to coordinate collection tins at pubs, restaurants and shops.
If you’d like to volunteer with Shelter Cymru, visit our volunteering page to find out more and email: [email protected]
3 June 2025
By Liz Day
