The work of charities has been highlighted by the response to the Asian tsunami tragedy. Alex Lloyd examines their role, and finds that, in the Year Of The Volunteer, what they often really need are more helping hands.

THE plight of communities devastated by the Boxing Day tsunami disaster has been met with an overwhelming response from the British public.

Millions of pounds have been donated to help the victims of the worst natural disaster in living memory, illustrating the generosity of spirit of the average man and woman on the street.

But giving money can be relatively easy, and people's time can be a far more valuable commodity to the many charities operating in this country and beyond.

Volunteers contribute the equivalent of millions of pounds every year by working for free, not to mention helping others and helping themselves in the process by picking up new skills and priceless life experience.

The Government is keen to recognise this, and the Home Office is behind the Year Of The Volunteer initiative, which aims to increase opportunities for volunteering and to encourage more members of the public, especially young people, to devote some of their time to the community.

The scheme is being run by two leading volunteering organisations - Community Service Volunteers (CSV) and Volunteering England - which have each been awarded £1 million to publicise the benefits volunteering can bring.

Each month is focused on a different theme - this month is youth and children - and there will be a Volunteers' Week in June and a Make A Difference Day in October.

Sarah Armstrong is assistant regional director for CSV and works with a range of different volunteers in the Selby district.

Since April last year, 240 people from Selby have been involved in CSV volunteering schemes, and this week Sarah is leading a residential course in Whitby for 93 young people, including 32 from Selby, to give them a taste of what opportunities are on offer.

She said the Year Of The Volunteer was crucial for raising the profile of the sector and breaking down the barriers that prevent people from giving it a go.

"It is going to give people who don't volunteer regularly a better understanding of what it could mean for them and what's available," she said.

"People sometimes want to try things without commitment, so we offer taster sessions."

Volunteering can help kick-start career ambitions and a new life, said Sarah, and accreditation has become an important element in modern volunteering.

"It can improve your CV and allow you to try job skills you might need," she said.

"For example, we can place people in a school for one afternoon a week whereas sometimes their opportunities to try that is really limited and there is not enough time to make a career decision."

'Now I can operate a till - I'd recommend working here'

HUMANITARIAN charity Oxfam has five shops in York which raise thousands of pounds each year for its relief work.

But the stores - one selling clothes, one selling homeware, and three bookshops - could not exist without the help of volunteer staff, who sort through donations, stock-take, make displays and serve customers.

The charity is aiming to recruit an additional 10,000 of these people across the country during the Year Of The Volunteer.

Oxfam's Low Petergate bookshop makes about £85,000 a year and has 37 volunteers, who generally work one shift of four hours a week. Each shift provides a return which equates to immunising 12 children against six diseases.

They are mostly a mixture of students, people who are retired or do not work, and people on schemes such as the New Deal.

There are also a handful who work full-time and contribute skills such as PR and book-keeping as and when they can, and there are plans to start opening the store during the evening.

Lee Spracklen, the manager for the last four years, was himself a student volunteer before taking charge of the shop.

He said: "It's a good way to build confidence. One of things we try and do is identify what people need from volunteering. Some people come because it's Oxfam. Or it could be getting back into work and picking up skills. The level of responsibility you get working here is probably higher than in traditional retail."

Patrick Granger has volunteered at the shop for four months and it is his first volunteering experience.

"I am at home looking after small children and had some time so I thought I would put it to good use," he said.

"I've learned how to operate a till, which I didn't know before, and I am quite a bookworm, so I can browse. I would definitely recommend working here."

If you are interested in volunteering for Oxfam in York, pop into any of the stores or phone Lee on 07789 793991.

On-line way to be a good neighbour

THE NetNeighbours project is a 21st century approach to volunteering.

Participants in the new scheme, which is a partnership between the University of York and Age Concern, befriend an older person who has mobility problems and do their shopping for them using the internet.

York academic Dr Mark Blythe was inspired to set up the scheme after carrying out research into maintaining the independence of older people.

"I was quite surprised and shocked at how difficult it was for people to get out and do some shopping," he said.

Dr Blythe realised that while computers can be expensive, confusing and even physically restrictive for older people to operate, the internet is readily accessible for office workers, such as those at the University of York.

With the wealth of resources available on the internet, Dr Blythe believes that NetNeighbours has endless potential. Volunteers could locate benefits information for their client, for example.

A key feature of NetNeighbours is the recognition that going shopping is one of the few sources of social interaction for some older people. Volunteers are given just one client and encourage to strike-up a friendship with them during the phone calls.

Karen Hannah, 24, was paired with a elderly Bootham resident, and she would phone her every Sunday to take a shopping order and have a little chat.

"She was like a substitute granny for me. It was nice to have someone to chat to and it was nice for her. I did actually look forward to it," she said.

"It was so straightforward and easy for anyone who is used to computers. I would book her the same slot each week and Age Concern would reimburse the money for the shopping straight away."

The project is still in its infancy with eight volunteers and more demand than it can meet.

More shoppers are urgently needed and anyone who is interested should phone Jenny Jarred at Age Concern on 01904 627995 or email jenny.jarred@york.nhs.uk

All volunteers are registered with Age Concern and undergo police checks.

Rewards make it worthwhile

HELPING others can be an emotionally draining and difficult experience at times.

Volunteer counsellors with Cruse Bereavement Care work with individuals who have lost loved ones of all ages - sometimes as a result of murder or suicide.

The charity, which was formed in 1959, has more than 35 volunteer counsellors in York, aged between 20 and 80, who work with a couple of clients at a time, offering their services free of charge at mutually convenient times.

The service is funded entirely from donations, and receives help from Selby & York Primary Care Trust. All volunteers undergo extensive training and a counselling probationary period before they are accredited. They also receive instruction on how to cope with more sensitive issues.

Referral secretary Sada Griffiths has been with Cruse for nine years. She initially joined because of a course she was studying, but decided to continue volunteering because she enjoyed it.

She said: "Sometimes all volunteers find they are taking a case home with them, but we have supervisors to talk to find out why that might be. Some of the cases are very distressing, especially if it is a child who has died or a suicide."

Despite the difficult nature of the work, Sada said the rewards mean it is worth it.

"Everyone does volunteer work for selfish reasons at the end of the day, because of what we get out of it ourselves. But when you leave a client who says they don't need you anymore, it's great - nobody can take that feeling away from you."

If you would like to find out more about Cruse, phone 01904 481162, or visit the website www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk.

The 26 million who make a difference

More than 26 million people in England and Wales take part in some form of voluntarily activity

They contribute 1.9 billion hours - the equivalent of about one million full-time workers

Volunteering is worth £22.6 billion a year to the UK economy

Research suggests that there are 11 million people who would volunteer if they were asked

The 12 monthly themes for the year of the volunteer are: health, youth and children, older people, justice, environment, volunteer recognition, veterans, sport, disability, citizenship, Europe, and animals

More information on the Year Of The Volunteer can be found at www.yearofthevolunteer.org or watch the Community Channel 24 hours a day on Sky 585, Telewest 233 and ntl 14, and from 6am to 9am on Freeview 46.

Updated: 09:17 Monday, February 07, 2005