Volunteers’ Week 2025 at HWLincs
HWLincs staff and volunteers got together at Whisby Nature Park to celebrate Volunteers’ Week and the efforts of the tireless volunteers who enable the charity to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of Lincolnshire people.
Coffee and cake were on the menu, along with speeches of heartfelt thanks from HWLincs CEO Navaz Sutton and Engagement Officer Oonagh Quinn.
Navaz shared how in the last financial year, volunteers contributed an amazing 1,118.5 hours to 245 HWLincs activities. “I’d like to give a huge thanks from me and the team in a week that’s all about volunteers,” he said.
Oonagh announced that she will introduce a volunteers’ forum to help make sure the new rewards and recognition scheme gives back to the volunteers in the way they want to be recognised. “It’s about making your volunteer experience the best that we can make it,” Oonagh said.
Throughout Volunteers’ Week, HWLincs staff have been sharing messages of thanks on social media. Here’s a collection of quotes that share how special these volunteers are.
Volunteering at HWLincs is a rewarding experience.
Here’s what a volunteer who helps with the vital role of the readers panel proofreading and document feedback activity said:
“I really enjoyed proofreading the reports, especially the last one on Pelvic Health. It was very well written. Just doing a little bit of volunteering like this really helps my mental health.”
Carol Linton has dedicated more than a decade to volunteering at HWLincs.
Here’s what she enjoys about the experience.
“I’ve been volunteering with HWLincs/Healthwatch Lincolnshire for about 10 years.
It was the opportunity to continue and to share a common interest in public health and health promotion that sparked my interest.
It meant I could continue doing something familiar as well as trying something new, sometimes even out of my comfort zone.
Mostly, I am chatting to people to find out what they think about health and care so that those views can be used to influence how services are run. This means I get to talk and listen to so many people, and they are from diverse backgrounds and have different perspectives.
I am always surprised at patients and family’s willingness to share information about their experiences of services and care.
For some it is the first time someone has listened, that they have been able to pay a compliment or they have been able to say something out loud.
As well as the serious stuff, there is an opportunity to travel around Lincolnshire and maybe stay a while after completing some community engagement, have a wander about the area or maybe find a lovely café and have a cuppa with a fellow volunteer.
Even if you don’t want to travel about the county there are other roles like proofreading or finding out information for the annual update of the Signposting Directory. This way you can keep in the warm, or the cool, of your own home!
It is an opportunity to regularly contribute something to the local area in a few hours around other interests and things you have to do.”