Friday 14-03-2025 - 21:07

Monday, 10 February marked the beginning of the Student Volunteering Week (SVW), during which students nationwide are encouraged to get involved in voluntary activities to benefit their local community.

Durham University Volunteering and Outreach (DUVO) promoted an exciting calendar of events, in line with this year’s SVW themes. These were open to everyone, both newcomers and regular volunteers, and included gardening, dog walking, donation sorting, information sessions and much more.

Throughout SVW, 105 volunteers dedicated 312 collective hours across 59 different volunteering opportunities. Georgia Donohue, Volunteering Team Leader commented, “the success of student volunteering week this year has been shown through the engagement from student volunteers, including those that provide the opportunities for other students. This highlights the passion Durham students have for volunteering and how much they want to support their local community”.

SVW from a volunteer’s perspective 

Dorothea Barnes, Student Friends of the Botanic Gardens Project Manager and DUSVO Environment Chair - “it was great to see volunteers, both old and new, working together and exploring Durham’s green spaces. I really enjoyed listening to everyone sharing their enthusiasm about new projects and the environment in general! I particularly enjoyed giving the tour [of the Botanic Gardens] and was pleased to see everyone there, even with the less-than-ideal weather.”

Ele James, DUSVO Warm Hearts Project Manager and Castle Outreach Officer - “Celebrating SVW at Castle was an impactful, wonderful experience. We kicked off the week with our weekly Warm Hearts Monday session, where we continued to make baby hats and blankets for prematurely born babies. We hosted our annual Valentines paint and sip in aid of Eating Distress North East. We had so much fun promoting self-love and body positivity and raised £612 for EDNE! We took the time to reflect on our volunteers’ hard work. Behind the scenes, our amazing publicity team ran a social media campaign to promote the volunteering opportunities we have in college! All in all, it was a great week, and I am so proud of Castle Community Action for everything they have achieved”

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers and community partners!

DUVO would like to extend a massive thank you to all our amazing volunteers for making SVW 2025 such a fantastic week! Thank you for choosing to use your time to benefit the community and make a positive difference in Durham.

A huge thank you also to our fantastic community partners! We are so fortunate to be partnered with an ever-expanding list of over 160 charities and organisations who do wonderful work in the community.

Anya Namesh, Coordinator and Communications Administrator for Durham City of Sanctuary - “On behalf of Durham City of Sanctuary, I want to extend our sincere appreciation and recognition to all student volunteers and DUSVO team during Student Volunteering Week. Your dedication to community engagement, social justice, and humanitarian work is truly invaluable. You help create a welcoming environment for refugees and sanctuary seekers, offering them support, practical assistance, and opportunities for integration. Your commitment to volunteering not only changes lives but also strengthens the wider community. As we celebrate Student Volunteering Week, we want to express our gratitude for your incredible work and recognise the vital role you play in fostering a more inclusive society.”

How to get involved!

Follow this link if you would like to know more about how to get involved with volunteering at Durham.

Emails:

student.volunteering@durham.ac.uk (general volunteering enquiries)

college.volunteering@durham.ac.uk (college volunteering enquiries)

volunteering.support@durham.ac.uk (society and department volunteering enquiries)

Instagram:

@duvolunteering

@du_college_volunteering