AHEAD of Volunteers’ Week 2021 and as we emerge from the pandemic, City of York Council has given a huge thank you to thousands of Covid volunteers in the city, who will now all be managed by York Centre for Voluntary Service (CVS).

With the Government’s roadmap progressing and as we move out of lockdown, new arrangements for covid volunteering will be in place from the start of Volunteers’ Weeks on June 1. As part of this change, all volunteering for roles related to the pandemic will be managed by York CVS. Anyone who signed up for Covid volunteering through the council can now opt in to sign up with the CVS.

From March 2020 to May 2021, City of York Council’s Covid volunteers have performed over 1,120 individual tasks. These ranged from calling residents to support their wellbeing, to helping people get online, to stewarding at vaccination or testing centres.

Volunteers from across the city’s community groups continue to work hard to combat social isolation due to shielding, illness or lockdown.

Since the start of the pandemic those city volunteers have performed around 1,400 acts of kindness, from calling round for a chat on the doorstep, to going for a socially distanced walk or making a cheerful phone call.

Councillor Darryl Smalley, executive member for culture, leisure and communities, said: “Ahead of Volunteers’ Week, I want to thank our city’s very generous residents for their outstanding work to help York through the pandemic. Our morale has been uplifted time and again by the kindness of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in unprecedented times.

“Whether it is individuals being good neighbours, residents joining a local voluntary organisation, community groups supporting their area or businesses donating expertise or goods - every good deed has helped us all.

“I’m delighted that all covid-related volunteering will now transfer to our partners and experts at York’s Centre for Voluntary Service (CVS) where the city’s culture of volunteering will continue to thrive.”

You can find out more about volunteering in York here.