This year marks 20 years since the creation of the Royal Holloway Volunteering team, a scheme to bring together students, staff and residents, to do good in the local community and beyond.
While there are records of informal volunteering at the University taking place in the 1970s, the volunteering team as we know it, was officially founded on Valentine’s Day 2003. Since then, thousands of students have taken part in volunteering and social action and more than 100,000 hours of volunteering have been completed over the last two decades.
To mark this momentous occasion, several events have been taking place, including a special celebratory reception hosted by Julie Sanders, Vice Chancellor and Principal during Student Volunteer’s Week.
The University is also remembering some of the key volunteering successes to date which are available to view here.
The 20th anniversary celebrations to date have included a wonderful range of activities involving students, staff, alumni and community partners.
These ranged from the 20th anniversary Volunteer Fair in February which was attended by 20 voluntary organisations and more than 2,000 students and a special celebratory reception attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, High Sheriff of Surrey and Mayor of Runnymede.
The latest opportunity for the volunteering team was taking part in His Majesty King Charles III’s The Big Help Out during the Coronation weekend.
A group of students, staff and members of the community got together for a litter pick in the Forest Estate of Englefield Green and together, they collected a mass of litter and some very interesting items, including rental signs, a Blu-ray player, clothes and even a giant furry head.
The event was a collaboration between Royal Holloway, Surrey Police, Runnymede Borough Council and local community groups. In addition to the litter pick, Royal Holloway joined up with Egham Museum and Home Instead to run a Coronation Tea Party at the Lit for local elderly people on Sunday 7 May.
Phil Simcock, Volunteering Manager at Royal Holloway Volunteering, said: “Celebrating this significant 20-year milestone of community volunteering has been a moment full of joy and inspiration as we’ve looked back on an amazing amount of participation and positive contribution to make a difference within our local, national and global communities.
“Royal Holloway students, staff and alumni over the past two decades have continuously volunteered to help create better places to live, work and play for the most vulnerable in society.
“They have supported a whole range of charities and voluntary organisations along the way. Our award-winning volunteering team will continue this journey of diversity and inclusivity in serving others and getting involved in creating a sustainable world for future generations to enjoy in the next 20 years.”
A special exhibition of volunteering is currently in the Davison Building atrium until the end of Volunteers Week (1-7 June) and open to the public, 24 hours a day.
