Dominic Raab

Last month, Volunteers’ Week provided a great opportunity to say thank you to the countless Walton residents who give up their time to help others and contribute to their communities.

To mark Volunteers’ Week I headed over to Whiteley Village near Hersham. This is a wonderful place for local people, including those of limited financial means, to retire to. There is also supervised accommodation and nursing care for those who need it. I went to help serve up and deliver lunches to the elderly residents, and enjoyed meeting and chatting to them and the staff. I was particularly struck by the dedication of the other volunteers. It was clear that they had really taken the time to build a rapport with the residents and are a key part of the fantastic community spirit at Whiteley Village.

This spirit of volunteering has been invaluable in helping our communities through the pandemic. Over the past 15 months I’ve seen hundreds of local residents going above and beyond, whether assisting at vaccination centres, helping the homeless, or delivering food, prescriptions and other essentials to the vulnerable. They’ve made a huge difference during very difficult times.

Of course residents will know that volunteering was already an important part of community life before the pandemic. Volunteers are essential to the work of the local Citizens Advice offices and foodbanks, for example. They support our local churches (such as the “Connections” meeting group for older residents at Holy Trinity Claygate), and ensure residents can enjoy scenic areas like Painshill Park.

When the pandemic hit, we were fortunate to be able to draw on this bank of goodwill and selflessness. So even though Volunteers’ Week has passed, I want to say thank you again to all those who do so much for communities across the borough.

Dom preparing fish & chips for Whiteley Village residents, during Volunteers’ Week