Royal Holloway hosted its annual Festival of Volunteering on Wednesday 25 September, during the University’s 2024 Welcome.
The festival, which took place within Founder’s Square, was launched by the Mayor of Runnymede, Cllr Elaine Gill and featured over 40 local and national charities.
This year’s Festival of Volunteering saw over 1,500 students and staff attending to learn about local, national and international volunteering projects and organisations working with volunteers from the University.
The all-day event encouraged students and staff to get involved with volunteering opportunities available at Royal Holloway, and to be part of the University’s ever growing voluntary presence in the local community.
The festival offered students the chance to sign up to a wide range of volunteering options, including projects focusing on Community Action, social action, community research, Volunteering Abroad and sports volunteering.
On the day, there were 13 student led projects to sample, such as the Community Garden, where a team of volunteers take care of a garden and are part of many events including planting, how to DIY your own greenhouse and how to make your own plant hangers.
Other projects included ESOL Tutoring where students work with Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian refugees to improve their English skills.
A large number of community partner organisations took part in the event, including Egham Town Team, Voluntary Support North Surrey, UCE Charity Bookstall, Runnymede Foodbank, the Prison Advice and Care Trust and many more.
Luke Russell, Volunteering Manager at Royal Holloway, said: “The festival is always a fantastic opportunity to partner students with excellent local causes and we hope it will enable more students than ever to take part in enriching volunteering opportunities that will develop not only their skills but their sense of belonging at Royal Holloway.”
Nicola Perry, from the Egham Town Team, added: “At the Egham Town Team, we love being able to share volunteering opportunities with Royal Holloway students.
“We are a small voluntary organisation ourselves, so their input is greatly appreciated. Attending the Festival of Volunteering helps students to understand a bit more about what our town is about and what it might be able to offer them. We had a great afternoon.”
