Valuing our volunteers

12th October 2018

by Councillor Joanne Laban

email Cllr.Joanne.Laban@enfield.gov.uk

Conservative Member for Highlands Ward

Enfield has been a beacon of community action over the last few months.  The number of events held in Enfield showcased the many dedicated residents we have who want to give something back to our community.

The Palmers Green Festival and Fancy Fair were fantastic events. However, events such as these cannot be delivered without volunteers working on the stalls from charities, amenity groups and other organisations. These events take a lot of hard work by all involved to make them successful.

School fetes are normally organised by parents groups along with support from staff. The summer term is an extremely busy time for schools yet many staff go above and beyond in their spare time to work with volunteer parents groups to deliver the annual fete.  

I attended the Nightingale Cancer Support Centre's Annual Golf Day. I am always amazed at how much they do with very few paid members of staff. The main support centre opened earlier this year and it could not have been achieved without the huge amount of work carried out by volunteers. The centre has already made a big difference to Enfield residents effected by cancer and their families.

Enfield benefits from many Friends of the Parks Groups. The Friends Groups are volunteers who work with Enfield Council to make sure our parks remain great places to visit. The groups monitor the park and let the council know if things need replacing.  They also apply for outside funding so more investment is given to our parks.  Friends of the Parks Groups in short play a key role in maintaining the parks to a good standard for all to enjoy. 

I recently spoke to a leader of a local Brownie Pack. The time needed to organise the activities each week and the responsibility especially with pack holiday is immense.  She is one of many leaders in our borough who give up their time to deliver a variety of activities for young people.  We are indebted to them for giving up their evenings and weekends to give our young people a safe environment for them to learn new skills and have fun.

I have mentioned just a few examples of the volunteering that takes place in Enfield. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who volunteer. Enfield is a better place due to the work you do for our community.