Council volunteers thanked

v Volunteers are being championed across the region as Dumfries and Galloway Council retains the Investing in Volunteers Quality Standard. 

Dumfries and Galloway Council was the first local authority in Scotland to achieve the Investing in Volunteers Quality standard in 2022 and have secured a further three years of professional accreditation in the sector, following a rigorous assessment by Volunteer Scotland. 

Investing in Volunteers is Britain’s leading quality standard for volunteer management and achieving the standard is recognised as a benchmark for existing and future volunteers to show how much they are valued.

Graded by Volunteer Scotland, it recognises the commitment by organisations to valuing, supporting and developing their volunteers and is measured off of vision, planning, inclusion, welcoming and supporting 

Council leader Stephen Thompson is delighted with the three-year extension, he said: “It reflects and recognises the work taking place across the council to strengthen the ways we support and involve volunteers in our services. 

“Our volunteers make a real difference every day. The work is diverse and includes maintaining the Southern Upland Way, preserving local heritage through archive digitisation, leading sports activities for young people and supporting major events, such as Youth Beatz.

“Since the council first achieved this standard, our volunteer numbers have grown to more than 1000, which demonstrates just how important the role of volunteering is in supporting our services and communities.”