Making Volunteering Accessible for All in Annan

BUDDING Annan volunteers who may be facing barriers to contribute in their community, are being invited to attend relaxed and informal discussions happening in the area.

Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway will be hosting a small group discussion in Annan, which will offer a relaxed and supporting environment to those with little to no experience of volunteering, to those with previous experience interested in learning how they can support the next generation getting involved further.

The ‘Your Voice, Your Experience: Shaping Volunteering in Dumfries and Galloway’ session takes place at The Old Bank on 52 High Street from 11 am until 1 pm on July 22.

The sessions are open to anyone who may be experiencing challenges around volunteering due to time, transport, health-related circumstances to confidence challenges, care responsibilities, and former volunteers wanting to get involved again.

Organisers have said they hope the discussions will give all those involved opportunities to share ideas and experiences with each other, at whatever stage of volunteer experience they may bring.

A spokesperson said: “We know that so many people want to get in- volved in their communities but face real, practical barriers to doing so. These sessions are about listening and using what we hear to start to help make volunteering genuinely accessible for everyone in Dumfries and Galloway.”

The discussions form part of TS- DG’s wider work, which is aiming to better understand the real-life obstacles that prevent people across the region from volunteering, with the aim of shaping accessible and in- clusive opportunities and pathways to find this support in the future.

The sessions will be taking place in Annan, Dumfries, Stranraer and online for those unable to attend in-person.

For more information about the sessions, the TSDG website provides a full list of sessions and information about how to get involved.