CUTURE & OUTDOOR FESTIVAL OF VOLUNTEERING
Festival of Volunteering aims to support build-up to hosting Volunteering Expo in 2021
‘Festival of Volunteering’ to take place in Stirling in 2020
Year-long event comes after city narrowly missed out on European Volunteering Capital
BY KEVIN O’SULLIVAN T
he city of Stirling has pledged to host a year- long ‘Festival of Volun- teering’ after narrowly missing out in a contest to
be crowned European Volunteering Capital (EVC) 2020.
Stirling Council has pledged
£50,000 of financial support to progress the initiative after being pipped to the post by the Italian city of Padua in early December. Te spending was agreed by
councillors as part of spending plans for councillors for the finan- cial year ahead, which also saw the local authority commit to more than £25.5million of capital investment. More than 140 organisations
had pledged their support for the city’s bid, as did the Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, along- side the Scottish Government and
a number of VIP figures, including first minister Jack McConnell, and golfer and Stirling University gradu- ate Catriona Matthew. Te strength of Stirling’s submis-
sion was reflected in the jury’s posi- tive feedback, with praise for the city’s recognition of volunteers through events like the Provost Awards and SVE’s Inspiring Volunteer Awards. Despite the disappointment at the
final outcome, the Council along with bid partners, Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise (SVE) and Volunteer Scotland, reiterated their commitment to ensuring 2020 is a year-long festival of volunteering. Increasing volunteering levels to
50 per cent across Stirling is at the heart of the project, bringing the significant benefits of helping others to local people, with the wider aim of inspiring communities across Scot- land and beyond to get involved. Tis will continue in the follow-
ing year (2021) when Stirling plans to host the world’s first ever Volun- teering Expo. A report will come before a future
meeting of the Community Plan- ning and Regeneration Committee, which oversees volunteering in Stirling, detailing the next stage of
the city’s volunteering project. Convener of the Committee, Cllr
Chris Kane said: “Approving this funding shows our continuing com- mitment to volunteering in Stirling and will ensure we deliver some- thing really special in 2020. “From working together during
this process, the three bid partners have built a very strong relationship and we are all moving forward with a common purpose and a shared vision.
“Te journey to make Stirling a
centre of excellence for volunteer- ing is well underway.” Stirling Council Leader, Scott
Farmer added: “Stirling’s involve- ment in the bid was hugely positive and shone a light on our special vol- unteering spirit, something we can all be proud of. “Tis fresh investment will allow
us to build on our remarkable levels of volunteering, with 39 per cent of people giving up their time to help others – more than 10 per cent above the national average in Scotland. “We are now working hard to
unlock the full potential of volun- teering in the city, and I’m sure we will rise to that challenge over the coming years.” n
EVENTSBASE | SPRING 2019 | 15
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