Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people across the UK make through volunteering in their communities. It is run by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and takes place during the first week of June every year. The campaign highlights the diversity and unity of volunteer work, which is aptly reflected by the volunteers at BHT Sussex.
29 BHT Sussex volunteers donated 2261 hours of their time in the year 2024/2025 demonstrating how essential volunteers are to the delivery and development of many of our projects.
Two of our projects that benefit greatly through the help of volunteers are Pathfinder and First Base Day Centre. Pathfinder is a mental health service which offers one on one support sessions as well as groups and activities to aid mental wellness in Mid Sussex and Crawley. Pathfinder staff are aided by volunteers who provide direct support to individuals, assist with fundraising events, complete administrative tasks and create an impact far beyond what paid staff alone could achieve.
Sean Sheehan, Operational Manager of Pathfinder had this to say about the volunteers in his service:
Their dedication helps to reduce stigma, build community awareness, and ensure that more people have access to the support they need. In many cases, volunteers bring lived experiences, empathy and a genuine commitment that enriches the service, making them an invaluable part of our work. It is always so humbling that we have such fantastic support from our volunteers at Pathfinder.”
First Base, our day centre supporting people experiencing homelessness across Brighton and Hove, is another service that benefits from the contributions of volunteers. Throughout the past year, we have had a recruitment drive to increase the number of volunteers at First Base. As such, there are now many different roles fulfilled by volunteers.
Some volunteers support the running of our rough sleeper sessions by assisting clients with laundry, providing toiletries, helping clients find suitable clothing and access support. We have also been assisted to sort through our kind donations from the public to maintain an orderly and easy to access clothes storage area.
On Tuesday afternoons, volunteer chefs take part in a cookery group where a meal is cooked to provide to clients the following day.
Deborah Piper, Deputy Manager at First Base, said this about their volunteers:
All of the volunteers at First Base make a difference to the service by completing tasks that the staff team would usually undertake, supporting the team with the complexities and challenges faced on a daily basis in supporting individuals to move away from being street homeless and into accommodation. This makes a huge difference to the lives of the clients that have been impacted by being street homeless. Many of our volunteers find their roles here with us rewarding.”
Thank you to all our volunteers past and present who have contributed to BHT Sussex projects and services!
