Unsung Army of Volunteers Celebrated

The unsung army of volunteers who make our cathedrals the special places they are, are being celebrated this week.

Newgate® Cathedral Volunteer of the Year Awards

Cathedrals are hosting tea parties, special services and volunteer recruitment fairs to celebrate and say thank you to their volunteers as they mark National Volunteers Week this week.

This Sunday Derby Cathedral will host a service of celebration and thanksgiving for the voluntary and community sector in partnership with Rural Action Derbyshire, Community Action Derby, and Foundation Derbyshire with His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire.

The service will reflect on faith, hope, and love as guiding values that enable communities to thrive and the event is an opportunity for people from across the sector to come together in celebration of their collective impact on society.

There was a special tea party followed by Evensong for the volunteers at Sheffield Cathedral this week inviting all those who support the cathedral’s life and ministry, including those who support its newest choir the Choir With No Name, and those who volunteer with the Archer Project, that works too to help people out of homelessness.

Newcastle Cathedral held a volunteer recruitment fair this week and there’s a special service this Thursday to celebrate the vibrant volunteer community at the heart of the city of Newcastle, the Diocese, and the wider region.

This informal service is a partnership with Connected Voice and Volunteer Centre Newcastle to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make across the North East and is open to people of all faiths and none.

St Albans Cathedral hosted a special Volunteers’ Evensong  to recognise the wonderful contribution that volunteers make in their cathedral community.

They held their Volunteers’ tea party in May – a firm favourite in the cathedral diary now – to celebrate their incredible team of over 500 volunteers and recognize the dedication and invaluable contributions these individuals make to the Cathedral’s daily life.

And Truro Cathedral is getting ready to host its long table lunch for all volunteers this Sunday to celebrate and recognise the contributions of all its volunteers.

‘At Truro Cathedral, without the support of our dedicated volunteers, we would not be able to do all that we do; and we’d like to use this week, especially, to shine a light on our volunteers and thank them for all of their hardwork throughout the year.”

The long table lunch was proposed in a sermon by the Dean of Truro, the Very Revd Simon Robinson in 2023 and each year they have had to add an extra table to the long table. People are invited to bring their picnic lunch and join together at the long table in the cathedral. Cake and drinks are provided.

‘This special long table lunch is for volunteers week and is an opportunity for us to gather as a community and thank our amazing volunteers and all are very welcome to attend and give thanks’

And this year, for the first time, we have launched the  Newgate® Cathedral Volunteer of the Year Awards, a new partnership project between the Association of English Cathedrals and Newgate® Motoring Solutions Ltd, a company which has long-specialised in affordable motoring schemes for clergy and those who work in cathedrals, or who give their time voluntarily.

There will be two awards – an individual award and a team award – with two cash prizes and a trophy each, as well as monies for the winning cathedrals to host an event to say thank you to all their volunteers.

Jenny Lewis, volunteer manager at Lichfield Cathedral, chairs the network of Cathedral Volunteer Co-ordinators, and said,

‘Cathedral volunteers are essential to cathedral-life, being the day-to-day hands and feet that enable the important and varied work of cathedrals. 

‘This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the work of our amazing, dedicated volunteers, without whom we couldn’t provide the breadth of services, events and projects that serve our communities and beyond.’

Interested in Volunteering?

There are many different ways to volunteer at our Cathedrals, whether you have a few hours a week or are looking to meet new people and learn new things, do get in touch with your local cathedral to find out more about volunteering opportunities there.