Release Date: 15/02/2021

Richmond's Project Volunteer

Residents who have or may have had a mental health issue and would like to get involved in the community or back into the work place, are being invited to find out about more about volunteering opportunities available to them locally.

Project Volunteer, is a monthly support group meeting run and organised by The Richmond Recovery Support Team, a local mental health focused service managed by South West London and St Georges Mental Heath Trust and funded by Richmond Council. The meetings, held at Richmond Royal Hospital, provide residents who have mental health problems with support and information on volunteering opportunities available to them in the borough.

Cllr Pamela Fleming, Cabinet Member for Community, Business and Culture said, “I have spoken to many residents who have or have had a mental health issue who are concerned about volunteering or taking their first step back into the workplace. The Richmond Recovery Support Team is working hard to provide support to residents who may have been reticent to volunteer or not sure how to get involved before.

“Volunteering is a great confidence builder and can help people with recovery. In the All in One consultation, there was a strong feeling from local people that they wanted to get more involved in the community. This is a great initiative and I would like to encourage more local organisations to join in and offer volunteering opportunities in the borough for people with mental health issues.”

Chris Saunders, Service Manager from Imagine Richmond, will be giving a talk on finding paid employment through volunteering, at the next meeting on Monday, 20 February. He added, “Volunteering, like employment, can have a profound and positive effect on the recovery of a people with mental health problem. Some people value volunteering as a means of returning to mainstream life, building confidence and structuring their time.

“We encourage our clients to consider volunteering as a pathway into sustainable employment and to view a volunteer placement as a means of realistically assessing their own level of commitment and interest in a particular field of work. In this way, volunteers are able to gain valuable insights and work experience that brings them closer to the labour market either at some future date with that placement or other companies and organisations who will always view volunteer experience as a good indicator of employability.”

Project Volunteer is a supported by South West London Recovery College, Imagine Richmond, Richmond Council, The Richmond upon Thames Volunteer Centre and South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust.

Meetings will take place every third Monday at Richmond Royal Hospital, Kew Foot Road, Richmond TW9 2TE.

View the full press release