Celebrating 40 years of volunteering in London
Volunteer Centre Kensington and Chelsea has been helping people to volunteer in London since 1969. Find out how we got started and what we are doing to celebrate our 40th anniversary.
Back in the 1960’s Notting Hill was a hive of social activity. After enduring years of substandard housing, poverty and following race riots, people had started taking action themselves. The area had the first law centre and adventure playground and the Social Council, Notting Hill Housing Trust and the Carnival all grew as responses to the issues of the time.
Lady Anstice Goodman spotted the mood of the time and became interested in channelling people’s good will. In 1969 after having successfully run the Bureau out of her home, Anstice convinced some local organisations to support her aims; the bureau was established on September 23 1969. (Read more about Lady Anstice Goodman).
Ideally situated to identify gaps on social service provision, the Bureau set up many successful projects over the years. Early projects, including the Family Support Service and New Opportunities in Voluntary Action (find out more about NOVA), grew into successful organisations and are still providing services to the community today.
The Volunteer Centre has continued to provide an intermediary matching service between people who want to volunteer in London and those people in need. In the past year over 3500 people accessed our services to find out about volunteering in London. Last year The Resettlement Scheme, New Opportunities Project and Stepping Stones helped a further 340 people with extra support needs find ways volunteer.
We have been helping people to help each other for 40 years. Where there are gaps in services and people in genuine need Volunteer Centre Kensington and Chelsea has been able to set up projects to fill that gap (find out more about our projects).
To mark 40 years of supporting volunteering in London we are publishing a diary. We aim to inspire the year ahead, through heartwarming stories from our past and present. The diary will be available from mid November.