Volunteers attend Kidlington Volunteer Celebration

An evening of inspiration, stories, and compassion

It was a real privilege to attend the recent Kidlington Volunteer Celebration, an evening filled with inspiring people, powerful stories, and a shared sense of purpose. Surrounded by so many like-minded individuals, it was a reminder of just how strong and compassionate our community is when we come together through volunteering.

It was lovely to reconnect with familiar faces from the Gosford All Blacks rugby club, Yarnton & Kidlington Scouts, Kidlington Brownies and many others. Each individual group plays such an important role locally, and it was great to see so many people who give their time so generously.

The evening was made even more special by a series of truly moving talks. Hearing about the incredible work of Seesaw, supporting children who have lost their parents, was both humbling and inspiring. The difference they make in young lives is immeasurable. We also heard from Jane from Arch, who spoke passionately about the importance of listening to children read in schools. Such a simple act, yet so impactful.

One of the most touching moments of the evening was Mr Butcher’s talk, as he shared the story of his and his wife’s decades of volunteering. Their lifelong dedication was deeply moving and reminded us of the lasting impact of giving back.

Overall, it was an uplifting evening that celebrated not just volunteering, but the heart and spirit behind it.

A word from our Founder: 

This year Cherwell Collective’s elected volunteer leadership: Janet and Steve Cox, put forth nominations for this years’ attendees, all of whom have been dedicated and gone above and beyond for several years supporting across our activities including weekly at Cherwell Larder. Volunteers representing us were Karen Pike, Betty Agha and Marie Gardner.  

While there, they saw many familiar faces including Bonnie Cox and Marion Kubat, who also volunteer not only with Cherwell Collective but with many other great causes. One of the speakers of the day was Darren Rae from the All Blacks Rugby club, whose award-winning SEN activities are sponsored by Cherwell Collective. Our volunteers all shared stories of inspiration and connection and gratitude. 

As always Cherwell Collective is proud to be a part of a community with strong bonds to one another and such a drive to look out for our neighbours together!” Here’s to many more years of celebrating community in action!

Want to get involved?

Our volunteer force is the engine that keeps our services running. People from all walks of life and backgrounds are encouraged to share what you can, be it time, stuff, or skills. 

Some volunteers share skills (e.g., teaching a workshop, providing a professional or technical skill, etc.) in courses that are less frequent if they cannot commit to weekly or monthly sessions. We are currently looking for anyone who would like to inspire people to be creative, more active, or more mindful in particular to deliver courses to our community. 

Other volunteers share things (e.g., donating gardening supplies, crockery, etc.) to support our projects. We are currently looking for dark coloured crockery, nice fabrics, and industrial level sewing supplies for our new fashion house. 

For the volunteers who can also share their time, we are forever grateful. We can accommodate special circumstances, health conditions, and other concerns and have a wide variety of well-trained staff to make volunteering a special, inspiring experience for whomever is passionate enough to share your time with us. 

If you have time to spare, no amount is too little. Let us know how you can help here.

If you have an interest in policy work, we have two bespoke volunteer roles open now for our Oxfordshire Good Waste Charter:

• Bid Writer Volunteer Job Description
• Legal/policy Officer Job Description

To express interest in either policy role, please fill out our Google Doc application form.