The commendable volunteering efforts of staff and students at Durham have been honoured at this year’s County Durham Together Awards.
Held each year, in partnership with Durham County Council, the awards shine a spotlight on some of the inspirational, selfless, dedicated people who go the extra mile in our local community in Durham, UK.
Durham clinched the coveted title of Business of the Year for its University’s Volunteering and Outreach programme, which actively promotes volunteering among students and staff within the local community.
We take great pride in the diverse array of volunteer opportunities available to our entire University community. Student volunteers can engage in more than 20 student-led projects, collaborate with affiliated charities, and partner organisations, or participate in one-time opportunities.
Meanwhile, our staff is encouraged to partake in the Staff Volunteering Scheme, which permits them to volunteer for up to five days annually during work hours. They can partake in team challenges with colleagues, pursue individual challenges, engage in one-time sessions, or log their own volunteering activities.
In the current year alone, a total of 1,964 Durham staff and students have officially contributed over 22,800 hours through the University Volunteering Scheme.
This noteworthy achievement includes staff members conducting 27 beach clean-ups, resulting in the collection of over 190 bags of debris from five local beaches. Moreover, 1,300 students have dedicated 17,000 hours to various volunteer initiatives, spanning student-led projects, community partner opportunities, and local events.
Annually, our dedicated staff and students surpass expectations by raising funds, organising collections, and generously contributing their time to support over 70 charities such as Foodbank, Feeding Families, and Stray Aid, as well as providing countless hours of assistance to school and children services.
Members of Durham’s team attended a glittering awards ceremony where the winners were announced.
Image caption: Katie Binks, Volunteering and Community Partnership Senior Manager, Quentin Sloper, Director of Student Enrichment Directorate and Stacy Porter Staff Volunteering Coordinator, are pictured at the awards ceremony.
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