'Voluntary work is a good experience for me'

A 29-year-old man from Lincolnshire is hoping his dedication to volunteering will help him to land paid work and is encouraging others to give up their time.

Statistics from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) show adults aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 49 were "less likely to participate in formal volunteering at least once a month compared with the average for adults in England".

William Fairchild, from North Hykeham, volunteers at four organisations across the county – including Oxfam in Lincoln High Street, the New Theatre Royal, Lincoln Arts Centre and at car wash events for Gainsborough Fire Station.

He says helping out and volunteering has been "a good experience" and hopes it may lead to a future career, potentially as a firefighter.

William said he had volunteered since the age of 15 and helped out at the Oxfam charity shop in Lincoln every week.

He said it was not just older people he had volunteered with.

"It can be a bit of both, a bit of older and younger people doing voluntary work.

"It can be a good experience for them trying to make friends."

In December, the DCMS said about 17% of adults had participated in formal volunteering at least once a month between 2024 and 2025.

In comparison, the figure jumps to 23% among adults aged 65 to 74 but drops to just 11% of all 25 to 34-year-olds.

In the coastal village of Trusthorpe, near Mablethorpe, volunteers at Trusthorpe Village Hall are pleading for younger volunteers to join the committee.

Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Kim Parrinder, who is a volunteer for the village hall, said: "We are all of a certain age and the youngsters don't seem to be coming through to sit on these committees as volunteers.

"You can't operate these things without a committee in place."

It is a sentiment echoed by the group's chairman, Bernard Dobbs, who is 84 years old.

"I don't know if people haven't got time for it or live busier lives than what we used to do when we were younger," he says.

"I do not want the village hall to shut down, I would like to see new people come to make it go."

Courtney Hall, 26, from Somerset, who was on holiday in Mablethorpe, said: "Today's generation don't really understand the good things that can improve people's lives from volunteering."

She said that whilst it was "hard to work around" having a full-time job and a baby, she volunteers at nursing homes by putting on entertainment for residents.

"We do what we can to help people," she added.

BBC Local Radio is marking its first Make a Difference Day as part of National Volunteers' Week (Monday 1 June to Sunday 7 June), encouraging people across the country to give back by volunteering in their local communities.

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