Volunteers’ Week 2010 and European Year of Volunteering 2011

That the Parliament welcomes Volunteers’ Week 2010, which is scheduled to run from 1 to 7 June and is focused on raising the profile of the voluntary sector; notes that events celebrating the work of volunteers will be held across the United Kingdom; recognises that in Scotland an estimated 3 in ten adults have provided unpaid help to organisations or individuals, equivalent to 142,455,672 hours per annum and worth an economic value of £2.2 billion; believes that volunteers from all strata of society can help to support local communities and, further to this, that the voluntary sector can provide experience and skills that people may otherwise not have the opportunity to access; further notes that the European Commission has declared 2011 to the be the European Year of Volunteering, with events being planned across Europe to highlight the value and importance of volunteering; acknowledges the hard work of volunteers in Scotland, and hopes that both Volunteers’ Week and the European Year of Volunteering will help to encourage greater participation in the sector.