MSP Graham Simpson is supporting a charity appeal for volunteers to make their time matter and help people living with chest, heart and stroke conditions rebuild their lives.
New statistics from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland find that their team of 1,700 volunteers currently provide an economic benefit of £1.8 million. More importantly they give an incredible 180,000 hours of their time to help change people’s lives for the better. The charity’s Scotland-wide call is appealing for people to make their time matter through volunteering and join their mission to reach the 1 in 5 people affected by chest, heart and stroke conditions in Scotland.
Graham Simpson MSP said “I was delighted to visit the charity’s brand new Community Hub and shop in Wishaw to meet volunteers and add my support to the appeal.
“The Wishaw Community Hub is a space for people to come together, grab a bargain and a cup of tea with friends, access the services they need and even squeeze in a Zumba session. By bringing the services and local groups together in one space Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland hopes to make support easily accessible for the people of Wishaw. With a wide range of volunteering roles available across the charity’s services, shops and fundraising events, it helps people get back to doing the things they love”.
Jane-Claire Judson, Chief Executive at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said, “Our volunteers are absolutely vital to the work that we do. They help to deliver our services, run our shops and fundraising events and support us in the office. Without our volunteers, we simply could not help as many people as we do.
“But we want to reach more of the 1 in 5 people in Scotland affected by chest, heart and stroke conditions. It’s about more than surviving – and that’s what our volunteers help people to achieve. There aren’t enough volunteers to support everyone in Scotland who needs our help. You can change this. By turning your spare time into volunteering, you can make your time matter and whatever role you choose you can play a vital part in making sure there is no life half lived in Scotland."
