Volunteers snapped up

To celebrate Volunteers’ Week 2003 (1-7 June), the Volunteer Development Agency is running the ‘Capture the Spirit of Volunteering’ photography competition. It is open to all amateur photographers to use their camera to freeze a moment of volunteering.

An exhibition of the best entries will launch the start of Volunteers’ Week on Monday 2 June at Belfast City Hall, when the competition winners will be announced.

Events are being organised across the UK to highlight the valuable contribution that volunteers make each year. The slogan ‘Recognising, Rewarding, Recruiting’ is being used by the organisers to summarise the reason for the celebrations. In Northern Ireland alone, 448, 000 formal and 759, 000 informal volunteers give their time and energy each year for free.

Wendy Osborne OBE, Director of the Volunteer Development Agency said, "The idea behind the competition is to capture images of the different types of volunteering which takes place all over Northern Ireland. Competitors don't need to be involved in volunteering themselves to take part but their entry should show some aspect of volunteering in action ."

The winner of the photography competition will receive a special award in recognition of their achievement and a photography gift voucher worth £300. Two runners up will each receive special awards and a photography gift voucher worth £100. The competition is supported by Northern Bank and Morton Newspapers

For an entry form contact the Volunteer Development Agency at 58 Howard Street, BELFAST BT1 6PG or
volunteersweek@volunteering–ni.org

To find out more about volunteering you can also use the freephone number 0800 052 2212.

Useful websites on volunteering

Active Community Initiative: www.active-community.org

Volunteer Development Agency: www.volunteering-ni.org

Voluntary Service Bureaux: www.vsb.org.uk

Volunteers' Week: www.volunteersweek.org.uk