Welcome to Gary See's Blog

This week I want to highlight the work of volunteers and voluntary groups across Knowsley.

My first contribution to Knowsley Children’s Services – long before my role as Cabinet Member – was volunteering in Youth provision in Halewood.  To say this changed my life and future is almost an understatement. I enjoyed my role, I found a purpose and I benefited immensely from feeling valued for my contribution by the staff and leaders at Hilton Grace Community & Youth Centre. I was lucky enough to advance my volunteering into a paid role as a Play/Youth Worker. I learned a lot in my roles as a Volunteer and Play/Youth Worker and I hope this grounding gives me helpful insight with my Cabinet role.

There are many fantastic schemes currently operating in Knowsley that provide a platform for volunteers. There are simply too many to mention in one Blog so apologies to any groups/services that do not get a mention (but please respond and it will be captured in the thread after the blog!).

Our Children’s Centres in Knowsley provide a wide range of opportunity for volunteering. All four areas – Kirkby, Huyton, Prescot/Whiston and Halewood – have volunteer programmes that provide the foundation of their universal services. This includes Parent & Toddler sessions, Outreach work, governance and links to the wider community. Great numbers of volunteers move into employment or training and this work has been highly praised on many occasions by OfSTED. This week I was proud to join my Cabinet colleague and Chair of the Huyton Advisory Board, Cllr. Christine O’Hare, in attending an event for the award of a new kitemark for ‘Investors in Volunteers’. This was a tremendous achievement by the team and volunteers on the ground and a good news story for Knowsley.

Our Primary and Secondary schools also rely on the voluntary support and involvement of Knowsley residents. This is most pronounced in their role as Governors. School governors provide a vital role in holding school leaders to account and ensuring the needs of local communities are highlighted in the development of school plans.

There are many community and voluntary sector projects that offer volunteering opportunities for young people in Knowsley. The transformative potential of volunteering in Youth & Community Work is as real today as it was for me 15/16 years ago. The Knowsley Youth Mutual offer a wide range of opportunities throughout the borough – you can read more here. There are many more places where youth volunteering is also valued and promoted in Knowsley: Examples are at Centre 63 in Kirkby, at the ‘Boysey’ in Halewood, Bryer Road Community Centre in Prescot or Our Place in Huyton.

I am still a volunteer in Knowsley. I am a long-standing supporter of my local residents group, Torrington Drive Community Association (TDCA). Like many similar groups throughout the borough we offer opportunities for residents to come together and promote community spirit. An important element of this is the focus on those residents who can be particularly vulnerable to isolation, discrimination or financial disadvantage. Some of the work of TDCA in the past year has included day trips to Blackpool, themed events on Friday evenings for adults with disabilities and a wide range of community events in the summer holidays and at Christmas. There are many other Community Associations throughout Knowsley and I don’t have words enough to praise the unpaid and vital role of Knowsley people in supporting our communities.

If there are other examples of volunteering I have missed in my Blog today please let me know. Drop me a line directly and I will ensure that the work of your community group or organisation is highlighted to as wide an audience as possible.

Finally, I offer thanks to all of the volunteers making a difference in Knowsley. To those of you who are would-be volunteers…. what are you waiting for?