Local volunteers taking centre stage

This week, our local volunteers took centre stage in highlighting just how great our borough is. 

On Tuesday, Sutton took over the airwaves, as BBC Morning Live featured the fantastic work of Volunteer Centre Sutton, our local charity partly funded by the Council that helps the people of Sutton to find volunteering opportunities, as well as running several volunteer-supported projects of their own.

Gold medal winning Paralympian, Ellie Simmonds, visited Westcroft Leisure Centre to highlight the work of Volunteer Centre Sutton’s activity buddies scheme funded by Comic Relief. The scheme pairs volunteers with those who feel lonely and isolated to help them get out and give them confidence to meet new friends. 

Since the programme launched in 2022, Volunteer Centre Sutton has matched over 100 people with volunteers. Congratulations to everyone at Volunteer Centre Sutton for the great work you are doing and to all our local residents who offer their time to help others in our community. It’s stories like these that make me proud to call Sutton my home. 

If you missed the feature on Morning Live, you can catch-up on the BBC iPlayer (watch from 12 minutes), and if you keep watching you will also see residents from our local nursing home, Crossways , take part in Strictly Fitness! 

Today, we launched our annual Sutton Spring Clean event, as part of the Great British Spring Clean. Running until the 2nd April, the spring clean is a great way to get some fresh air whilst making a difference in your local area. Last year, over 500 people took part. 

You can make a pledge today via the Keep Britain Tidy website to pick up as much litter as you can. Whether you aim to pick up one bag or 50 - it all counts. 

We will support your litter pick by providing litter picking packs. Whether you are an individual or community group, you can request a pack via our website here. Don’t forget to share your pictures of your litter pick with us on social media tagging in Sutton Council. 

And finally, if you are interested in getting involved in volunteering but you are unsure of where to start, the Big Help Out, a national day of volunteering taking place on Monday 8 May, as part of the King’s Coronation is a great place to start. 

Volunteer Centre Sutton are kicking off with a Sutton Volunteer Showcase event on Tuesday 18 April at Sutton Central Library. As well as stalls, there will also be activities, talks and workshops on offer. You'll be able to find out about volunteering opportunities on and around Monday 8 May, as well as taster sessions and information sessions you can join.

Councillor Ruth Dombey

Leader of the Council