Worcestershire’s volunteers are contributing millions of pounds’ worth of unpaid work each year, according to a council report.
Figures presented to Worcestershire County Council’s Corporate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel show thousands of residents are helping to deliver services that would otherwise cost significant sums to fund.
The report highlights the growing importance of volunteers to public services and community organisations.
HEALTHY: Volunteer health walk leaders (Image: Worcestershire County Council)
Within council-run services alone, around 1,800 volunteers are actively involved, supported by a further 4,100 residents contributing through surveys and consultation work.
In the past financial year, 22,000 hours of volunteering were recorded across areas including libraries, countryside services, museums, and archives.
Some of this work has been directly valued.
In one example, volunteers in the archives and archaeology service contributed time equivalent to £22,281 in staffing costs during 2025/26.
The financial impact is even more striking across the wider voluntary sector.
Citizens Advice Worcester and Herefordshire reported that its 117 volunteers delivered 30,921 hours of work in a single year – the equivalent of 16 full-time staff – saving an estimated £580,000.
Other organisations are also heavily reliant on volunteer support.
VOLUNTEER: Emily Wright volunteered for four summers before finding a job with the library service (Image: Worcestershire County Council)
Age UK Wyvern said just 420 volunteer hours in one service alone added around £6,000 in value, while its wider network of more than 350 volunteers enables significantly greater levels of support for residents.
Research into Worcestershire’s voluntary, community and social enterprise sector suggests the true value is far higher.
A survey of just 131 organisations – around five percent of the sector – estimated volunteer contributions exceed £4.5 million annually.
With approximately 2,700 organisations operating across the county, the total economic value is likely to be many times greater.
The report also highlights the wider benefits of volunteering, including improved mental health, reduced isolation, and stronger community resilience.
With Volunteers’ Week beginning on June 1, the council says it is continuing efforts to recruit and support volunteers, including a new countywide online portal to match residents with opportunities.
Emily Wright, a former volunteer who now works for the library service, said: “Volunteering for the Summer Reading Challenge gave me the experience and confidence to work in libraries across Worcestershire today.
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“I volunteered every summer for four years and loved encouraging the same love of reading in children that I experienced growing up.
“It felt like I was making a real difference to many of those children, a feeling that has only grown stronger during my time working in the library service.”
County libraries are currently looking for volunteers aged 13-24 to help out during the Summer Reading Challenge. Anyone interested can call 01905 822722 or pop into their local library.