Why not volunteer for Action Cancer?

ACTION Cancer in Coleraine came first place in a best dressed window competition as part of Volunteer Now’s Volunteers’ Week campaign to celebrate local heroes.

Peter Lynch, Action Cancer’s Retail Operations Manager said, “Volunteers’ Week, promoted by volunteer Now encourages local people to get involved with charities and also for charities to acknowledge volunteers in the local community. Action Cancer’s shop staff took part in the campaign again this year and we recruited new volunteers for our shops in Lisburn, Belfast, Coleraine, Bangor, Carrickfergus and here in Cookstown. Our shop in Coleraine won the competition for the second year in a row which really shows how committed and dedicated our team in Coleraine is as the window was designed by John Neill, one of our volunteers.”

Congratulating Action Cancer on their win Wendy Osborne OBE, Chief Executive, Volunteer Now said, “We are delighted that 158 charity shops across Northern Ireland took part in our Volunteers’ Week campaign this year and were impressed at the enthusiasm shown by shops participating in our competition. I would like to congratulate the volunteers and staff in Action Cancer. The shop will receive stock donated by Volunteer Now staff as well as a small token for their volunteers.”

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Action Cancer has thirteen shops across Northern Ireland that all rely on over 150 volunteers helping out at various times of the day across six trading days per week. Volunteers man the tills, sign up gift aid donors, dress windows and man the backroom, the hub of any retail operation and even help out on the collection vans.

However this number is declining and Action Cancer is calling on anyone with an interest in volunteering and local charities to call into their nearest Action Cancer shop and sign up for a rewarding experience and the chance to help a worthwhile cause.

Peter said “Local charities such as Action Cancer rely on teams of dedicated volunteers of all ages and capabilities to help out in their local shop, assisting the shop manager and managing in their absence. Action Cancer has over 400 community volunteers in total and with 150 of them helping out in retail you would think every position was covered but our retail shops need twice as many volunteers as we have currently, as it requires around 20 volunteers for each shop for it to run smoothly. In effect we need to double the number of volunteers involved in our retail operation.”

If you are interested in volunteering with Action Cancer call into your nearest shop, go to www.actioncancer.org/Home.aspx or email [email protected]

There are thousands of volunteering opportunities available across Northern Ireland with something to suit everyone.

To search for a volunteering opportunity to suit you go to www.volunteernow.co.uk