Over 70 charities and organisations set to take part as Stirling hosts first festival of volunteering

A FESTIVAL of volunteering is being launched in Stirling to encourage people to donate their time to good causes.

More than 70 charities and organisations are taking part in the festival, including Marie Curie and the Scouts.

There will be ten events across the city between September 21 and 26, the largest being a volunteering family fun day in King’s Park on September 23.

The Festival of Volunteering is being piloted in Stirling, with the intention of rolling it out across the country.

Festival director Rob Rae, of Volunteer Scotland, said: “Scotland is already a very generous nation, with around one and a half million Scots taking part in some form of volunteering.

“We know far more people want to volunteer and the festival will highlight the many ways they can get involved.

“We have more than 70 charities and organisations taking part in the festival, from Marie Curie to the Scouts. So, there really is something for everyone.

“Our ambition is to see festivals of volunteering taking place all over Scotland from 2018. We’re busy drawing up plans to support that aspiration.

“We’re kicking off with Stirling as it’s a city where people already do a massive amount of voluntary work; over a third of local people currently volunteer.

“We’ve set ourselves a goal of increasing that figure to 50% within three years and for Stirling to become Scotland’s first volunteering city.”

The festival marks the culmination of a six-month campaign by Volunteer Scotland and eight local partners which saw a series of local groups and charities take over a pop-up shop in Stirling’s city centre where they could promote their volunteering opportunities.