IN THE run up to this year’s Disability Awareness Day we will be looking at some of the services that our charity of the year Warrington Disability Partnership provides to the town.

The volunteer service is an integral piece of the WDP jigsaw, with hundreds of people giving up their own time for free to work across all elements of the charity.

Veronica Hudson coordinates the operation and is tasked with the recruitment, support and training of volunteers plus identifying voluntary opportunities within WDP.

She said: “We value our volunteers whether they give an hour or 20 hours a week – they are still a part of the team at Warrington Disability Partnership.

“We have 50 paid staff and we must have 200 volunteers and without them we couldn’t function to our full ability.

“A few hours a week makes a big difference.”

Some of the charity’s volunteers have racked up decades of service while others have progressed from voluntary roles to go in to full-time work with WDP.

Volunteering also helps to instill confidence and skills in people who give up their time for the charity.

Veronica, who returned to the charity in her new role two months ago having ended a previous spell in 2012, added: “Volunteering can be short-term or long-term – some volunteers have been with us for more than 20 years which is an accolade and we thank them very much for the time they dedicate to us.

“Some of our staff were volunteers who applied for vacancies which makes them a nice role model for other volunteers.

“There are opportunities, not just in employment but in confidence, life skills and skills.”

For more information on volunteering with Warrington Disability Partnership call 240064.