Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by other Members of The Royal Family, yesterday gave a reception for charities and volunteers in order to celebrate the achievements of voluntary action over the last century, and highlight the contribution of volunteering to millions of lives in the United Kingdom and throughout the world.
The scale of volunteering in today’s society is remarkable, with one in five people across the UK volunteering on a regular basis, and more than half of the population giving their time in some way at least once a year.
The reception brought together hundreds of members of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). Among them, volunteers of all ages involved in a wide range of social, economic and environmental causes, carrying out tasks from mentoring and befriending, to restoration or gardening, and even life-saving work.