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4 June 2008
CAB/060/08
Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, spent today volunteering as a cycling coach at Thames Chase Forest Centre in Essex, as part of a drive to encourage more civil servants to volunteer in their communities.
Sir Gus's role for the day was to work with Occupational Health staff to coach service users from the North East London NHS Foundation Trust in cycling proficiency.
Sir Gus also used today's visit to highlight a Civil Service-wide group he has set up to drive forward ongoing work to promote volunteering among civil servants. Led by Gill Rider, head of the Civil Service Capability Group, and working closely with the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office, the group met for the first time earlier this week to consider how the civil service can become a beacon of best practice in employee volunteering.
Sir Gus O'Donnell said:
“From an employer's point of view, volunteering is an excellent way of broadening workforce skills and bringing organisations closer to the communities in which they operate. Volunteers' Week provides a valuable chance for employers to look at the vast range of opportunities available and find the best projects for themselves, their staff and their communities.
“Imaginative projects like Thames Chase not only make a huge difference to the lives of those who use them, but as a volunteer my day has been both enjoyable and a valuable learning experience for me to take back to the office.
“I want the Civil Service to be a beacon for employee volunteering across the country, and I look forward to the recommendations from the group headed by our volunteering champion, Gill Rider.”
This visit by the Cabinet Secretary forms part of Volunteers' Week, which runs from June 1 to 7 and will see groups up and down the country running events to promote volunteering. A number of Government ministers are taking part in projects during the week.
Thames Chase is a ‘community forest’ that aims – with the involvement of local people – to make local green areas more accessible. The North East London Mental Health NHS Trust has devised a project that gives service users, their families and carers the opportunity to ride bikes, exercise, enjoy the woodland and, in some cases, learn a new skill. The project is run by volunteers who are themselves users of local mental health services, with support from Havering Borough.
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