Published:  09:23 AM, 07 July 2021

Mayor says big thank you to borough’s volunteers

Mayor says big thank you to borough’s volunteers

Ahead of Thank You Day this weekend (4 July), Mayor John Biggs has expressed a heartfelt thank you to all volunteers in Tower Hamlets, who have been essential in the borough’s community response to Covid-19.  

The Mayor took the opportunity to visit the Art Pavilion vaccination centre on Thursday 1 July, where volunteers have been deployed to support the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history.  

Throughout the pandemic, thousands of people signed up as volunteers through the Covid-19 Volunteering Hub, which is funded by Tower Hamlets Council and run by Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets (VCTH).  

Over the last 15 months, as well as helping with the vaccine rollout, volunteer roles have included driving personal protective equipment to carer’s homes, delivering shopping to housebound residents, helping in community kitchens and distributing food supplies to voluntary and community sector organisations and foodbanks.  

John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “This Thank You Day, I want to celebrate our incredible volunteers in Tower Hamlets like the ones I met this week at the Art Pavilion who are helping people to get their vaccination jab. I’m very proud of the way our community has responded since the start of the pandemic and we’ve seen thousands of people give up their time to help out their community.”

Cath Bavage, Chief Executive of Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets, said: “We have a vibrant and dynamic voluntary and community sector in our borough, which has played a key role throughout the pandemic. The Covid-19 Volunteering Hub has been essential in enabling volunteers to assist other residents and provide extra resource for our voluntary and community sector. The pandemic has been extremely challenging for everyone, and our volunteers have been there to offer support since the very beginning and now through the borough’s recovery. From me and everyone at VCTH, thank you.” 

Last October, Covid-19 Volunteering Hub in Tower Hamlets was given the green light and funding to continue operating for another year. The hub has been instrumental in delivering support since the pandemic began, connecting volunteers to roles and supporting grassroots organisations. 

Anyone who would like to volunteer thorough the Covid-19 Volunteering Hub can find out more on the Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets website.  

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