Volunteers Celebration 2025: Marking 26,933 hours of dedication and impact
In a joyful celebration on 5 June, for Volunteers week 2025, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust paid tribute to the incredible dedication and contributions of its volunteers. Through their time, energy and commitment, these individuals have made a meaningful impact - adding real value to teams and services throughout the Trust. We are fortunate to have involved 1054 volunteers over the period of April 2024 - March 2025 and currently have 475 active volunteers. During this period, volunteers dedicated 26,933 hours of their time.
During the celebration, volunteers were presented with certificates in recognition of their dedication and impact.
We also heard from our volunteers themselves, who shared powerful personal stories about their volunteering journeys, along with poems, songs and spoken word performances. Several spoke about their experiences of using mental health services at our Trust, and how those experiences led them to start volunteering with us - with some going on to become full-time staff members. Notably, 45% of our volunteers have had lived experience of mental health issues at a time in their lives. This lived experience enables them to bring deep empathy and insight to the support they offer, and their stories affirm that recovery is possible - and it can be transformational.
We also heard from staff members, including Community Centre Manager, Zoe Vazquez-Sanchez, who spoke about the vital role volunteers play in her service. With a team of 40 volunteers ranging in age from 16 to 89, Zoe described them as an essential part of the centre’s daily life and success. “I can’t do this without my volunteers,” she said.
Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Mariana Pinto da Costa presented her research on volunteering. She highlighted that South London and Maudsley was one of the only NHS trusts that offered telephone volunteering support during the COVID-19 pandemic. While many face-to-face volunteering services across the country were forced to pause or drastically reduce operations, the Trust quickly adapted, with Volunteer Services Manager Isobel Mdudu playing a key role in supporting a shift to remote volunteering through telephone support. This helped maintain vital connections with service users during an especially challenging and isolating time.
As part of the celebration, we also took a moment to say a heartfelt farewell to our Chief of Allied Health Professions and Inclusion, Gabrielle Richards, whose longstanding commitment to championing the role of volunteers, service users, and carers has left a lasting legacy. Gabrielle played a pivotal role in establishing the volunteering service. The tribute reflected just how deeply Gabrielle’s contributions have been felt by the volunteer community.
The event was a sincere recognition of those who selflessly contribute their time and effort. The presence of volunteers within our services reflects the true spirit of community care. To all of our volunteers, thank you.
If you, or somebody you know or work with is interested in volunteering, you can find more information at https://slam.nhs.uk/volunteering
You can volunteer if you are aged over 16. We ask all volunteers to make a commitment of at least three hours per week for nine months so that we can create long-lasting and meaningful roles and relationships with staff and service users.
