Three free events are coming to Wellingborough and Kettering this Volunteers’ Week, giving organisations the chance to say thank you to the people who give their time to support local communities.
Aspire NN, set up to support the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in North Northamptonshire, is organising three events for June. The first, on Tuesday, 2nd June, will take place at Wellingborough Museum. Guests will try their hands at Victoria Games in the garden, there will be a site tour and artist Lisa Lovett, who works with local arts consortium Made with Many, will be leading a clay tile making session.
On Wednesday, 3rd June there will be a guided walk and cycle along the North Northamptonshire Greenway, starting at 4.30pm from The Entertainer at Rushden Lakes.
The third event, on Thursday 4th June, will take place at The Green Patch community garden in Kettering – with a tour, games, planting, Tai Chi and an arts workshop.
All these events are taking place during Volunteers’ Week – which runs from 2nd to 8th June each year – and are free to attend and open to volunteers of all kinds, whether they give an hour a month or commit several days a week to their community.
Amy McAfee, co-manager of Aspire NN, said: “Volunteers’ Week is a moment to stop and recognise the enormous contribution that volunteers make to life in North Northamptonshire – in community groups, charities, and social enterprises across the area.
“The Big Thank You events are a chance for organisations to bring their volunteers together and show them how much their time and commitment means. This is the first shared celebration of its kind in North Northants, celebrating the community of volunteering. We will be focusing on thanking volunteers as a whole, with no awards or prizes, just a recognition that all time is precious and the power of communities joining together to achieve their goals is an awe-inspiring thing. We’d encourage volunteer managers across the area to secure places for their teams.”
Kate Williams, chief executive of Groundwork Northamptonshire, which leads Aspire NN, said: “Volunteers are at the heart of what makes North Northamptonshire such a strong community. Through Aspire NN, we have a real opportunity to connect the people and organisations doing this vital work – and Volunteers’ Week is the perfect moment to bring everyone together.
“We want as many volunteers as possible to feel recognised and valued, and these events are a small but meaningful way of doing that.”
These events are organised by Aspire NN – a partnership of six charities and social enterprises supporting the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector across North Northamptonshire. Set up in 2025 and funded by North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) for an initial three-year term, Aspire NN is led by Groundwork Northamptonshire and works alongside Support North Northants, Serve, Volunteer Action, North Northants Social Enterprise Network, and Northamptonshire ACRE.
Places at all events are free. Tickets are available to volunteer managers and organisations to book on behalf of their volunteers – individual volunteers are asked not to book directly.
To secure places:
- Wellingborough (Tuesday, 2nd June, 1pm – 3pm) – book here https://tinyurl.com/AspirethankWell
- Kettering (Thursday, 4th June, 10am – 12noon) – book here https://tinyurl.com/Aspirethankkettering
- Guided walk in Rushden, Irthlingborough and Higham Ferrers (Wednesday, 3rd June), from 4.30pm) – book here https://tinyurl.com/Aspiregreen
For more information about Aspire NN visit aspirenn.org.uk