Pembrokeshire Celebrates with Launch of New Volunteering Strategy
25 June 2025 marked a major milestone for community life in Pembrokeshire as the much-anticipated Volunteering for Pembrokeshire Strategy was officially launched at the “Putting the Pieces Together” Volunteering Conference at Queen’s Hall, Narberth.
Hosted by Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services (PAVS), the event was attended by volunteer managers, volunteers, community leaders, colleagues from public services, and local businesses to celebrate and strengthen the future of volunteering in the county.
With the rallying cry, “this is a call to action for volunteers, organisations, and businesses to come together, strengthen communities, and create a lasting impact in Pembrokeshire.” The Strategy is a new chapter for volunteering in Pembrokeshire, which highlights the power of working together.
“This Strategy is not just a document—it’s a promise,” said Jess Bickerton, Chief Executive of PAVS.
“Volunteering is the heartbeat of our communities. Together, we’re building opportunities for people of all ages to get involved and make a difference. We want everyone to play a part: your time, your skills, your involvement matters.”
Cllr Jon Harvey, Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, praised the Strategy, which had recently been given Cabinet support, saying:
“Volunteering is an integral part of any healthy community, and we are proud to support this Strategy and the benefit these initiatives provide. We hope to see many more PCC staff and people across the county volunteering in the future for worthy causes around Pembrokeshire. So do something amazing – and volunteer!”
The Volunteering for Pembrokeshire Strategy 2025–2030 sets out eight strategic goals including making volunteering more inclusive, raising awareness, and recognising the invaluable contributions volunteers make every day. The Strategy focuses on the need to create volunteering opportunities for young people and families, outdoor and environmental volunteering, digital and remote volunteering, flexible and short term volunteering, as well as employer supported volunteering.
Real-life stories feature in the Strategy—like that of a young volunteer who gained confidence and skills, or the corporate partnerships that have donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to local causes— and illustrate the life-changing power of giving time. The conference featured guest speakers, Dr Helen Timbrell, Rob Jackson, and Emily Morgan who hosted interactive workshops on inclusivity, the changing future of volunteering and youth volunteering, discussions were also held on the possibility of developing a volunteer training ‘passport’ to support skills development across the county. It was also a great opportunity to launch the nominations for the prestigious 2025 Pembrokeshire Volunteering Awards that will take place in November – supported by South Hook LNG.
You can view the full Strategy, and find out more about the Awards, here https://www.pavs.org.uk/volunteering-support/
Pure West Radio did a live broadcast from the Strategy launch and interviews from the Conference will be broadcast during the Helen Enser Morgan Afternoon Show (1pm-4pm 26/06/25, you can listen again on ‘catch up’ https://www.purewestradio.com/catch-up/)
