Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland has thanked those who give up their time to help others

A charity has marked Volunteers' Week by thanking its volunteers for their efforts.

Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland has over 8,100 volunteers across Scotland who dedicated 81,500 hours over the last 12 months to help people with chest, heart and stroke conditions live their lives to the full. The economic benefit to the charity was an incredible £1.17 million.

The pandemic created several challenges for the charity as its shops were closed, face-to-face services could no longer take place and fundraising events were cancelled.

The charity’s volunteers stepped up to the challenge and quickly adapted their roles or took on new roles to make sure people across Scotland were still receiving vital support that they needed.  

Many of the charity’s volunteer-led support groups are now meeting online via Zoom and volunteers are having weekly phone calls with service users.

The charity also gained thousands of new volunteers to help people who were shielding and unable to leave their homes during lockdown.

Jane-Claire Judson, the charity's chief executive, said: “We want to say a massive thank you to our amazing volunteers. Their dedication to helping others during what has been an incredibly hard year for us all is truly inspiring.

“During lockdown many of our volunteer roles had to change to make sure we could continue to support people across Scotland who were scared, isolated and alone. Our volunteers rose to the challenge and adapted quickly, continuing to provide a lifeline to thousands of people in our communities living with chest, heart and stroke conditions.

“Volunteers’ Week is a great time to celebrate the amazing difference that our volunteers are making to people’s lives. We are so grateful for the work that they have done and continue to do to make sure there is no life half lived in Scotland.”