New research has outlined the positives of regular volunteering in Scotland.

Weekly volunteering bring a £1,000 annual wellbeing benefit, new research has found. 

Work by Volunteer Scotlnad shows that volunteering is good for well-being and has tangible mental and physical health benefits, adding up when people volunteer regularly.

The research estimates that the social value of volunteering weekly with a group or organisation is worth £1,000 per person per year in terms of the increased wellbeing they experience. That’s roughly equivalent to £20 a week (£19.23). 

Across Scotland this translates to over half a billion pounds (£530 million) worth of increased wellbeing for Scottish volunteers. 

Combined with the time Scottish volunteers contribute weekly; this is a contribution of £2.3billion in terms of economic and social value. That’s equivalent to the gross value added on the arts, entertainment and recreation industry to the Scottish economy - worth £2.1bn.  

Alan Stevenson, CEO of Volunteer Scotland, said: “This research celebrates the valuable contribution volunteers make to Scotland. However, with a significant decline in the volunteer participation rate, we know that people are facing many barriers to volunteering and are missing out on the wellbeing benefits volunteering has to offer them.

“This research highlights the critical need to remove barriers to volunteering, enabling more individuals to experience its personal and societal benefits. With this research, Volunteer Scotland calls for action to break down these barriers, ensuring that more people can enjoy the transformative benefits of volunteering.”