THE Lord-Lieutenant of Kent has called for more volunteers in the county – especially adult instructors for youth organisations.
“The philosophy and motivation behind volunteering appears to have lessened in recent times,” he claimed.
He was speaking at the Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration for Public Service to Kent in Rochester Cathedral, attended by more than 400 volunteers.
Lord De L’Isle paid tribute to the huge contribution made by the voluntary sector across the county, saying: “On our own, we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.”
A former solder himself, he praised volunteers in the Armed Forces and the Reserves for ‘often putting themselves in danger in the face of The Queen’s enemies’ and ‘our emergency services who work year round saving lives’.
He also commended the KM Charity Team and Kent Community Foundation for raising money for good causes like the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. Kent now has the largest number of Gold Standard Award winners in the UK.
But the Lord-Lieutenant, who lives in Penshurst Place, added that more help was needed, saying: “Kent youth organisations are desperate for more adult instructors and we all need to encourage people to take up this type of volunteering.”
He said he wished to see more nominations for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS). “You are doing a great job but we need to encourage more people to join you. The larger our numbers the less the burden, and more good works can be achieved.”
