East Area Committee invests in volunteering with the East Street and Park Rangers Programme

National Volunteer Week aims to say thanks to the hard-working people helping within our communities every single day. Taking place between Tuesday 1 to Monday 7 June, Sunderland City Council is highlighting all opportunities it provides, and recognising everyone who does their part to care for the city and its residents.

One of the many projects that have gone above and beyond to look after the city is the East Street and Park Rangers programme.

In March 2021 the East Area Committee invested £95,000 into the Voluntary Community Sector (VCS), which is made up of groups that work to look after their areas. Six VCS groups each received an average grant of £15,000 each to deliver the East Street and Park Rangers programme.

The VCS groups involved are The Box Youth and Community Project, Conservation Management Services, Back on the Map, Groundwork North East, Blue Watch Youth Centre, and ICOS.

With the grants, the groups are to deliver a 12-month programme across the different wards in the East area. This will include carrying out litter picks weekly, working with local services to improve cleaning and ground maintenance, painting benches, weeding, and cutting back bushes. They will also work with Sunderland City Council Environmental Services to tackle the likes of dog fouling and fly tipping, as well as delivering educational campaigns to children, young people, and residents.

The VCS groups involved in the project are still recruiting people in their communities to join their teams.  Volunteers can be members of other community groups i.e. scouts, junior football teams, local resident's and families or businesses who are wanting to carry out team challenges.

Cllr Claire Rowntree, Deputy Leader at Sunderland City Council, said: "The East Street and Park Rangers project is incredibly beneficial for the area. Sunderland City Council aims to improve the areas in every community by helping reduce environmental crime and keeping our green spaces clean. The work that these volunteers do contributes to this greatly, and I would like to say thank you to each individual who takes time out of their day to help."

For National Volunteer Week, people in Sunderland can also recognise those who go above and beyond in their community by nominating them for a Shining Star Award. The one-off event, which will be taking place in September, will see residents awarded for volunteering in their community over the last year, with several categories including Organisation of the Year, Sunderland's most Neighbourly Neighbour, and Community Fundraising Champion.

Cllr Linda Williams, Portfolio Holder for Vibrant City at Sunderland City Council, said: "National Volunteer Week is a chance for everyone to recognise the hard work undertaken by volunteers in our city, and the East Street and Park Rangers are a prime example of how our communities can come together to make a difference. I'd like to thank everyone involved in the programme for the hard work they do to keep the East area a happy and safe place to live.

"I recommend anyone in the East area who is wanting to help out in their community to sign up to the project, and if you know someone who is going above and beyond for their local area then nominate them for a Shining Star Award."

To sign up to the East Street and Park Rangers programme, contact community.resilience@sunderland.gov.uk with the subject heading "East Rangers".

Find out more about volunteering in Sunderland at www.sunderland.gov.uk/volunteering

To nominate someone in your community for a Shining Stars Award, visit www.sunderland.gov.uk/shiningstars