Volunteers have been at the heart of EMERGE’s work for more than a quarter of a century. To mark Volunteers’ Week 2023, our CEO Lucy Danger, tells us more…
As you may have heard, this year EMERGE is proud to be celebrating our 25th anniversary. That’s a whole quarter of a century pioneering the rescuing of resources and improving lives across Greater Manchester and beyond – time flies!
I’m so proud of our heritage and the way our organisation has grown from its very humble beginnings. None of it would have been possible without our army of loyal volunteers which has meant we’ve been able to adapt and deliver more than we ever imagined we could.
It’s very fitting that volunteers continue to play such an integral role in everything we do at EMERGE. Now a charitable group which includes a community benefit company (comprising EMERGE Recycling and Touch Wood) and our registered charity (incorporating FareShare Greater Manchester and our volunteering and employability programme, Give & Gain), EMERGE actually started as a voluntary group.
EMERGE (our full name is East Manchester Environment & Resources Group Emerge) was born in Mary’s D’s pub in Beswick in 1996, inspired by the opportunity to galvanise people to do something positive to combat waste.
Our original ethos remains, and our army of more than 150 incredible volunteers give their unique range of skills, experience and knowledge selflessly to ensure we can continue to make a real and sustainable impact on the world around us.
As Volunteers’ Week comes to a close, we’ve enjoyed some special celebrations at our home in New Smithfield Market in East Manchester, I’d like to say a huge thank you again to each and every volunteer who helps us.
Whether that’s our current volunteers who support across all parts of our group – in our support services, our warehouses, our wood workshop – or those who have helped us at any time in our 25-year history, huge thanks for your contribution.
Despite the cost-of-living crisis and other demands on all of our busy lives, it’s always incredible to see so many people coming together and selflessly giving their time to support others. Those we work with often feed back the positive impact their volunteering has on their wellbeing, their development of new skills, and their social network too.
We have a whole range of volunteering opportunities available so if Volunteers’ Week has inspired you to give it a go, why not get in touch?
We’d love to chat to you about the options available – and don’t worry, some of our roles require very short time commitments. We also give full training and ongoing support, so whatever your reasons for volunteering, we can find a solution that works for you.
Thanks again to all of the fabulous EMERGE volunteers and happy Volunteers’ Week this week and every week!
