Volunteers are at the heart of many organisations. Without people freely giving their time to support charities like GDA, vital services and support simply couldn't happen.
This week is Volunteer Week, a chance to recognise all the hard work and dedication hundreds of thousands of volunteers show day-in and day-out to good causes across the country.
GDA is extremely fortunate to have a team of volunteers who provide invaluable assistance with the running of the charity, from being a Trustee, offering office administration assistance and the running of the monthly Deaf children's club, to lending a hand at our twice-a-year Friendship Circle social lunches and the monthly Lunch Club, volunteers help bring together a sense of community and support to those who need it the most.
They're un-wavering desire to be a source of good in their community is what makes volunteering so special and commendable.
Over the last few weeks, while the country has been in lockdown and normal volunteering opportunities have ceased, a group of volunteers have come to the rescue of deaf people in Gloucestershire, who are more isolated than ever before.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an extremely worrying time for everyone, but even more so for those who use British Sign Language (BSL) as their preferred first language. There has been a significant lack of information available in BSL, meaning thousands of people have been living in fear and confusion as to what has been happening. The team of volunteers, who each have skills in BSL, have been offering communication support by holding socially-distanced chats and assisting with grocery and medical collections.
Volunteering may look a little different now to how it did back at the beginning of the year, but the need for volunteers is as big as ever.
If you'd like to know how you can support GDA by volunteering your time, please get in touch on volunteering@gda.org.uk or click here for more information.
For now, we send our heartfelt thanks to everyone who gives their time so generously to GDA - we're sorry we don't have photos of all of you, but please know we still think you're amazing.