John Griff: Give a little bit - to get a lot back

The thing is, how much recognition do we give to those people who do what they do for the common good and who do so without expecting anything in return either? Should we all be doing more – and should we be expecting more people to do their bit too?

The definition of a volunteer is sometimes hard to pin down. Likewise, the degree of altruism which goes with that volunteer activity. Is it a question of payment of money, or the absence of it? Is it the donation of time? Is it the spirit of helping others in a shared interest or activity? Is it a combination of some or all of the above? Tricky. Perhaps it is something which we can only know for ourselves through our motivation to do what we do – or don’t do.

As a child I was brought up to consider others. I joined the Cub Scouts and did my Bob-A-Job weeks, albeit that at the time I didn’t really have a grasp of how my activities in cap, shorts and badge-festooned green sweater had any relevance to anyone else. Encouraged by my parents, I joined what was then called the Save The Children Society and earned points towards ‘awards’ by putting on fundraising garden fetes and the like. The sense of achievement was motivation itself to continue at that stage in my life, but I was too young to dwell much on the people my fundraising might have been helping – wherever they might have been.

Since then, I have volunteered in some way throughout my life. I say this not to preach or to seek any kind of recognition – instead I say it because volunteering became part of who I am. I’ve been (or am) a trustee, an ambassador and a governor. I’ve worked on a number of projects where I could bring my working abilities to bear, too. I’m one of a huge number of people who do similarly – and it feels good to do so. Of course, there is a limit to what any one person can do, be that in terms of time or energy - a donation of either is precisely that and it shouldn’t be taken for granted. But many people give of themselves because they feel it right to do so, because they’re engaged and because they recognise that they are capable of helping where others might be unable to. Do what you can because you can and without asking for recognition or reward, and you’ll probably find that recognition will find you anyway, however that makes you feel!

Recognition can, of course, come from a variety of directions and in a variety of forms. This country has excellent King’s Awards schemes for Enterprise and also for Voluntary Service – they are constantly in operation and on a very low-key basis. There’s the Honours system which awards more than the famed MBE, OBE and CBE or DBE categories.

The honours panels are always looking for more nominees to consider and celebrate – go to www.gov.uk/honours and you’ll see how simple the process can be. Every year we see a variety of other awards scheme and forms of recognition which celebrate people helping others – and which are themselves celebrated. Examples are the Rose of Northamptonshire awards, the Northamptonshire Community Foundation Awards, The Inspirational Woman and Man of the Year Awards. There are others which do likewise too.

I’ve attended a number of such ceremonies highlighting the work – and effect – of such volunteers on the wider community and each gives me a real charge up and sense of pride in people who just ‘get it’ and do what they do.

Sometimes the greatest accolade can the simple utterance of ‘thank you’ from one person to another – no award is necessary. In the same way that volunteering is a donation, so too is the offer of thanks – it doesn’t necessarily have to be more. Depending on what you read and where you read it, volunteering is worth tens of billions of pounds to the exchequer and government, both local and central, knows it. Should ‘community service’ be mandatory at some level for us all? Perhaps not. If it was, the element of donation or of motivation might evaporate in an instant. Taking away the choice to help others would have a substantial effect on the amount and purity of goodwill which currently exists. Which would be a pity.

If you volunteer your time or effort in any area of your life for the selfless benefit of others, good on you. It won’t have gone unnoticed, and it is a vital part of any cultured society. Thank you for what you do – please don’t stop. And if you don’t volunteer, be brave enough try it. You might find that you get out of it much more than you imagine.