On Thursday 29^th May 2025, the College celebrated the first annual ‘Value in Volunteering’ Celebration Event. The event was attended by Professor Peter Finn, invited guest Marc Scott Chair of Volunteer NOW, staff and students from the BEd, BA and MSc degree programmes who were recipients of awards.  

In total, there were over 65 organisations who benefited from over 7,000 hours from our students’ volunteering efforts.  We recognised all students for their volunteering contributions, but we also acknowledged the student who recorded the greatest number of hours. Maria Goldring (pictured below with Prof. Peter Finn and Marc Scott) under took an outstanding 779 hours of volunteering across her time as a student in St Mary’s.  

The ‘Value in Volunteering’ Programme at the College was launched in September 2024. The rationale behind the programme has many strands. The programme was designed to provide opportunities for students to develop their skills and enhance their employability through meaningful volunteering experiences. Additionally, the programme was aimed at promoting student retention in the College by providing students with the opportunity to feel valued, recognised and rewarded for their volunteering efforts. 

This Celebration Event was an important opportunity to reward and recognise the fanatstic contribtions that our students have on College life and in the wider communities where they volunteer. There were sixty students in total who achieved accreditation for volunteering hours. Students who achieved a minimum of 25 hours were awarded a Bronze Certificate, those who achieved a minimum of 50 hours were awarded a Silver Certificate, and those who achieved a minimum of 75 hours were awarded a Gold Certificate.  

In total, there were over 65 organisations who benefited from over 7,000 hours from our students’ volunteering efforts.  We recognised all students for their volunteering contributions, but we also acknowledged the student who recorded the greatest number of hours. Maria Goldring (pictured below with Prof. Peter Finn and Marc Scott) had achieved an outstanding 779 hours of volunteering across her time as a student in St Mary’s.  

The College would like to commend and congratulate all our students who achieved accreditation for their volunteering contributions. A special thank you to Volunteer NOW and Marc Scott for their endorsement of the programme and for joining us on the day. We look forward to welcoming our students back in September and continuing the ‘Value in Volunteering’ programme into the next academic year.