Chatteris Volunteer Fair brings local organisations and residents together once again

Residents, community groups and local organisations came together on Saturday 16 May for the latest Fenland Volunteer Fair, organised by Support Fenland and held at the King Edward Community Centre in Chatteris.

The event welcomed 15 organisations from across the area, all offering residents the opportunity to learn more about volunteering roles, community projects and ways they could get involved locally.

Throughout the morning, the room was filled with conversation as residents spoke directly with charities, support groups and community organisations about how they could contribute their time, skills and experience. While the event was smaller in numbers than some previous fairs held across Fenland, the level of engagement and quality of conversations throughout the day created a positive atmosphere.

Across the event, conversations were had, with a shared interest in volunteering opportunities and several organisations making new connections for future partnership and fundraising work being the main focus.

Many organisations praised the welcoming atmosphere, opportunities to meet other groups and the chance to have meaningful conversations with residents interested in supporting local causes.

Comments from attendees included:

• “Meeting lovely people from other organisations and sharing ideas.”

• “Good to see community organisations coming together.”

• “Valuable to connect potential volunteers with organisations.”

• “Always good to attend and speak to other organisations and residents.”

• “You all do an amazing job of giving us the opportunity to engage with the public.”

As well as helping organisations connect with potential volunteers, the fairs have continued to create valuable opportunities for networking, collaboration and shared learning between local groups and charities across Fenland.

The feedback provided useful reflections for future events. Several organisations suggested exploring more central venues or linking future fairs with existing town events to help increase footfall, while still recognising the event itself as valuable and worthwhile.

The Chatteris Volunteer Fair follows previous successful events held in March, Wisbech and Whittlesey over the past year, as Support Fenland continues working across the district to strengthen connections between local organisations, volunteers and communities.

Across all four volunteer fairs, residents have been able to explore a wide range of opportunities, ask questions directly to organisations and discover how their time, skills and interests could make a difference locally. The fairs have also highlighted the incredible range of work already taking place across Fenland’s voluntary and community sector.

Throughout the series, organisations and residents heard about the fairs through a variety of channels including social media, local press, radio, posters, Discovering Magazine, leafleting and word of mouth, reinforcing the importance of using a wide range of communication methods to reach communities across Fenland.

Across Fenland, local charities, groups and organisations rely heavily on volunteers to deliver activities, support services and community projects. Events like these not only help organisations find new volunteers, but also create opportunities for communities to come together, share ideas and build stronger local connections.

With volunteer fairs now successfully held in March, Wisbech, Whittlesey and Chatteris, Support Fenland would like to thank every organisation, volunteer, resident and partner who has supported the events over the past year.

From busy rooms full of conversation to new volunteering connections, networking opportunities and community ideas being shared, each fair has played an important role in bringing people together across Fenland and highlighting the incredible work taking place locally.

While this chapter of volunteer fairs may now be complete for the year, the conversations, connections and opportunities created through them will continue long after the events themselves.

Support Fenland is already looking ahead to future community events and opportunities across the district, with more volunteer fairs and engagement activity planned in the future.

Thank you again to everyone who attended, supported, promoted or took part in the fairs across Fenland and keep an eye out for what’s coming next.