Celebrating Volunteers Service, Derby Cathedral - Sunday 8th June

Name: Celebrating Volunteers Service, Derby Cathedral - Sunday 8th June
Start: 2025-06-08T13:30:00+00:00
End: 2025-06-08T16:00:00+00:00
Location: Derby Cathedral

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Sunday, 8 June 2025

Time: 14:30 - 17:00
Venue: Derby Cathedral, Derby, DE1 3GP

Voluntary and community organisations from across Derbyshire will come together on Sunday 8th June 2025 at Derby Cathedral for a special Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving dedicated to the county’s volunteers and voluntary sector staff.

Organised in partnership by the Dean of Derby, His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Rural Action Derbyshire, Community Action Derby, and Foundation Derbyshire, the service aims to honour the extraordinary impact of the voluntary and community sector across the county.

This will be the second year that the service will be held, following a successful inaugural celebration on 9 June 2024 to mark the first anniversary of the Coronation of King Charles III. Volunteers and groups from across the county attended and showed strong support for a service that featured moving reflections from volunteers, music by Derby Cathedral’s Voluntary Choir and the Crescendo Community Choir, and a heartfelt message from His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Elizabeth Fothergill CBE.

“We want to recognise not only the incredible volunteers who give their time so generously,” said Elizabeth Fothergill, “but also the organisations behind them — the teams working tirelessly, often in challenging conditions, to keep projects running, support communities, and respond to urgent needs.”

This annual event is open to everyone involved in the voluntary sector — including volunteers, paid staff, trustees, service users and community leaders — to reflect together on the values of faith, hope, and love that underpin so much of the sector’s work.

“The voluntary sector in Derbyshire has demonstrated extraordinary resilience and impact over the years,” said Emma Simpson, CEO at Rural Action Derbyshire. “We are able to react quickly to changing needs where statutory services can’t. "The value of these efforts goes far beyond the monetary cost required to keep the wheels turning — the voluntary sector delivers an incredible return on investment, both in human impact and in the strength it brings to our communities."

All voluntary and community organisations are warmly invited. Refreshments will be served after the service.