Stuart Anderson MP has urged Ministers to invest in volunteering as a way to tackle social isolation in rural areas. He has said that a ‘Rural Connections Fund’ should be created, with funding available for local projects aimed at tackling loneliness.
Stuart has added that the Fund would offer grants of between £500 and £2,000 to community-led voluntary organisations in rural areas like South Shropshire. Under the scheme, local groups would be empowered to deliver socially impactful outreach projects that tackle long-standing issues like rural isolation and loneliness.
Stuart has made the call as part of Volunteers' Week, which returns for its 40th celebration between 2nd and 8th June 2025. The UK-wide campaign takes place from the first Monday in June every year.
The campaign has run every year since 1984 and shines a spotlight on the time, passion and skills of millions of volunteers. In England, 7.5 million or 16% of people volunteer each month.
Sadly, volunteer numbers have fallen from 23% from before the pandemic. So, Stuart hopes that his ‘Rural Connections Fund’ will help to reverse this trend by bringing communities and generations together.
The Fund would deliver on Stuart's mission to enhance public services in rural areas. He has said it would help to address unique challenges in serving rural communities due to factors such as their sparsity, distance, and remoteness.
Stuart has claimed that the Scheme would build on investment made by the previous government, which reached at least 25 million people across the country. Since 2018, the previous government and its partners had invested more than £80 million in tackling loneliness and isolation.
At the heart of Volunteer’s Week is Power of Youth Day on 3rd June. This highlights the impact of youth social action, which ranges from everyday contributions to bold acts of leadership.
Volunteers’ Week is led by the UK Volunteering Forum, a partnership between Volunteer Scotland, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and Volunteer Now in Northern Ireland.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“Volunteering transforms communities and brings generations together. It can also help to tackle loneliness and social isolation in remote, rural areas. Yet, volunteer numbers have not recovered since the pandemic. I believe that the government should invest in volunteering as a key way to tackle issues such as loneliness and rural isolation. On Volunteer’s Week, I am calling on Ministers to create a ‘Rural Connections Fund.’ This Fund would offer grants to community-led voluntary organisations in rural areas of the country like South Shropshire. This would empower local groups to turbocharge outreach projects, aimed at tackling loneliness."
The UK Volunteering Forum said:
“Volunteers bring a richness to organisations across the country. There is no better time to recognise the diversity of our volunteers and celebrate the difference that volunteering makes than during Volunteers’ Week. Without volunteers many charities just simply could not function, with so many people giving up their time and going above and beyond. The week is a chance for all of us to show just how vital they are to charities and communities everywhere.”
