2026 marks a global celebration of volunteering. Here’s how Norfolk and Waveney are leading the way. 

Welcome to our first Norfolk and Waveney Volunteering for Health blog! We’re looking forward to sharing learning and insights from our programme throughout the year. Curious about how volunteering infrastructure facilitates a real difference in health and care? You’re in the right place. 

We’re proud to be part of Volunteering for Health, a £10 million national programme designed to grow and strengthen volunteering across health and social care in England. Delivered by NHS England, NHS Charities Together, and CW+, our Norfolk and Waveney partnership has received £540,000 to deliver this programme until summer 2027. 

Through a partnership of seven organisations led by the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, our local programme includes: 

• Get Involved Innovation Fund – supporting projects that remove barriers and make volunteering more inclusive. 

• Get Involved Skills – a digital hub for training and development for volunteers and those that manage them 

• Volunteering development in Primary Care – creating new roles in GP and  dental practices . 

All of this is aimed at making volunteering accessible, inclusive, and impactful within our communities. An evaluation guided by the Institute of Volunteering Research at the UEA will enable rigorous assessment of the impact of these activities.  

Connecting local success to a global movement 

As we enter 2026—the United Nations (UN) International Year of Volunteers, we’re proud that our aims align with a global effort to celebrate the power of giving time and skills. The UN’s focus this year includes evidencing impact, recognising volunteers’ contributions, and removing barriers to participation—all priorities of our Norfolk and Waveney programme. 

Our Success So Far 

2025 was a year of progress and learning. Here are some of the milestones we achieved: 

• Innovation Fund Round One launched – funding 5 projects that tested accessible volunteering approaches for adults with learning disabilities, autistic people, and care-experienced young people. 

• First volunteering roles co-produced in Primary Care – working with GP practice staff to design roles that meet local need in 6 practices.  

• Get Involved Skills platform launched – offering training and development for volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations. 38 organisations have joined with 265 people accessing training.  

• Evaluation framework developed – including a Theory of Change and outcomes framework to measure impact. 

Throughout the year, collaboration across the partnership and engagement with stakeholders proved crucial to our success. 

Why Volunteering for Health matters 

Anyone familiar with volunteering will know that it isn’t just beneficial to the individual, the impact within communities is much wider. Volunteers help reduce isolation, improve access to care, and support NHS priorities in ways professionals alone cannot achieve. 

This investment enables Norfolk and Waveney to test new models, learn what works, and embed volunteering as a strategic asset in delivering the ICS’s long-term vision for integrated, person-centred care. In 2026, as the world celebrates the UN International Year of Volunteers, our partnership is eager to contribute to this global recognition of the value of volunteering in health and care. 

Looking ahead to 2026 

This year, we’re building on our success with ambitious plans: 

• Get Involved Innovation Fund Rounds Two and Three – testing and learning from new approaches to accessible volunteering. 

• Recruiting the first volunteers into Primary Care roles and building strong frameworks and governance to support them. 

• Expanding training and support on the Get Involved Skills platform. 

• Publishing our interim evaluation report to share learning and impact. 

We’ll also be sharing stories, celebrating achievements, and continuing to learn as we go. 

Find out more 

We’d welcome the opportunity to connect with and share learning with others with similar volunteering ambitions. Contact nwicb.volunteering@nhs.net  

Find out more about Volunteering for Health in Norfolk and Waveney.

By Jules Alderson 

Programme Manager, Health Inequalities & VCSE Partnering 

Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board