An Oxfordshire charity celebrated a fantastic milestone in July when awards were given to long-serving volunteers of ARCh, Assisted Reading for Children.
ARCh volunteers work one-on-one with children in primary schools across the county, helping them to discover a love of reading and develop their confidence, self-esteem and resilience.
ARCh has over 200 volunteers working across Oxfordshire, and this July, they celebrated the longstanding service of some of its volunteers, who, between them, have dedicated over 100 years of service to the charity across Bicester, Kidlington and Oxford.
The awards were presented by Deputy Lieutenant Robert Buckeldee in an afternoon of celebrations for volunteers across the organisation.
“Our annual summer meeting celebrates the end of the academic year, and is a chance for our volunteers to look back and recognise the impact that they have had,” said Emma Orton, Recruitment Officer for ARCh.
“Our volunteers give so much to the children they support and so it’s lovely for us to be able to recognise their amazing work and celebrate it.”
The need for extra reading support in schools across Oxfordshire has increased dramatically since the pandemic, and ARCh is currently targeting to recruit 150 more volunteers over 2024.
Emma said, “We’ve got many schools on our waiting list asking us for more volunteers- if you’ve ever thought about volunteering, we’d love to hear from you to help us support as many children as we can.”
Being an ARCh Reading Mentor is extremely rewarding, building up a relationship with the same three children on a one-to-one basis during the course of a year means you can make a real difference to their self-esteem and ability to read.
Volunteers do not need particular qualifications or experience. They need to be patient, enjoy reading and have the appropriate interpersonal skills to help children and liaise with school staff.
ARCh Reading Helpers are trained to a high standard on our initial two-day programme, after which they have continued ongoing support from their allocated Field Worker who helps them settle into a school which is local to them. They are also provided with all the resources they may need and travel expenses between home and school are paid.
ARCh also works with organisations and businesses that give staff volunteering time.
Visit the ARCh website or email info@archoxfordshire.org.uk for additional information and to learn more about volunteering with ARCh.
