The Story of our Volunteer Programme - Reflecting on the volunteer programme journey from its origins with Hull UK City of Culture 2017 to HEY! Volunteering

Introduction

This report tells the story of Hull’s volunteer programme, from its beginnings supporting Hull UK City of Culture 2017 to its development into HEY! Volunteering. It explores how the programme evolved, adapted and grew over time, creating a long-term volunteering legacy that continues to support communities, culture, tourism and heritage.

Findings

The report finds that Hull’s volunteer programme successfully evolved from a 1-year City of Culture initiative into a sustainable, long-term volunteer network.

More than 2,500 volunteers were recruited for Hull 2017 and, over time, the programme expanded beyond cultural events to support:

• community projects

• tourism

• heritage activities

• emergency responses such as COVID-19 support

Volunteers contributed over 337,000 hours and reported benefits including improved confidence, social connections, wellbeing, skills and a stronger sense of pride in their community.

The programme remained successful because it focused on volunteer needs, providing flexible opportunities, high-quality training, ongoing support and meaningful recognition.

The report highlights the importance of:

• a strong volunteer identity

• volunteer involvement in decision-making

• effective partnerships

• adaptable ways of working

While challenges included funding pressures and engaging a more diverse volunteer base, the programme demonstrated that long-term investment and volunteer-centred approaches can create lasting community impact and sustain volunteering beyond a major event.