THE Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service which has just been presented to two Island charities helps to remind us that this week is National Volunteering Week.

The charities receiving the Queen’s Award, which is recognised as the equivalent of an MBE, were the Island branches of the Parkinson’s Disease Society and the Samaritans.

Both clearly depend on the willingness of ordinary individuals to put themselves out in the service of others. Indeed, if it were not for time and effort freely given neither organisation could exist let alone achieve so much for so many.

However, besides offering congratulations to all those involved with the Parkinson’s charity and with the often highly stressful but always deeply sympathetic work of the Samaritans, we should remember that this is a community where the voluntary principle is part of the fabric of society. Two groups of dedicated people have rightly received recognition at the highest level, but many others are also part of the Islandwide tradition of service that they so admirably represent.

The institutions linked to the honorary system might be at the root of Jersey’s time-honoured respect for voluntary work on behalf of others. That said, volunteering now extends far beyond our parish halls, the honorary police and other parochial bodies, though the importance of their present-day role must not be minimised.

Today the list of Island clubs, charities, associations and other bodies which could not function without willing volunteers is massive. The Jersey Association of Charities alone has 237 registered organisations on its books, but this can be regarded as only the tip of a very substantial iceberg.

But in spite of Islanders’ willingness to work for no reward beyond the satisfaction of seeing worthwhile jobs well done, there will always be room for more volunteers and the contributions that they can make.

This, of course, highlights one of the major purposes of Volunteering Week. As well as focusing the spotlight on what is already being done, it is intended to encourage more people around Britain to ask themselves what they can do to help their fellow citizens and how they can foster the best interests of their communities.

Islanders who heed this important message but do not know where to go or what to do next should make a point of visiting one of the volunteering stands that have been set up in Island supermarkets and which will remain open throughout the week.