VOLUNTEERS from across Helensburgh and Lomond will be recognised at a special event next month as part of Volunteers' Week Scotland.

The event is organised by Helensburgh Community Hub in partnership with Visiting Friends to celebrate everyone who volunteers for community groups.

Volunteers will be the stars at the event on Sunday, June 4, from 2pm to 4pm, and organisers want to receive nominations.

Hub development manager Gill Simpson said: "There are so many small community organisations that reply on volunteers including the Hub so we wanted to do something to show all of them how much we value them.

"Most of our Hub volunteers help in the Book Nook - in fact we couldn't open it without them.

"But we also have people who come in to help with coffee mornings and recently one of our lovely crafters has started to volunteer with us by starting up a new group to teach people crafting skills."

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She added: "This is not going to be an event about prizes, awards and winners - it's about celebrating everyone who volunteers whether it's for a few days or 50 years.

"A volunteer once said to me it would be really nice to do something that felt like a group hug with lunch - so that's exactly what we are going to do!

"This is the first year we have organised a big volunteer celebration so we have kept the invitations to local groups who don't work within a wider structure so can find it harder to organise an event like this.

"But we would definitely like to build on this and in the future include volunteers from uniformed organisations, school PTAs, community councils, sports clubs and charity shops who also rely hugely on volunteers.

"But for the first year we thought we needed to keep it manageable for us to organise."

The organisers of the event said they also want to hear about those who help their community on an informal basis.

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Gill said there are many residents who volunteer without thinking they are - they just think they are helping out.

"It's people like that who make our community what it is so we would like to include them in our celebration as well," she added.

"It could be that person who helps their neighbour by getting the shopping in, or walks the dog for someone who can't get out much - what they are doing is volunteering, it's just not through an organisation. Please let us know who they are so we can invite them along."

To nominate an informal volunteer to be invited to the celebration, contact Helensburgh Community Hub on 01436 678088 or manager@helensburghcommunityhub.org.uk.