PKAVS are a local charity who help to support unpaid carers, people recovering from mental illness, shopmobility and our minority communities.

#SCBP Charity of the Year 2015 - PKAVS

A couple of years ago there was a great study carried out that showed volunteering is not only good for your soul, it’s also good for your heart!  The study found that after just ten weeks of taking part in community programmes people had better cardiovascular health!    The experts involved reckoned that by giving time and energy to help others, you not only feel good emotionally, you will find you gain a positive effect on physical wellbeing.

Researcher Hannah Schreier, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said: ‘The volunteers who reported the greatest increases in empathy, altruistic behaviour and mental health were the ones who also saw the greatest improvements in their cardiovascular health.’

We LOVE this! Finally, a way to bolster heart health without having to run a marathon, drink green sludge  or eat cardboard cereal.  It got me thinking that there will be a good many people out there with resolutions for 2015 that involve BOTH helping others and becoming healthier. Always here to help, I present to you the PKAVS Volunteer Scheme!

You see, when PKAVS has its Sunday Name going on it is Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Services!  You can see why it is abbreviated! However, what the long version of this great charity’s name does really well is highlight the importance of volunteers to the services they provide in the local community.  

PKAVS volunteers come from all walks of life and help in all sorts of ways. Some give up regular blocks of time every week and others drop in for an hour of bag packing once a year.   The truth is, they need everyone and every single hour is valuable in helping to make a difference right here in Perth and Kinross.

If you’d like to have your heart and soul boosted by volunteering then it’s as easy as adding your name to the list! PKAVS hold a flexible volunteer database so you can have your name added to the list and then any upcoming opportunities will be emailed to you, leaving you free to decide if the timing or activity suits you! Easy!

If you’d like to do something a little more regularly then why not contact PKAVS by emailing fundraising@pkavs.org.uk and letting them know when you’re free? They will happily help you find a fit within the organisation so that you can start feeling ACE!

Find out more about PKAVS services here>>>