Volunteer Thank you Walk and Afternoon Tea

Kinder Essex / Age Well East Thank You Walk & Afternoon Tea – June 3 2026 – VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK

On June 3, Kinder Essex and Age Well East hosted a thank you walk and afternoon tea in the picturesque village of Danbury for our dedicated volunteers. It was our way of showing our gratitude, during Volunteers’ Week.

This is an annual UK-wide campaign held from the first Monday in June to celebrate and recognise the contributions of volunteers.  The initiative is now more than 40 years old and, at a time when formal volunteering in England has fallen dramatically from 45% of adults in 2013/14 to just 28% in 2024/25, it has never been more important to recognise our supporters and the invaluable contribution they make.

The run-up and a weather check

In the weeks preceding June 3, I worked closely with my partners Kelly and Rebecca at Kinder Essex as the event plans took shape.

We were hosting a walk in the Danbury woods for our volunteers, followed by an afternoon tea. We would be enjoying scones with clotted cream, soft, gooey homemade brownies and seasonal strawberries, the size of golf balls. It was our way of saying thank you to our dedicated teams, but also something a little different from our usual coffee mornings.

Many emails had bounced back and forth, catering was sorted, details tweaked, invites coordinated. I knew I was pretty much prepped, when thoughts turned to the weather.

We’d just boiled out the other side of a heatwave. And in true British summer fashion, it had given way to forecasters uttering that umbrella word ‘unsettled’.  Translation: random heavy showers, sun, plenty of clouds in various shades, possibly frogs. Bring your brolly, still slap on your SPF – who knows.

Would I need my big Danish dog walking coat that shrouded me from head to leg? What the Scandinavians didn’t know about the elements, wasn’t worth knowing in my book.  On the morning, Kelly messaged – she was off to collect scones from Manor Lodge care home (a big thanks to them for those – delicious!) just as I was setting off to manage car park arrivals, dressed in outerwear designed to withstand a good buffeting by the North Sea.

The Event

Our volunteers rolled up to the meeting point, suitably attired in Kagools and pakamacs. Just as we got going, the sky’s mood darkened and we were plunged into near darkness before the rain came lashing down. We were not to be deterred, and everyone ploughed on, chatting to each other and enjoying the surroundings. One of Kelly’s group members led the walk, and as a resident of the village, she stopped to tell us about native animals and imparted lots of local knowledge. “Here lives the nightingale” she told us, as someone was about to fire up their Merlin app and then thought better of it. No need for digital intervention with a human guide in-front of us.

For those non-birders, Merlin is a handy little listening app to identify birds via their song.

We all came back soaked and so glad to dry off in the bar and lounge area. The urn was a welcome sight, and I set about warming everyone up with teas and coffees on request.  Kelly and Rebecca made sure everyone got seated and settled in with their afternoon tea platters. The atmosphere was almost festive – there’s nothing like the celebratory feeling of shelter and refreshment after bracing the inclement weather.

In between manning the bar and washing up, I popped into the lounge room to clear some plates and offer to top-up drinks. For a moment, I stepped back to survey the scene. It was a wonderful sight. The room was buzzing with animated conversation and new friendships forming. I noticed two of my volunteers swapping mobile numbers. Everyone was interacting – and people from exercise classes were floating in, struck with FOMO and seeking out the shindig.

The questions came from the gate-crashers – What was the event? Who is Age Well East? Kinder Essex? How do we get involved? And this is how sometimes we organically find new volunteers.

Kelly, Rebecca and I allowed ourselves an exchanged mutual look of satisfaction and relief. Nobody had fallen on the walk or forgotten their raincoat. Everyone had remembered where to park, and we had reminded them to put in their registration plates at reception. And only a few cancellations.

 Goodie Bags

It must be noted, that Kelly had kindly spent considerable time assembling thank you packs for all the volunteers. It was a beautiful touch, and our guests were moved when we handed them out. You could tell, it was not expected and a nice surprise to round off an enjoyable afternoon.

Lots of requests came our way for a repeat event. We were happy to say to them – ‘watch this space’ – without making promises (you never know with funding) but glad it was so well received and attended.