Mental Health Awareness Week
This week is mental health awareness week; learn how Circles South West prioritises volunteer well-being and the ways in which we offer support.
Mental Health Awareness Week is an important opportunity to shine a light on the wellbeing of those who give their time and energy to support others—especially volunteers, who are often the backbone of charities like ours. While volunteering can be deeply rewarding and foster a strong sense of purpose and connection, it can also bring emotional challenges that are sometimes overlooked.
Volunteers frequently support people in difficult circumstances, which can lead to stress, compassion fatigue, or burnout if not properly acknowledged and managed. This week encourages us to recognise not only the invaluable contributions volunteers make, but also the importance of prioritising their mental health—ensuring they feel supported, valued, and equipped to continue making a positive difference without compromising their own wellbeing.
At Circles South West, the wellbeing of our volunteers is central to everything we do. Our volunteers support people with complex issues who experience challenging situations, and we take our responsibility to support them seriously—ensuring they feel safe, valued, equipped and properly supported as they carry out their important work within a Circle.
We provide a strong network around each volunteer. This includes structured supervision with their Circles Coordinator, open access to our Volunteer Coordinator, and peer review and networking opportunities with fellow volunteers, creating multiple points of support. We actively encourage open communication, making it clear that they can always reach out with any concerns or worries.
From the outset, we provide guidance to volunteers on how to look after their own wellbeing. This includes offering advice on how to talk to their personal support networks in a safe and appropriate way, while still maintaining the confidentiality that is essential to their volunteering.
Just as importantly, we make sure our volunteers know how much their contribution matters. Taking on this role requires huge courage, compassion and commitment, not something that is widely recognised or fully understood. There can be moments when progress feels slow, or when the work feels challenging and, at times, thankless. However, we see the wider impact—understanding that the time, care and dedication volunteers give creates lasting change that may not always be immediately visible, but will continue to make a difference long into the future.
Something else we also offer our volunteers is the Reward Gateway programme. Reward Gateway provides a holistic range of wellbeing support designed to cover mental, physical, social, and even financial health. Some of the key wellbeing elements it offers include:
- Wellbeing Centre (on-demand resources): A library of accessible content such as guided meditations, relaxation exercises, stress and anxiety podcasts, fitness videos, healthy recipes, and sleep support tools—helping individuals build healthy habits at their own pace.
- Mental health support: Resources focused on mindfulness, confidence-building, and managing stress, alongside tools that encourage regular mental wellbeing practices like meditation and reflection.
- Physical wellbeing initiatives: Activity-based programmes, including step challenges, fitness tracking, and workout content, encouraging people to stay active and set personal health goals.
- Wellbeing+ app: A mobile platform that brings everything together, offering habit-building challenges (e.g. hydration, movement, mindfulness), progress tracking, and goal setting to keep users engaged year-round.
- Social and community features: Chat functions, team challenges, and shared goals that foster connection, peer support, and a sense of belonging—key for emotional wellbeing.
- Financial wellbeing support: Through employee discounts, cashback offers, and perks that help reduce everyday costs and financial stress.
Overall, Reward Gateway’s approach is about “whole wellbeing”, giving people practical tools, supportive content, and opportunities to connect—so they can look after their mental health while feeling valued and engaged. We offer this to all volunteers after core training and hope that many will take this up. It complements our other support options.
Ultimately, taking care of volunteers’ mental health is not just a moral responsibility—it is essential to the sustainability and impact of our charity. Volunteers who feel supported, valued, and emotionally safe are more likely to remain engaged, motivated, and able to give their best to the people and causes they support. By prioritising wellbeing, charities not only protect individuals from burnout and distress, but also strengthen their communities, retain vital skills and experience, and build a culture of compassion that reflects the very values they stand for. By looking after our volunteers, Circles South West is ensuring it will continue to make a meaningful difference—both now and in the long term.
To learn how to become a volunteer with us click here
