News  |  Posted July 1, 2024

Celebrating Our Volunteers

A summary of our recent in-person event

On Saturday, June 29, we had the pleasure of hosting an in-person Volunteer Celebration event at the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh.

This event was delivered in partnership with the Free Legal Services Unit (FLSU) at the Faculty of Advocates. Planning Aid Scotland is an accredited advice agency of the FLSU, this allows our Advice Service to refer potential planning-related cases to the Unit. We extend our thanks to the FLSU for their hospitality and contribution to the event.

This celebration followed the UK’s Volunteers Week 2024, which took place in early June. In recent years, like many organisations, for practical reasons we transitioned many of our volunteer events online during and since the pandemic. Therefore, we were excited to create an opportunity for our volunteers, especially newer volunteers, to gather in person and connect in-person.

The event was structured into three parts:

  • Planning Case Law Update and Discussion:
    • Hosted by Graham Dunlop of Terra Firma Chambers and John Campbell KC, this session provided insightful updates and facilitated a lively discussion on current planning law
  • Interactive Workshop:
    • This session encouraged volunteers to directly contribute to the development of our volunteer programme for the upcoming year and help shape the way we deliver our volunteering services
  • Facilitation Skills Workshop:
    • Volunteers had the opportunity to review and practice their facilitation skills – vital for effective community engagement

We extend our thanks to our hosts, the Free Legal Services Unit at the Faculty of Advocates, and to our fantastic speakers, Graham Dunlop and John Campbell KC, for making the in-person event both educational and enjoyable.

Special thanks also to our Volunteer Coordinator, Jo Elston, for facilitating two engaging workshops. It was great to see both seasoned and newer volunteers creating new connections, developing their skills, and embracing the opportunity to gather in-person.

Thank you to everyone who participated – we hope to see you at our next in-person event.

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