Mindful of resolutions people make at the start of a new year, voluntary organisations are hoping for a surge in support.

Budget cuts have impacted significantly on many organisations and depleted resources have placed greater importance on volunteering.

The new year brings new hope for many who often make life-changing decisions, and charities hope to take advantage of this continued season of goodwill by encouraging people to help others.

Older people’s charity WRVS wants people to make a conscious effort to commit some of their time to charity, and hopes the laudable contributions of the gamesmakers to the London 2012 Olympics will inspire others.

Volunteer enquiries to the charity, which is run by 40,000 volunteers, doubled during the Olympics and it hopes the legacy will continue in 2013 when it celebrates its 75th anniversary.

WRVS chief executive David McCullough says: “Volunteering is something anyone can do and we’d encourage everyone to do.

“With councils cutting services we need more volunteers than ever to help older people in the community whether providing company, a lift to the shops, or distributing Meals on Wheels.

“You don’t need lots of time, qualifications or experience to volunteer, just the desire to make a difference, and we would urge anyone interested to get in touch.”

The work of volunteers was recently recognised through the Diamond Champions awards run by WRVS, which celebrated people over the age of 60 who volunteer and make a difference to their community. Patrons of the awards, the Prince of Wales and WRVS President, the Duchess of Cornwall, paid tribute at the time to the commitment volunteers make and the impact they have on society.

Volunteering is also recognised to have beneficial health implications – according to research conducted by WRVS this year, older people who volunteer are less depressed, have a better quality of life and are happier with their lives.

David Forrest, director of the Bradford Volunteer Centre, says: “Bradford is already brilliant at volunteering. More people volunteer in Bradford than anywhere else in the whole of Yorkshire.”

David is referring to Government research – The Place Survey – conducted by Mori, which interviewed 2,000 people in Bradford to find out their level of volunteering. Around 26.9 per cent of the over-18s and adults interviewed in the city said they volunteered regularly.

“There is a very good culture of volunteering and the community groups are very good at hosting volunteers, but we still do need more volunteers,” says David.

The centre currently has 1,346 volunteering roles on its database waiting to be filled. They range from becoming a voluntary beekeeper to building a wooden bicycle!

Becoming a volunteer can bring benefits for the individuals who devote their time too as David explains. “It is a great way for people to learn new skills, to try something new, to fill in the gaps in a CV, to get a reference, to meet new people and to do something different in 2013.”

Volunteering may also help to improve people’s chances in the competitive jobs market. David talks of the project the centre was involved with in 2010 with the Jobcentre, where unemployed people had a go at volunteering.

Based on the results, the Bradford Volunteering Centre once again proved to be the most successful countrywide. David says research by the Jobcentre found 20 per cent got a job as a result of volunteering and one in five used volunteering as a way of leaving benefits.

Bradford Volunteering Centre has thousands of volunteers on its books and last year received more than 10,000 enquiries, but they know they can never be complacent as they still have plenty of volunteering roles to fill.

“There are more than 3,000 charities in Bradford, and if people can spare one hour, one month, we can find a role to suit their time and lifestyle,” adds David.

l Bradford Volunteering Centre is based at 19 to 25 Sunbridge Road, Bradford BD1 2AY. To find out more about their volunteering opportunities, visit volunteeringbradford.org or call (01274) 725434. To register an interest in volunteering with the WRVS, visit wrvs.org.uk or call 0845 6014670.