2008/09 will see the role and value of volunteering recognised by Nottingham City Council.

The community and voluntary sector have recently worked with the Council to develop a partnership agreement to improve how the two sectors can work together to deliver better local services. Called Compact Plus, this document fully recognises how important voluntary and community work is to make the city a better place to live.

Representatives of the community and voluntary sector will now also have the opportunity to work with the Council to improve the quality of Nottingham life in a series of four Open Forums. At these meetings, there will be the opportunity for information to be shared between the Council and voluntary sector bodies, and discussion to take place about ways of working together. The first is to be held on April 7 at the National Ice Arena.

This year as part of National Volunteers Week in June, the City Council and Nottingham Council for Voluntary Service (NCVS) have joined forces to plan two ‘Volunteering Events’ in Nottingham. The aim of the events is to promote, recruit and most importantly celebrate volunteering, and a diverse range of groups/organisations will be represented on both days.

A showcase event will be held in the Old Market Square on June 7 to show just how important active citizenship is to the city, provide examples and information about some groups’ recent achievements and to encourage more people to volunteer. Following this, a formal recognition event will be held on June 8 at the Nottingham Playhouse to show appreciation for the contribution volunteers make to the city with awards being presented for active citizenship.

Councillor Trimble, portfolio holder for Communities, Leisure and Culture, said: "The community and voluntary sector are crucial in delivering effective services to Nottingham people and the City Council is proud that we have worked so well together to set a clear way forward. Volunteering is vitally important for the city and the active citizenship event is a great way for us all to see how much is done by volunteers and to provide recognition for outstanding volunteer achievements."