BOLTON domestic abuse charity Fortalice marked National Volunteers Week by celebrating achieving the Investing in Volunteers award.

The national quality standard assesses the quality of volunteer management, how an organisation works with and values volunteers and the training they receive.

“It’s a brilliant achievement for the organisation and all of the volunteers, recognising the hard work of the volunteers and staff,” commented Fortalice’s Chief Executive Gill Smallwood.

Fortalice provides frontline domestic abuse services and runs a refuge with 22 individual family self-contained flats and a separate Outreach Support Centre. This offers a drop-in and groupwork for women and children and accredited training.

The organisation delivers healthy relationship courses in primary and secondary schools, counselling for often traumatised children and works alongside police. It also runs the IRIS project which helps GP surgery staff across the borough identify and support female and male victims of domestic abuse.

All its work is supported by around 60 volunteers working with 48 staff across both sites and in the community.

Gill Atkinson has been volunteering at Fortalice for the past two and a half years in a variety of supportive roles. She said: “It helps me fully understand the reality of people’s experiences.”

Vikki Rawlinson volunteered before becoming a member of staff at Fortalice and now works alongside volunteer Ruth Mercer, a civil servant, who helps with administration on the IRIS project.

“I absolutely love the work,” stated Ruth. “I took partial retirement but it wasn’t for me. Now I really enjoy being part of a team that makes a difference.”.

Gill Smallwood told the volunteers: “We can’t do what we do without your help.” She added: “Volunteers bring a richness and a wealth of skills that are vital to all the work carried out by the organisation”.

Voluntary board member Sylvia Swain stated: “Volunteering gives me a great deal of satisfaction, pride and a sense of purpose whilst helping others and developing an organisation I deeply care about.

“It is fulfilling and rewarding in a way you cannot put a monetary value on. Volunteering is all about giving, helping and contributing.”