SVRN November 2025 Webinar

Webinar 5th November 2025 11.55 - 13.30 GMT/BST

Welcome

Dr Lindsay Findlay-King, Northumbria University, SVRN Chair

11.55-12.00

An evaluation of the effects of combining physical activity and volunteering tasks on wellbeing

Christian Krekel, Maria Cotofan and Ekaterina Oparina, The London School of Economics and Political Science

Evidence increasingly shows a strong link between social prescribing interventions and better mental and physical health outcomes. In particular, both sports and volunteering have been shown to be strong predictors of wellbeing. However, causal evidence on the effects of such prescriptions is limited. In this study, we examine the effects of combining physical activity and volunteering on wellbeing. We conducted an incentivised online survey among members of a not-for-profit UK company that provides an infrastructure for combining physical activity with volunteering tasks. We show that participating in these activities is negatively associated with loneliness and mental distress, and positively associated with life satisfaction, worthwhileness, and belonging.

12.00-12.15

Question and answer

12.15-12.20

Digital in Volunteering - Building a new community 

Chris Martin (Team Kinetic); Ruth Leonard and Gethyn Willams

In 2024 we launched the Digital in Volunteering Toolkit in partnership with the Association of Volunteer Managers. What we quickly realised was that this is a topic that never stops moving forward and that, as useful as the toolkit is, it was a good start, but did not go far enough. Since then, we have launched a new community, one dedicated to helping volunteer managers maximise the use of the digital tools at their disposal.  We aim to bring people together from across the volunteering sector to share their experiences and deliver technical information that can be effectively applied by a non-technical audience in their day-to-day work with volunteers. 

12.20-12.35

Question and answer

12.35-12.40

Sport Volunteering in Europe: Findings from the V4V Project 

Janine Partington (Leeds Beckett University) & Geoff Carroll, European Observatoire of Sport (EOSE)

This presentation will share the findings from the recently concluded V4V Sport Volunteering in Europe project which was funded by Erasmus+ and led by EOSE. It will specifically focus on the findings from a European-wide survey of sport organisations that looked at challenges relating to the recruitment, deployment and management of sport volunteers which fed into the design of the online V4V Volunteer Management Toolkit.

12.40-12.55

Question and answer

12.55-13.00

The Wales Strategic Volunteering Project: Enhancing Leadership in Community Sport and Physical Activity

Laura Shobiye, Sported, Volunteer Consultant (University of Manchester), Polly Crook, Partnerships Manager (Sported's Wales), Andrew Stead, Insight Lead (Sported)

Project Partners: Sported (Lead), WCVA (Partner and funder) Welsh Sports Association, Sport Wales, StreetGames, Boys and Girls Clubs of Wales

This talk will share the progress and key insights from the Wales Strategic Volunteering Project (WSVP), a pioneering initiative funded by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA). The project aims to strengthen the leadership, capacity, and impact of board, trustee, and management-level volunteers who power community sport and physical activity across Wales. Delivered in two phases, the WSVP first mapped and analysed the current landscape of strategic volunteering within community groups, before developing clear, evidence-based recommendations to help stakeholders enhance and sustain this vital area of support. These recommendations are structured around five priority themes: recruitment, upskilling, reward and recognition, efficiencies and innovation, and empowering pathways. Importantly, the project highlights a significant opportunity for the wider sport and voluntary sectors to work collaboratively, translating insight into tangible, practical solutions that strengthen communities and enhance opportunities for people across Wales.

Research Report 

Research Report (Welsh)

Solutions Report

Solutions Report (Welsh)

13.00-13.15

Question and answer

13.15-13.20

Concluding remarks

13.20-13.30