LOYAL suporters of Haslemere Museum were thanked for the vital contribution they make at a summer drinks party held in their honour.

The event was mounted during Volunteers’ Week, an annual celebration across the country from June 1-7 to recognises the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make to our communities every day.

Thanks to volunteering efforts in 2015, it is estimated more than £22billion was added to the UK economy, which is about 1.2 per cent of GDP.

In 2016/17, 19.8 million or 37 per cent of people across the country volunteered formally at least once a year and 11.9 million did so at least once a month.

There are now 165,801 voluntary organisations in the UK, many of whom rely on volunteers. Lots of volunteering also takes place within the public and private sector.

Museum curator Julia Tanner, said: “Haslemere Museum has a long tradition of volunteer support. We are lucky to have over 100 volunteers who are involved in all aspects of running the museum, including greeting our visitors, providing educational workshops for children, cataloguing collections and gardening.

“The museum couldn’t provide its services to the community and care for our diverse collections without their support.

“We are very grateful to all our volunteers, whose vital contributions make a real and valued difference”.

•There are currently many interesting volunteering opportunities available at the museum and no specialist knowledge is needed.

Anyone interested in learning new skills, meeting new people and supporting its work can contact Lindsay Moreton, collections manager by calling (01428) 642112. Email collections @haslemeremuseum.co.uk