Helpforce appointed to evaluate Spark Somerset's Volunteering for Health Projects

Helpforce has been commissioned by Spark Somerset, an infrastructure charity dedicated to strengthening the VCFSE (Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise) sector, to evaluate the impact of its innovative Volunteering for Health projects taking place across Somerset.

The Volunteering for Health programme is a £10 million national initiative delivered through a partnership between NHS Charities Together, NHS England and CW+ (an independent charity working in partnership with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust). The programme supports 12 organisations across England to explore how volunteering can improve health and social care outcomes for local communities.

In Somerset, Spark Somerset is leading two community-focused projects in Frome and Wincanton - both designed to strengthen social care support through volunteering and community connection.

Amerjit Chohan, CEO of Helpforce, said:

“We are delighted to support Spark Somerset as evaluation partner for these important projects. Our role is to help develop an effective approach to collecting meaningful data that demonstrates the impact volunteering can have on staff, volunteers, organisations, and local communities.

“We’ve really enjoyed working collaboratively with the team and creating opportunities for stakeholders to come together, share insights and shape the evaluation process. It has been fantastic to engage with more than 80% of identified stakeholders so far.

“By gathering the right evidence, we hope the evaluation will highlight what works well and help inform the future volunteering strategy across Somerset.”

Within each area, a number of different projects are coming to fruition. All aimed at testing new ways of working to understand how volunteering can support health outcomes.

Initial projects are Get Involved in Frome, a volunteering brokerage service designed to make volunteering more accessible, flexible, and inclusive for residents. The initiative helps match people with volunteering opportunities that fit their interests, skills, and availability, while also supporting those facing digital barriers.

Meanwhile, the Rural Practice Network is focussing initially on integrating volunteers into GP practices and highlighting the important role volunteers can play in supporting both patients and healthcare staff.

Jenny Hannis, Programme Manager at Sparks Somerset, said:

“We are thrilled to have Helpforce’s support in evaluating our projects in Frome and Wincanton. Both initiatives have huge potential to strengthen community wellbeing, improve social connection and support local health services – key features in the Neighbourhood Health Plan. We are excited to work together to understand and measure that impact.”

The evaluation phase is now underway, with the final report expected to be published in April 2027.