IN Barnsley we are a community that is known for coming together to support each other.

You only have to look at the many wonderful voluntary and charity organisations that help people across our borough each day to see why Barnsley has this reputation.

This week marks the 42nd Volunteers’ Week, where we take a week to recognise the hard work of current and past volunteers and celebrate their invaluable efforts to keep our communities thriving.

As the Minister for Civil Society, I have had the privilege to see the impact that volunteers have on our society right across our country.

Over the past year, 54 per cent of adults – around 24.8 million people – volunteered at least once, with a third of adults volunteering at least once a month.

Whether that is formal volunteering through established organisations or informally within local communities, people across the country are willing to help each other out, giving up their time for the good of others.

Every day in Barnsley we see the difference that local people make.

Whether it’s the volunteers at Barnsley Samaritans help those suffering at times of acute crisis, or our community leaders in the Girl Guides and Scouts enrich local children and support young people’s development in Barnsley and the community centres and miners’ welfares which keep our community spirit alive, there is so much going on locally which we can be proud of.

In recent years, organisations like Wombwell Dam Community Angling Club and Barnsley Main Heritage Group were awarded national recognition for their outstanding contributions to our community.

Recently, I visited the new Forge Parkside Community Centre at Hoyland Common, which is a major investment in grassroots sports provision locally.

A brilliant new pitch, featuring state-of-the-art new facilities will now provide a safe, high-quality space where people can come together and stay active.

It’s one of the many projects across our borough which are a testament to the positive legacy which the previous administration of Barnsley Council leaves behind.

Through my time as a local MP, and as a minister, I know that voluntary organisations cannot do their fantastic work alone.

Their dedication needs to be met with ambitious action from the government to support them to thrive. I’m proud to be part of a government which has put civil society, including volunteers, at the heart of government.

We have recently established the Civil Society Council, which will give leaders from charities, social enterprises, faith organisations and the youth sector a voice on the matters that mean the most to them, improving how charities and Government work together.

We’re also introducing a community right to buy, recognising how important community spaces are for developing and maintaining our civic pride. I want local community groups to benefit from the ability to own and manage assets for the benefit of our wider community.

The new community right to buy, championed by this Labour government will give our local community groups the first opportunity to purchase an asset of community value, to preserve it for future generations.

I’m incredibly proud of the local volunteer groups here in Barnsley for the work they do to support our community. If you’ve got a day to spare, then please do think about lending one of them a hand so they can keep up their great work, not only during Volunteers’ Week, but all year round.