Celebrating the Incredible People Behind YLF
Celebrating the Incredible People Behind YLF During National Volunteers' Week 2026!
As part of National Volunteers’ Week, Young Lives Foundation was delighted to welcome more than 150 volunteers, supporters, partners, trustees and friends to the beautiful surroundings of Aylesford Priory on Friday 5 June for a special Volunteer Celebration Evening.
With the sun shining and the barn providing the perfect backdrop, the evening was a chance to pause, reflect and celebrate the incredible people who make our work possible.
The Power of Giving Time
Our volunteers make an extraordinary impact:
12,000+ hours of volunteered time to the Young Lives Foundation
Equated to over £166,000 at minimum wage value
We are incredibly thankful to every single person who supports YLF. Your contribution changes lives!
National Volunteers’ Week is an annual UK-wide campaign recognising the invaluable contribution volunteers make to communities across the country. For us, it’s the perfect opportunity to recognise and thank the dedicated individuals who give their time, compassion and commitment to supporting children and young people across Kent and Medway.
Whether they’re mentoring a young person, acting as an Appropriate Adult in custody, ensuring young people in care have a stable and consistent adult, raising vital funds, supporting events or helping behind the scenes, every volunteer plays an important part in changing lives.
Our celebration event brought together volunteers, fundraisers, trustees, partners and supporters to recognise their outstanding commitment and to simply say thank you.
The evening was filled with great food, music, laughter and plenty of opportunities to catch up with familiar faces and make new connections. It was wonderful to see so many people from across the Young Lives Foundation community together in one place, celebrating everything we’ve achieved together.
We’d also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped make the evening such a success:
Perfectly Pulled, with Royston and Kinga, for serving an incredible BBQ enjoyed by all our guests.
Tom Fishenden, for beautifully capturing the evening on film.
Steve James, for taking so many fantastic photographs throughout the event.(www.stevejames.uk/)
Amy Evangelou, whose amazing voice and uplifting performance created a wonderful atmosphere.
Steph’s Ices, for generously providing over 100 delicious ice creams that were a huge hit.
Catherine from Tropic, for treating our guests to complimentary hand massages, adding a touch of relaxation to the evening.
Aylesford Priory, for hosting us in such a stunning and welcoming setting.
Events like this remind us that YLF is powered by people. Behind every success story is someone who chose to give their time to help a young person thrive.
To every volunteer, fundraiser, supporter, partner and trustee, thank you. Your kindness, generosity and dedication help create brighter futures for children and young people across Kent and Medway. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you.
