An afternoon of celebrations was held in Dorchester to mark a major milestone of one of the largest voluntary service organisations in the country.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Royal Voluntary Service, so what better excuse was there to throw a party to mark the dedication of its volunteers and staff?

The event was held at Thomas Hardye School, with students playing a major part in the organisation and entertainment of it.

The Royal Voluntary Service, originally founded in 1938 as the Women’s Voluntary Service, was formed by Stella Reading to help recruit women into the Air Raid Precautions movement and assist civilians during and after air raids and help evacuate children. Since then the charity has evolved to tackle some of the biggest social challenges of the day and has inspired more than three million ordinary men and women to give their time to help others.

In 2018 Royal Voluntary Service continues to inspire and enable people to give the gift of voluntary service to meet the needs of the day.

In Dorset it now provides the Home Library Service, which is available free of charge to anybody who cannot easily get to their local library.

Maria Jacobson, service manager for the Dorset Home Library Service, said: "This is the sixth time have had done an event like this, but this one was extra special because it is our 80th year.

"The students did everything for us, they put up all the bunting and balloons and even did a quiz on the Royal Voluntary Service - it was such a fantastic atmosphere.

"We had quite a few groups from the care homes we deliver the books too. It was lovely to see them and have them involved in the celebrations, a lot of elderly people don't get out much and you could see their happiness in being there and socialising.

"There are more than 600 users of the home library service in Dorset and about 50 in Dorchester. We have the capacity to have more people use our service. Having our volunteers visit our clients is one of their highlights. They love the company. It's the same volunteer that visits that client so a relationship is built."

Catherine Johnstone CBE, chief executive at Royal Voluntary Service added: “Our volunteers have been and always will be at the heart of Royal Voluntary Service. We are very proud of our rich history and as we reach this important milestone, would like to thank each and every one of our volunteers, past and present, who have given so generously of their time to help others. Their contribution, not only makes life better for the individuals they touch, but makes communities stronger and helps to relieve pressure on public services.”

To find out more about the service, visit royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk