I WAS delighted to join the Okehampton Round Table Awards and Charity Giving Evening recently and to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone whose hard work keeps local good causes going year after year.

The volunteers, sponsors, table members and their families are not just organising events, they are holding our community together at a time when many local services are under real pressure.

Across the country volunteering is one of the great unsung strengths of Britain, with around a third of adults in England taking part in some form of formal or informal volunteering at least once a month.

Government research has put the total economic impact of formal volunteering in England at nearly £25 billion a year, which is an astonishing contribution in both financial and social value.

When I look at what Okehampton Round Table achieves, I can see exactly how those national figures are built up from nights like this and from people quietly giving up their time.

The charity world is facing mounting challenges. In the last couple of years household disposable income has fallen, which has meant many families cutting back and having less to spare for donations.

At the same time the cost of living has pushed up the price of everything from energy to insurance for small charities and community groups, stretching budgets.

National surveys show that many charities expect to have to do more with less and some fear for their very survival, so the money raised by local groups in Central Devon is more important than ever.

Volunteering also plays a vital economic role, supporting jobs, building skills and boosting productivity.

One government commissioned study estimated that each formal volunteer generates on average around £2,000 a year in economic value once you include the cost of replacing their work and the wellbeing benefits they create.

The UK charity sector as a whole now includes well over a million employees and more than six and a half million volunteers, a workforce on a par with some of our largest industries. Yet Westminster has been far too slow to recognise this contribution and to back it properly with long term, stable support.

The current government has talked a good game on community but too often the reality has been piecemeal pots of funding, short term schemes and complex bidding processes that favour the best resourced organisations rather than small grassroots groups.

Ministers have announced headline figures but many local charities tell me that by the time the money has been carved up, rebadged and delayed, little reaches places like Okehampton where it is needed most.

We need a more coherent approach that treats the voluntary sector as a key partner, not an afterthought.

What gives me optimism is what I saw at the Okehampton Round Table evening. Local people are not waiting for Whitehall to solve every problem, they are rolling up their sleeves and getting on with it.

The awards and grants handed out were not just cheques, they were lifelines for organisations supporting vulnerable residents, young people and community projects right across our area.

I will continue to press in Parliament for policies that make it easier for volunteers and small charities to thrive, and I will keep championing the incredible work being done in Central Devon.

Mel Stride

MP for Central Devon