Forty years ago, on June 1st 1966, "Swansea Volunteer Service" was unveiled to the public in its first Annual General Meeting and is still going strong today. Some of the first projects to be run were youth clubs, hospital visits, clubs for people with disabilities, and two of our most enduring projects: gardening and decorating for vulnerable adults. Now known as "Ground Force" and "Changing Rooms", these two projects are still running today - more popular than ever!

In 1981, one of our most successful projects began. With the help of social services, "Kids Away" was set up, with the remit of taking disadvantaged children on day trips and weekends away to give both them and their families a break. "Hoppits Holidays" was founded in 1988 to do the same thing for children with learning disabilities. Both Kids Away and Hoppits are still working today to take children to a variety of locations locally and nationally, and to provide social opportunities that may not ordinarily be available to them.

1988 also saw a name change for the organisation when it became Swansea Student Community Action (known as SSCA). Then in 2003 another change of name took place when SSCA became Discovery Student Volunteering Swansea. Today we run around 25 projects with children, vulnerable adults and people with disabilities. As well as gardening and decorating, taking children on trips away and helping out at youth clubs we also volunteer in local schools, provide fun activities for children with autism and provide company for elderly residents of nursing homes. These are but a few examples of the many projects that we run in the local Swansea community.

One of the many remarkable aspects of the organisation is its flexibility. We are entirely student led - throughout the 40 years, we have been run by students from the university. Not only do they organise and volunteer on the projects, but they sit on the Board of Trustees and are responsible for the legal and financial implications that come with being a charity. In addition, due to the fact that most students are only around for a few years, the Board of Trustees changes every academic year - and this in itself brings new ideas and challenges to the table.

If YOU are a past volunteer, or if SVS/SSCA/DISCOVERY has ever been a part of your life, please contact us! Perhaps you attended a youth club where students had volunteered, had help from us in tidying your garden, or went on a weekend away with us? If you were involved in any way with our organisation, we want to hear your memories and stories.

Please phone (01792) 295743 or write to Discovery SVS, Fulton House, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP. Alternatively, you can email at discovery@swansea.ac.uk

If you would like to be involved in future, or know someone who might benefit from one of our projects, we'd also love to hear from you. For a full list of our current projects, please take a look at our web site:www.swansea.ac.uk/discovery

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!