A councillor's appeal to help a town's struggling volunteer community fell on deaf ears at a town council meeting this week, when his fellow representatives refused to back him.
Whittlesey town councillor Eamonn Dorling described charities and community groups in the town as "running on fumes" at Thursday night's council meeting.
He wanted the town council to back a series of steps that would help secure Whittlesey's voluntary sector for the future.
He said: "While I recognise that the recruitment of volunteers ultimately rests with each organisation, it is clear that many organisations are in dire need of assistance.
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"We are not obligated to lend a hand, but we do carry a profound moral responsibility to respond to their call for help.
"Whittlesey’s charities and community groups are running on fumes. The same handful of overstretched, steadily ageing volunteers are propping up multiple organisations—and the numbers are shrinking. If we do nothing, critical services risk collapsing within the next few years."
Cllr Dorling highlighted the current plight of the Whittlesey Emergency Food Aid charity, which had also been the subject of a plea by resident David Mason during the council's open forum section of its meeting.
Mr Mason told councillors that after 12 years, the charity, which provides emergency food supplies for people in need in the town, was facing difficulties.
He said the foodbank was being made homeless from its current headquarters at the Manor Leisure Centre due to planned renovations there.
On top of that, three of its officers, including himself as chair, were stepping down, meaning it was in need of a secretary, a treasurer, and a new chair.
He wanted the council to help ensure it continues.
In his presentation, Cllr Dorling also highlighted the issues at Whittlesey Emergency Food Aid. He said: "Whittlesey Emergency Food Aid stands as a vital lifeline for our community, operating independently and not affiliated with larger organisations such as The Trussell Trust, FareShare, or the Food Bank Network UK.
"WEFA is powered entirely by dedicated volunteers, committed to providing essential support to families in need.
"However, the situation is increasingly urgent. While the vice chair has stepped up to lead, he faces significant challenges: at over 80 years old and with a wife in poor health, he cannot shoulder this burden alone.
"Many families rely on the food bank for survival, underscoring an urgent need for practical support and new volunteers."
Cllr Dorling then told councillors: "Talk is cheap. We have heard speakers, nodded politely, and taken no concrete steps.
"Tonight, let's reverse that pattern and commit to action."
Cllr Dorling then outlined five proposals he wanted his fellow town councillors to back.
They were to launch a 12-month 'volunteer surge 2026' campaign led by the council with a target of recruiting 100 active volunteers.
He wanted a small budget to be allocated for professional marketing, and for the campaign to be promoted through social media, and include a quarterly volunteer fair on the Market Square.
His third proposal was the creation of an online “Whittlesey Volunteering Hub” listing every role, time commitment, and training offered, updated monthly in partnership with local groups.
He also wanted to ensure momentum was maintained with a quarterly progress report to the full council.
Finally, he wanted to nominate a councillor-led task force to coordinate outreach, remove red tape, and fast-track DBS checks.
Cllr Dorling concluded: "Do we adopt this plan tonight and begin work immediately - yes or no?"
The answer was a resounding "no" with a vote seeing his proposal beaten by eight votes to three.
Cllr Jason Mockett commented: "It is a lot digest in one go." He also suggested it would be a difficult task to recruit 100 volunteers, a thought echoed by other councillors.
It was also pointed out that Cambridgeshire County Council had a statutory duty to help the volunteer sector and organised recruitment events.
Cllr Mockett suggested that Cllr Dorling cut the proposal down and put it to the council's projects committee to see what could be done to help.
Cllr Dorling refused to back down over his proposal, saying he had not just "AI'd" it, and that he spent a lot of time putting it together. He said the target of 100 did not matter, adding that even if they only managed to recruit half a dozen new volunteers, that was better than none.
After the meeting, Cllr Dorling said he had submitted his proposals in writing to councillors a week ahead of the meeting, so they had had plenty of time to read and digest them.
He was undeterred and hoped that by highlighting the issues of a lack of volunteers, people would come forward to offer their help to various organisations.
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