Volunteer managers in London are being invited to take part in a survey that will help develop an action plan for volunteering in the capital. 

Charity trustees and London residents are also being urged to complete their own surveys as part of the exercise, which aims to publish the final plan by March. 

Organisers the London Volunteering Strategy Group said that with levels of formal volunteering dropping in the capital, it wanted to draw up a set of practical measures that would help increase the number of people who give up their time to support others. 

The group consists of more than 40 volunteering organisations that are working together to develop the plan. 

Dominic Pinkney, chief executive of the employee volunteering social enterprise Works4U, which is part of the group, said: “Volunteering is not just a common activity in London, but a key part of how the capital functions. 

“However, the perception of volunteering in society is that it is a ‘nice to have’, that it is the icing on the cake, whereas the reality is that it is a key ingredient of the cake. 

“As well as the entire London voluntary and community sector, the following would crumble if people stopped giving up their time to volunteer: education, health and care, sports, arts and culture, law and justice, defence, faith and religion, community events and politics.”

The deadline to take part in the survey is Friday 22 November.

For more information and to take part, click here.