THE Secretary of the White House Preservation Trust has given his backing to Volunteer Now’s campaign to get more local people involved in volunteering in 2012.

Alister Bell, who has been with the Trust since being drafted in by the late Bob Armstrong five years ago to help with funding applications, believes volunteering offers people the opportunity to try something new, to meet different people and to connect to their community and help make it a better place.

“It is amazing what volunteers can do working as a team. We rebuilt the White House, and believe me this is a great success for all the volunteers and our local community.

“I now have a great bunch of friends that I might never have met only for my voluntary work,” he told the Times.

While admitting that his role can often be time consuming and frustrating when dealing with funding bodies and government departments, Mr Bell is urging more people to get involved in their local community through volunteering opportunities.

“Volunteering brings new life experiences and offers life-long learning.

“My volunteering makes me feel like I am making a difference in other people’s lives and in the community, and when I see other people happy I am happy and motivated to keep doing what I am doing.

“I would definitely recommend it to others. You get more out of it than you put in.”

Paul Dinsmore, Regional Manager of Volunteer Now, added: “Volunteering opportunities are wide and varied, there is something for everyone and everyone has something to offer. One common misconception some people have is that volunteering will take over their lives. But ten minutes can sometimes be as valuable as ten hours. You can decide to volunteer at a one off event or volunteer a few hours a week or a few hours a month with an organisation. Volunteering should be something you enjoy, is satisfying and is on your terms.”

To find out more about volunteering opportunities log on to www.volunteernow.co.uk or telephone 9023 2020.

Belfast Zoological Garden’s new catering facility, ‘The Treetop Tearoom’, was officially opened on Friday, February 10.

Building work, for this new and improved facility off the Antrim Road began in June 2011 and was completed in November 2011. The Treetop Tearoom is located at the very top of the zoo, providing visitors with the perfect view over Belfast Lough and the zoo below and is surrounded by a number of rare and endangered animals - including the Malayan sun bear and cheetah.

After an enjoyable walk up the Cave Hill to visit the zoo’s animals, the new Treetop Tearoom will provide visitors with a range of refreshments including traybakes, icecreams, sandwiches and hot and cold beverages.

The Treetop Tearoom was built after the prior facility on site, ‘The Mountain Tea House’, was destroyed in an arson attack during the early hours of June 23, 2009.

Zoo Manager, Mark Challis, is delighted with the new facility and said: “We were all devastated when the Mountain Tea House was destroyed but the replacement is even better. This is definitely a very exciting time for Belfast Zoo. In 2011 we won a hattrick of awards, including the ‘Visitor Inspired’ category at the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards and we also topped a UTV poll for Ultimate Ulster, being voted ‘The best place to spend a day with the children’! I truly believe that our success lies in delivering the best experience possible for our visitors and the new Treetop Tearoom will help us to continue to provide a good family day out.”