In this paper we discuss findings from a study of two contrasting locations in North East Wales to gain an understanding of how volunteering in local associational life is changing, and ask whether structural factors fixed in localities, with environmental, historical and social meaning are variables that remain important in such accounts, or whether as other commentators have suggested, volunteering is becoming disembedded from place.
Through biographical narrative methods of investigation, we find some evidence of change towards more individualistic volunteering, but overall, we find that that situational variables including a sense of belonging, strong identification and local interaction remain important determinants of volunteering in small, local groups. Our comparative study also shows that the relationship between people and their localities can have distinct meanings in different places which in turn, impact on the stability of local structures. In one locality, people participated as volunteers because they had a strong sense of belonging, in the other, they often volunteered because they wanted to belong.
Our study highlights the role of voluntary association in maintaining supportive local micro-structures that form a bridge between ordinary people in ‘places’ and wider society but finds that not all localities are equally placed nor equally resourced to operate as effective conduits. We conclude that an understanding of these dynamics is important for external agencies in planning effective, local public service delivery.