Southampton Girl Guides lent a hand on the SS Shieldhall as part of the 40th annual Volunteers' Week celebrations.

The girls chipped in with volunteer crew members to get the steamship ready for its weekend sail.

The guides polished brass and scrubbed decks onboard the steamship, berthed at Southampton docks.

After the tasks, the Guides admired the ship's steam engines and steering gear.

Ship captain, Martin Phipps, offered a glimpse into navigation techniques to the young visitors, pointing out instruments used on the bridge.

One guide said: "Although I was scared about going onboard, that was really fun, it was great to look round the ship, I’m glad I challenged myself to go aboard."

The weekend activity was a precursor to the week-long festivities marking Volunteers ’Week nationwide.

Volunteers ’Week not only serves as a platform for acknowledging volunteers' efforts, but also to inspire others to volunteer.

The week concludes with 'The Big Help Out', an occasion aimed at encouraging more folks to join the volunteer community.

The SS Shieldhall is kept afloat solely through the efforts of a dedicated volunteer workforce, who manage everything from engineering and marketing to woodworking and audience development.

The team is always in search of enthusiastic individuals to join their ranks.

Girlguiding, as the UK’s largest all-girl youth organisation, seeks to provide a plethora of experiences for the nation’s girls and young women.

However, with nearly 500 local girls waiting to join Girlguiding in Hampshire West, the group is eager to welcome new volunteers to guide these girls through enriching experiences.

Volunteers can spend as little as one or two hours per week accompanying girls on trips, helping them learn new skills, or even experiencing the outdoors at adventure weekends.

For details on volunteering with Girlguiding, visit https://girlguidinghantswest.org.uk/join-us.

Guide leader Jayne said: "We always try to find the guides some way of helping the local area during volunteers’ week and this seemed an ideal way of doing that, while supporting another charity, plus the guides had great time, thanks to the volunteer captain and crew members."