Twenty-three per cent of residents over the age of 14 spend their downtime volunteering for the community.

Uralla Shire Council mayor Michael Pearce said the data had only cemented what he already knew, that his community is caring.

“People here really take pride in being part of a community, our community, and look out for each other,” he said.

“They get up and get things done.”

And, get up they do – with more than 75 volunteers attending the council’s engagement breakfast on Tuesday.

The idea is to get people in the community talking to councillors about the issues that affect them.

Meeting at McCrossin’s Mill, the volunteers provided advice about much-needed improvements to parking to get their clients to appointments.

“Others wanted councillors to come and see, first hand, the work they were doing so that councillors could have a better understanding of the contributions their organisations were making to the community,” Mr Pearce said.

“Many volunteers wear multiple hats and volunteer for multiple groups.

“I said during my address that if we had a number of hat racks at the front door, they would all be full.”

Volunteers in Uralla are active across a number of sectors, including health, transport, public safety, events, environment and community building.

“[They] are the true unsung and unpaid heroes in our community,” Mr Pearce said.

“A lot of the time their work goes unnoticed or is under-recognised by the broader population.

“They are one of the pillars of our community and without them there would be many services which would not be offered.”