Volunteer Roles in East Midlands

Our Talk and Support team is setting up a knitting group for people who love the craft and want to share their experience, skills and passion for creating. Are you interested in facilitating this group? Then please get in touch - it would be great to hear from you.

You will contribute to the group to ensure that all participants feel comfortable and that the group runs smoothly.

This group will run monthly using the phone or video call

Are you happy to listen to others talking about their experience of building or carpentry? We are looking for someone like you to facilitate our monthly special interest group for blind and partially sighted people who are interested in these topics and who would like to share their experience with others.

You will contribute to the group to ensure that all participants feel comfortable and that the group runs smoothly.
This group will run monthly either over the telephone or as a video call.

Shannon Trust fulfils an unmet need around adult learning, supporting people who’ve fallen through the cracks in formal education.

We know a lot of people have had negative learning experiences in the past, so our programme is designed to be different, with no exams and no classrooms. Our unique, evidence-based Turning Pages reading manuals and Count Me In numeracy manuals are used by thousands of learners in prisons and the community to improve reading and numeracy skills. 

Prison volunteers live near to their local prison so that they can visit about once a month during the working week to nurture the growth of the Shannon Trust in their prison. They help unlock the power of reading by offering advice, guidance, training and support to prison staff and prisoner mentors who help other prisoners to improve their skills 1 to 1.

We are looking for volunteers who are able to give a regular, reliable commitment for ideally two years and able to deliver engaging training to groups of people in prisons. Volunteers do not need to be teachers or qualified traininers, full training will be given. Due to the nature of the role, prison security vetting will be required.

We provide training for the role via e-learning and 4 training sessions which are a mix of live, online and group training.

Shannon Trust fulfils an unmet need around adult learning, supporting people who’ve fallen through the cracks in formal education.

We know a lot of people have had negative learning experiences in the past, so our programme is designed to be different, with no exams and no classrooms. Our unique, evidence-based Turning Pages reading manuals are used by thousands of learners in prisons and the community to improve reading skills. 

Prison volunteers live near to their local prison so that they can visit about once a month during the working week to nurture the growth of the Shannon Trust in their prison. They help unlock the power of reading by offering advice, guidance, training and support to prison staff and prisoner mentors who help other prisoners to improve their skills 1 to 1.

We are looking for volunteers who are able to work alone, able to give a regular, reliable commitment for ideally two years and able to deliver engaging training to groups of people in prisons.  Due to the nature of the role, prison security vetting will be required.

We provide training for the role via e-learning and 4 training sessions which are a mix of live, online and group training.

Shannon Trust fulfils an unmet need around adult learning, supporting people who’ve fallen through the cracks in formal education.

We know a lot of people have had negative learning experiences in the past, so our programme is designed to be different, with no exams and no classrooms. Our unique, evidence-based Turning Pages reading manuals are used by thousands of learners in prisons and the community to improve reading skills. 

Prison volunteers live near to their local prison so that they can visit about once a month during the working week to nurture the growth of the Shannon Trust in their prison. They help unlock the power of reading by offering advice, guidance, training and support to prison staff and prisoner mentors who help other prisoners to improve their skills 1 to 1.

We are looking for volunteers who are able to work alone, able to give a regular, reliable commitment for ideally two years and able to deliver engaging training to groups of people in prisons.  Due to the nature of the role, prison security vetting will be required.

We provide training for the role via e-learning and 4 training sessions which are a mix of live, online and group training.

Description

Are you a fluent Urdu speaker and do you enjoy conversing in Urdu? Are you a good listener? Our Talk and Support team is setting up a fortnightly special interest group for blind and partially sighted people who'd like to speak to each other in Urdu. If you're interested in facilitating this group, it would be great to hear from you.

You will contribute to the group to ensure that all participants feel comfortable and that the group runs smoothly

This group will run fortnightly either as a telephone or video call.

How often will I be needed?

• 2 Hours per Fortnight

Key requirements

• This role requires two references.

Description

We’re looking for an empathic person with good listening skills to facilitate our new group for blind and partially sighted veterans. You might be a veteran yourself but this isn’t essential. You’ll help the group run smoothly and the participants to feel comfortable.

This group will run fortnightly by phone.

Description

Are you a fluent Punjabi speaker who enjoys conversing in Punjabi? Are you a good listener? If so, you could be just the right person to facilitate our fortnightly special interest group for blind and partially sighted people who would like to talk to each other in Punjabi.

You will contribute to the group to ensure that all participants feel comfortable and that the group runs smoothly.

This group will run fortnightly either by telephone or video call.

We are looking for a Digital Advertising and Commerce Specialist Volunteer to join our team and help us enhance our online visibility, drive more donations, and raise awareness for our wildlife and welfare initiatives. This volunteer position is perfect for someone with a passion for digital marketing and a desire to contribute to a meaningful cause.

As a volunteer, you will help manage and optimise our Google Ads campaigns, Google Merchant account, and Facebook Commerce presence. Your efforts will directly contribute to increasing traffic to our website, improving conversion rates, and supporting our fundraising efforts.

Key Responsibilities:

• Google Ad Grants & Google Ads: Optimise Google Ads campaigns within the Google Ad Grants programme. Ensure the campaigns are aligned with our goals and meet Google’s guidelines for non-profits.
• Google Merchant Center: Maintain our Google Merchant Center account, manage product feeds, and optimise for visibility in Google Shopping.
• Facebook Commerce: Optimise Facebook Commerce to expand our reach and engage with potential donors and supporters through Facebook’s e-commerce platform.
• Digital Advertising Strategy: Develop a digital advertising strategy across Google Ads, Google Merchant, and Facebook Commerce. This will include keyword research, ad copywriting, audience targeting, and more.
• Campaign Optimization: Continuously monitor and optimise all digital advertising campaigns for improved performance, clicks, conversions, and ROI.
• Collaboration: Work with our communications and fundraising teams to identify key initiatives and align digital marketing efforts with our charitable goals.

What We’re Looking For:

• Experience with Google Ad Grants & Google Ads – Knowledge of managing Google Ads campaigns and experience with the Google Ad Grants platform (preferred).
• Google Merchant Center & Facebook Commerce – Understanding of managing product feeds in Google Merchant Center and running Facebook Commerce shop.
• Digital Advertising Knowledge – A good understanding of digital advertising practices including keyword research, ad targeting, and performance optimization.
• Passion for Wildlife & Animal Welfare – A genuine passion for our cause and a desire to make a tangible impact on animal welfare and conservation efforts.
• Proactive & Self-Motivated – Ability to work independently and take initiative in a remote work environment.
• Excellent Communication Skills – Strong written and verbal communication skills to craft compelling ad copy and collaborate with the team.

Do you enjoy speaking to people and working with computers? Are you organised? You could support our Talk and Support team to run our award winning befriending groups by matching blind and partially sighted people from our waiting list into our telephone befriending groups. You would be helping people to get into one of our groups as quickly as possible and helping to end the isolation of sight loss.

We are looking for someone who is available one day each week who is comfortable using computers and computer based telephony systems and who is familiar with Microsoft Office 365.

Are you a fluent French speaker who enjoys speaking in French? If the answer is yes, we'd really like you to facilitate our new fortnightly telephone group for blind and partially sighted people who wish to communicate in and improve their French language skills. You'll be contributing to the group to ensure that all participants feel comfortable and that the group runs smoothly.

Who we are

MS is a neurological condition affecting the central nervous system creating a wide range of symptoms which vary greatly from person to person.

We work with the MS community, supporting them to make the right choices for themselves about how to manage the impact of their MS and live a life as close as possible to how they wish.

The role
Following our most recent skills audit, we are looking to recruit two or three new trustees to
supplement our combined skill set.

Whilst we are keen to hear from people with a passion for supporting the MS community, we are open to applications from people that can bring specific skills where we have identified gaps also.These include, but are not limited to:

• Health/ holistic healthcare
• Legal
• Fundraising
• Hands on social media implementation and optimisation
• Data strategy and technology

Shannon Trust fulfils an unmet need around adult learning, supporting people who’ve fallen through the cracks in formal education.

We know a lot of people have had negative learning experiences in the past, so our programme is designed to be different, with no exams and no classrooms. Our unique, evidence-based Turning Pages reading manuals are used by thousands of learners in prisons and the community to improve reading skills. 

Prison volunteers live near to their local prison so that they can visit about once a month during the working week to nurture the growth of the Shannon Trust in their prison. They help unlock the power of reading by offering advice, guidance, training and support to prison staff and prisoner mentors who help other prisoners to improve their skills 1 to 1.

We are looking for volunteers who are able to work alone, able to give a regular, reliable commitment for ideally two years and able to deliver engaging training to groups of people in prisons.  Due to the nature of the role, prison security vetting will be required.

We provide training for the role via e-learning and 4 training sessions which are a mix of live, online and group training.

Shannon Trust Volunteer Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) Volunteer

Do you want to join an organisation committed to addressing low literacy and numeracy levels amongst people in prison?

Shannon Trust’s vision is of a future where everyone can experience the positive impact of learning.  As our Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) Volunteer your role will help us to make this a reality by providing support with a variety of EDIB administrative tasks. This will include supporting with organising EDIB meetings, training and events, taking minutes for EDIB meetings and focus groups, explore EDIB data and information, and other EDIB related admin tasks as needed. We are seeking a proactive, committed, and enthusiastic individual to join our team and help us continue our journey.

This is a home-based role and we are looking for a volunteer who can commit to 7 hours per week on a consistent and reliable basis - the role has been listed as permanent however this is a voluntary role only. The individual will ideally have previous experience of working with a Diversity and Inclusion role or is keen to gain experience.  The ideal candidate will have an awarenss of religous and cultural events, able to operate relevant IT applications including Microsoft Office, have experience of working under pressure and to deadlines and have access to a personal laptop and homeworking space. 

Volunteer benefits include; induction training and ongoing training, support and development in the role, flexible working, recognition for your contribution and reimbursement of expenses where applicable. The biggest benefit though is our culture – our people really want to work for the organisation.

We welcome volunteer applications from people with lived experience of the criminal justice system and do not routinely ask for details of any criminal convictions.

Closing date: Midnight Monday 3 March - Please note interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis and we may close this vacancy early.