Volunteer roles for the Elderly sector

As an activity group driver, you’ll collect older people from their homes, accompany them to the monthly activity group and drop them home again afterwards.

The activity group will be at the same community venue and will include older people, activity group leads, drivers, and the activity group coordinator. Activity groups normally last around two hours and will include an activity that gets people moving such as: dance, chair exercises, boules, skittles or boccia.

Activity groups are free monthly groups that are open to older people who are lonely, isolated and in need of companionship. Activity groups are a great way for older people to stay active and to make new friends in their local area.

To become an activity group driver, you’ll need to:

• Attend a 30-minute online volunteer group induction
• Complete an ID check
• Provide a reference
• Complete online volunteer training modules

Tasks include:

• Calling the older people to remind them about the activity group and to check that they’re still able to attend.
• Keeping in regular contact with the activity group coordinator so they know when you’re available to drive, and so you know which older people you’re driving.
• Planning your route so you can safely collect the older people and drive them to and from the activity group in good time.
• Collecting one or two older people, driving them to the activity group and dropping them home again afterwards.
• Staying at the activity group to help serve refreshments and to socialise with the older people and other volunteers.
• Following the guidance in the online volunteer training so that the activity groups are safe, enjoyable, appropriate and in line with our charitable aims.
• Reporting any concerns to the activity group coordinator.
• Keeping your knowledge and training up to date by reading our monthly volunteer newsletter – Re-engage Matters.

Are You Organised, Community Minded & Can Spare A Few Hours A Month?

Become a volunteer activity group coordinator

As an activity group coordinator, you’ll plan, organise and schedule monthly activity groups in your local area. This is a volunteer administrative role that requires communicating and socialising with older people and volunteers from all walks of life.

The activity group will be at the same community venue and will include older people, activity group leads, drivers, and the activity group coordinator. Activity groups normally last around two hours and will include an activity that gets people moving such as: dance, chair exercises, boules, skittles or boccia.

Activity groups are free monthly groups that are open to older people who are lonely, isolated and in need of companionship. Activity groups are a great way for older people to stay active and to make new friends in their local area.

To become an activity group coordinator, you’ll need to:

• Have a 30-minute induction call with a member of the Re-engage team
• Complete an ID check
• Provide a reference
• Complete online volunteer training modules

Tasks include:

• Welcoming and supporting new volunteers into the activity group so they can start volunteering with confidence.
• Welcoming new older people to the activity group and contacting them before their first activity group so that they feel welcome and comfortable.
• Arranging the annual activity group schedule so activity group leads know when it’s their turn to lead the activity, and activity group drivers know which older people they’re collecting and dropping home again after the activity group.
• Matching older people to volunteer drivers, so the same drivers collect and drop off the same older people each month.
• Responding to any issues and queries from the volunteers and older people in the activity group.
• Following the guidance in the online volunteer training so that the activity groups are safe, enjoyable, appropriate and in line with our charitable aims.
• Keeping in regular contact with Re-engage and reporting any concerns to the team.
• Promoting the activity group in your local area so we can recruit more volunteers and support more older people.
• Keeping in regular contact with the activity group volunteers and older people and sharing any updates from Re-engage that are relevant to them.
• Completing a short online report about the activity group four times a year.
• Keeping your knowledge and training up to date by reading our monthly volunteer newsletter – Re-engage Matters.

These gatherings are a lifeline of friendship for older people who may be feeling lonely or isolated. Your time and kindness can make a real difference.

About us:

We're seeking new trustees to join our team and contribute to the effective governance of our charity that delivers information, advice and wellbeing support for unpaid carers in two northwest London boroughs. Our Hillingdon team also offer a young carers service supporting children and young people, aged 5 to 25 years old, who live in Hillingdon and have a caring responsibility at home.

About the opportunity: 

As a trustee, you will have a positive opportunity to make an impact on the lives of unpaid carers in Hillingdon and Ealing! 

You will be essential in ensuring the effective governance of a charity whose mission is to offer support and guidance to anyone living with the challenges of being an unpaid carer.

About you:

We are delighted to now be covering the London borough of Ealing in addition to Hillingdon and our current focus is strengthening Carers Trust Hillingdon & Ealing's market position. We are particularly interested to talk to people with skills and experience in:

• Marketing and communications
• Information technology
• A good knowledge of the local Ealing area and/or statutory services there
• Finance / Accounting

You would need to be able to devote the necessary time and have strategic vision, independent judgement and an ability to think creatively.

Our impact: 

Our key achievements last year include:

• £1,590,549.10 carer-related benefits secured for carers
• 5,193 adults carers registered with Carers Trust Hillingdon & Ealing
• 493 visits to carer cafes
• 609 care-calls made
• 8,440 hours of respite received by carers
• 13,131 pieces of information
• 70 health and wellbeing workshops & seminars delivered

Our Young Carers team's key achievements last year:

• 321 new young/young adult carers registered
• 37 workshops delivered
• 104 youth club sessions
• 29 trips delivered
• 4 whole-family trips, attended by 144 carers
• 1,508 young/young carers supported
• 4 residential breaks
• 2,681 individual breaks provided

Working hours:

Our governing body is made up of 7 trustees and meetings take place six times a year, typically on a Friday 10:00am to 12:00pm. The option to join meetings online is also available. We pay travel and out-of-pocket expenses and new trustees will receive a full induction. Trustees can also access a small training budget by agreement with the Finance Committee.

Do you have green fingers and a few hours to spare? We are looking for an enthusiastic Volunteer Gardener to help maintain our Community Garden, ensuring it remains a safe, welcoming, and beautiful space for everyone to enjoy. What you’ll be doing: --General gardening: weeding, planting, pruning, and watering. --Maintaining flower beds and containers. --Helping to grow herbs or vegetables. What we are looking for: --A passion for gardening (previous experience is helpful but not essential). --Reliable and friendly team player. --Physically able to carry out light gardening tasks. What’s in it for you? --Get outside, stay active, and meet new people. --Improve your horticultural skills. --Make a real difference in the local community. --Access to an accredited online learning platform for professional development Time commitment: Flexible, ideally 4 - 16 hours a week

We are looking for a friendly, patient and kind volunteer befriender to visit a gentleman with a calm soul, in Ickenham. Spending time together might involve sitting in the garden or in his flat, perhaps looking at pictures or magazines of trains, which he is particularly fond of, or going for small walks in the local community joined by one of his carers. He is hard of hearing and doesn’t communicate verbally, so a calm and friendly approach is key. If you’re someone who values quiet connection and meaningful moments, we’d love to hear from you

We offer a lifelong befriending service for adults with learning disabilities. Matching the skills and interests of passionate visitors with the specific hobbies and interests of the people we visit. Visitors visit six times a year and, in many cases, the visitor is the only person in someone’s life who isn’t paid to be there for them.

This is a Check in visit role, meaning that your visits are likely to be short - on average 30 minutes or less. Some of the people we visit may be unable to communicate with words. Sometimes the person might choose not to meet with their visitor. Your visit is however very important, and these are some of the things you could be doing on a visit:

• Checking in on their well-being and speak to support staff to get an update on how the person is doing
• You might be able to bring a treat that the person enjoys, like chocolates or fruit.
• Some people we support enjoy sensory experiences so items that will stimulate their senses can also help you create a sense of connection with the person you visit.

Your volunteer manager will be happy to help you with ideas and suggestions.

As a Mencap volunteer visitor you will be:

• Friendly and approachable
• Accepting of others who might be different to yourself
• Reliable and patient
• Passionate about supporting people with a with a learning disability.

As a Mencap visitor you will:

• Have the opportunity to help make a difference to the life of the person you visit
• Receive a personalised volunteer induction and training
• Have agreed out of pocket expenses reimbursed
• Meet new people
• Get on-going support, and feel appreciated and valued

About Mencap Mencap is the leading learning disability charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We work with people with a learning disability and their families to challenge prejudice and change laws, and we directly support thousands of people to live their lives as they choose. We have an ambitious vision for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

Volunteering with us is YOUR opportunity to help us achieve this, whilst having the chance to develop your skills, meet new people and join a passionate and dedicated team.

We are looking to create a team of fashion and clothing students (ideally final year) and/or people with knowledge, experience in and passion for fashion for an exciting project launching the new PINT fashion brand. We are looking for people across a range of disciplines including fashion design, marketing, social media and branding to help build a brand from scratch. It really is a blank canvas!

This is a unique project that will need a broad range of skills to deliver, so we are very open minded to volunteers that might be interested to get involved. We expect the following skills will be required - leadership/project management, fashion design, marketing, social media, logistics and branding. 

We are looking for a volunteer to support PINT in applying for grants on behalf of the charity, who will be responsible for identifying suitable grant opportunities, and managing the grant and fundraising application process from end to end. We are looking for someone who is computer literate, with strong written and verbal communication skills and good attention to detail. Ideally we would love to work with anyone who understands the charity sector and has some previous knowledge of grant writing/fundraising, but we are also very open to anyone who is willing to self teach about this area.

A friendly chat could make all the difference

We are seeking dedicated volunteers to support our organisation’s mission, to end social isolation and loneliness in older people.

Our telephone befriending services connects a volunteer with an older person, aged 75 or over, who is experiencing loneliness and isolation. As a Call Companion volunteer, you’ll make a regular phone call, typically once a week, to foster friendship, enjoyment and conversation.

Your Role

• Call the older person you’ve been matched with for approximately 20-30 minutes, usually once a week.
• Provide companionship over the phone by talking about interests, experiences and by providing a listening ear.
• Maintain the boundaries set out in our training and report any concerns to Re-engage.
• Keep your knowledge and training up to date by reading our volunteer newsletter – Re-engage Matters – sent monthly by email.

Skills

• Excellent communication skills in English, with a compassionate approach
• Basic IT skills
• Empathy, patience, and a genuine desire to make a positive impact on others’ lives.

To become a Call Companion you’ll need to:

• Complete an induction – you might choose to attend a group induction or watch our pre-recorded video.
• Submit an ID check – you’ll need either a passport, driving licence, national insurance number or national identity card to do this.
• Provide a character reference – your referee can be an employer, a colleague, a friend, neighbour or community representative.
• Complete online training – these modules will help you get the most out of the role and take approximately one hour to complete.

Practical details:

• A flexible, homebased volunteering role that fits around your availability.
• No personal details are ever shared with your match, with calls made via our secure befriending platform.
• To keep our services free for older people, we can’t pay expenses for this role.
• You’ll be over 18 and able to commit to 12 months of volunteering (approximately 26 hours over a year).

This volunteer role provides an enriching experience for those passionate about supporting a lonely person. We welcome applicants who are committed, caring, and patient.

THIS IS AN ON GOING ROLE