Volunteer Roles

Purpose of the Role

This volunteer role is a key part of the HFEH Mind team delivering a range of services across Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow. We support clients with mental health with both clinical and non-clinical interventions.

The purpose of the current role is to assist in the development of a new wellbeing service aimed to support South Asian and BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) individuals within the community of Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow.

Main Responsibilities

This role involves working closely with service managers and the co-production coordinator to deliver an engaging and supportive wellbeing service tailored to the needs of the South Asian and BAME community.

This would include identifying appropriate locations to distribute posters and promote the service, assisting with the creation of digital content to promote the service both digitally and in-person, identifying an in-person location that could function as a community hub to host regular meetings, setting up the community hub on a regular basis prior to meetings, attending community meetings on a regular basis and having conversations with community members, and keeping up to date with important cultural events that can be used to promote the service and engage with the community e.g. Eid, Diwali, Vaisakhi, Black History Month etc.

Tasks

• Promoting the service to members of the South Asian and BAME community. 
• Outreach work, visiting places of worship, events, and communal areas in the tri-borough to promote the project.
• Keeping up to date with online groups and forums that can be used to promote the service.
• Assisting in setting up a physical space to host regular Shakti Project group sessions, ensuring accessibility requirements of service users are upheld.
• Provide a listening ear to members of the community, flagging up any safeguarding concerns to your line manager.

We are looking for:

• A good listener with strong communication skills.
• Highly reliable and good time management skills.
• Open-minded and non-judgmental approach to having conversations around mental health.
• Good knowledge of mental health difficulties and mental health awareness.
• Understanding the needs and challenges of the South Asian and BAME community.
• Willing to undertake safeguarding training and learn about signposting.

See JD attached for full Role Description.

Time commitment:

• A minimum of 6 hours per week. Please indicate your preferred volunteering day(s) on your application.
• Flexible working hours during our core hours of 10AM – 4 PM.
• We request a minimum commitment of 6 months of volunteering after the completion of your induction.   
• We will provide volunteers with an induction, training, and ongoing mentoring to support them in the role. 

How to apply:

To apply please send your CV and expression of interest addressing the below questions:

• Please tell us why you would like to volunteer with HFEH Mind (minimum 50 words)
• Please share any relevant skills or experience you have for the role. This may include education, work, or voluntary experience (minimum 100 words)

HFEH Mind value equal opportunities; and are proud to foster a workforce of volunteers and employees that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from all backgrounds.

HFEH Mind are committed to creating and fostering a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children and adults at risk. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults.

Post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Starfish is an international development charity aiming to bring life, hope and opportunity to children in South Africa who have been orphaned or made vulnerable through HIV/AIDS and poverty. Starfish are looking for an enthusiastic person who is passionate about international development with good writing skills. The internship will be varied and include: researching trusts and foundations, writing applications, sending out applications & reports, managing progress on a centralised calendar, using your initiative. The Starfish UK London office is fairly small and therefore you will become very much part of the team, being able to experience the operations of a dynamic international charity. This is a great opportunity to gain invaluable experience and enhance your CV. Desired experience - Use of Microsoft packages, organisational skills, good communication skills, research skills and the ability to work well in a team.

This position is for 3 days a week, working from home, potential for hybrid in central London office. Sept 2024 start, or earlier if prefered. 

Our Practical Support Volunteers provide a service helping families across Kent, South East London and East Sussex with practical tasks in their homes or out in the community. Some of the key tasks our volunteer team have helped with so far include deep cleaning, gardening, ironing and decorating. Volunteers are able to chose which tasks they undertake and how far they are able to travel to a family to help.

Caring for children with terminal conditions can be physically and emotionally draining, taking a huge amount of time, so by helping with these everyday tasks Demelza gives parents and carers more time to spend as a family.
 

All Practical Support volunteers will have an initial interview with a member of the team, followed by a full training course for volunteering with Demelza families. You will then receive a face to face induction, as well as ongoing support and supervision from the team.

All volunteers helping with Demelza families are also required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check before starting the role.

Local groups across the UK are run by volunteers and offer friendship and support to people living with Parkinson's and their families and friends. As a Branch vice chair you'll support the chair, or act as chair when required, in running the committee and monthly meetings.

What you will be doing

• Engaging with local staff, volunteers, and your local community, to ensure the group has the greatest possible impact on those affected by Parkinson's in your area
• Staying up to date with news and developments of Parkinson's UK, actively sharing them with the group
• Making the best use of the skills and strengths of other volunteers to meet the needs of local people affected by Parkinson's
• Support the group, with the help of local staff, to operate within Parkinson's UK guidelines

The skills you need

• Enthusiasm; for Parkinson's UK and as an ambassador for your local group
• Strong leadership, organisational and communication skills
• The ability to lead meetings in an open and inclusive way, making decisions that take into account multiple viewpoints
• Can-do attitude to making things happen in your local community, taking on board the feedback of those affected by Parkinson's in your area
• Confidence in using a computer and email

We are building a team of enthusiastic and personable community engagement volunteers to help us raise the profile of Mental Health Resource within the local community, strengthen relations with local companies and promote and gain support for the charity.

We need a group of community engagement volunteers to provide an active presence at local community events on an ad hoc basis: talking to people to promote our services and encourage engagement with Mental Health Resource.  The sort of tasks that may be involved in the role are: preparing and serving refreshments; taking donations by cash and card; running activities, distributing leaflets and delivering promotional materials to local companies.

We are looking for volunteers with good interpersonal skills who are prepared to volunteer in a variety of settings, at various times.  We require volunteers to have a personal interest in mental health issues and a commitment to Mental Health Resource’s mission and values.  Please note that this role requires the use of a car to travel to events and transport promotional materials.

ParaPride is an empowerment charity that advocates for the visibility, education and awareness of LGBTQ+ disabled people. We are a non-profit grassroots organisation focusing on the intersection of disability and LGBTQ+. We're entirely run by volunteers and our lived experiences stand at the core of our charity values.

We endeavour to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities through a variety of complementary activities including:

• Creating education and awareness around the need for greater visibility of the communities we serve within the wider LGBTQ+ and disabled communities;

• Creating and promoting online and offline activities and events to foster understanding of the experience of being LGBTQ+ and disabled people and to bring the communities we serve together;

• Working with other organisations to further educate and expose the wider public to the challenges faced by the communities we serve and opportunities that are presented when including them; and,

• Commissioning or conducting research to substantiate the prioritisation of issues impacting the communities we serve.

As a relatively new charity, we will be developing our approach over the next couple of years to further our charitable objects and to serve the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities in the most effective way.
 

About the role

After several years of relying on the efforts from our Co-Founders, Trustees and temporary volunteers we are looking to take the next step in our growth journey through the placement of our first volunteer recruiter.

This role will work closely with Daniele, ParaPride’s Co-founder and Community Engagement Director and the Board of Trustees to identify the skills and capacity required to run the organisation and sourcing candidates to meet them. It will also play a crucial role in developing Parapride’s volunteer benefits package and talent acquisition strategy. 

We are expecting that the roles that this role will be involved in hiring will initially be focused on supporting ParaPride’s core operations (marketing, events and web development) but could include placements in finance, legal, compliance and HR in the future. 
 

Duties

• Collaborate with ParaPride’s Co-founder and Board of Trustees to identify and prioritise required skills to run the organisation effectively.

• Develop a strategy for acquiring talent that is inclusive and accessible such that our LGBTQ+ disabled community are given full opportunity to be able to be involved. Provide feedback on practices and policies to support this.

• Develop and review role descriptions for required roles and advertise across appropriate channels.

• Screen and shortlist candidates as appropriate, coordinate interview loops and manage candidate communications. 

• Carry out pre-volunteering checks, including references and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where appropriate.

• Support volunteer onboarding by coordination the execution of volunteer agreements and creating onboarding plans.

• In partnership with marketing team members, develop content to share across web and social channels to promote benefits and opportunities for potential candidates to get involved.

• Support in the development of a benefits package to support in the acquisition of volunteers (non-salaried). 

We will also welcome any additional suggestions for how you might wish to apply your skills to support ParaPride in its mission. 

The impact you will have

We expect that hiring this role will be a critical step in ParaPride’s development as being able to engage with people willing and able to support our cause is the only way for us to be able to grow our operations to provide better support for more LGBTQ+ disabled people and deliver more training and workshops to enable others to be become better allies. 
 

About you

We are looking for someone with 3+ years experience in recruitment (any field) . We also encourage students and graduates who can demonstrate strong alignment with our mission, vision and values.

We are dedicated to ensuring that this role is a productive professional development experience for the incumbent and welcome suggestions from potential candidates on how we might support their specific goals. 

We strongly welcome candidates that have lived experiences of being disabled and/or LGBTQ+, although this not an explicit requirement 

Level of commitment

We are a growing charity and while it is our goal to provide financial compensation for this role in the future, we are unable to initially. In full transparency, this is only an indication of our ambition and will be dependent on a lot of factors linked to appropriate funding. Please do not apply at this time if this is a primary motivator for you, we hope to have more suitable roles for you in time to come. 

We are dedicated to being fully respectful of your time, but expect a minimum contribution of 8 hours per month on average (varying according to demand), remote, completely flexible and at time convenient to you. 
 

Accessibility statement

At ParaPride, we are committed to ensuring that all of our engagements are as accessible and as inclusive as possible. These include applying for and interviewing for roles. Whilst we understand that we can never be fully accessible as everybody's needs are different, we strive to be proactive with thinking about accessibility requirements.

When applying for a role at ParaPride, if you would like to get in touch to talk about any access requirements, please contact us using the details below and we will arrange a date and time to have a conversation with you.

We offer several diverse ways of applying for a role. These include:

• Sending an email

• Recording an audio or video

• Having a face-to-face conversation (on a digital platform)

A bit about this role

Across the UK, many cats are cared for by volunteer fosterers who provide a stable, safe and loving environment in their homes or in purpose-built pens in their gardens. They provide vital hands-on care and accommodation to stray or abandoned cats or cats whose owners could sadly no longer keep them, and are part of a dedicated team of volunteers committed to finding new homes for cats in need. Our fosterers carry out this role with support from their local branch or centre.

Most of our fosterers care for one or two cats at a time and enjoy providing lots of TLC to those cats, who have been pre-loved or have had a difficult start in life. Some of our fosterers look after new mums and kittens and provide round-the-clock care to newborns to give them the best start in life.

What can you expect to be doing?

• Meeting the needs of the cats and kittens in your care
• Cleaning and looking after the cats’ environment and equipment
• Feeding, grooming and administering medication
• Spending time enriching the cats’ experience in care including; play, exercise and stroking
• Maintaining high standards of animal welfare

A bit more information about this role and the team

* For this role we are specifically looking for indoor fosterers ideally with a dedicated room.

What are the benefits to you and the cats?

You will develop new skills, expand your knowledge and make a significant contribution to improving the lives of cats and kittens in need by caring for them before they find new, loving homes. You will also meet new people, make new friends and be part of a dedicated team of volunteers.

We’re looking for someone with

• A dedicated suitable spare room in your house or space in your garden for a purpose-built pen – you can read more about this here
• Basic knowledge of cats, cat care and understanding their needs
• An appreciation of cat welfare and hygiene standards
• Good interpersonal skills
• Patience, commitment and empathy
• Willingness to be part of a team

Time expectation

Our volunteer fosterers usually spend one and a half hours per day on average (around 10 to 13 hours per week) in this role, but this might vary depending on the number of cats or kittens in care. In order to help you feel confident in your fosterer role we ask that prior to looking after your first foster cat you complete some online cat welfare learning modules.

Support, guidance and keeping you safe

At Cats Protection we believe our volunteers should be happy and confident in their roles. We provide support and guidance from our National Cat Centre and through our regional and local volunteer groups and teams. We offer engaging online and face-to-face training, expenses and have policies and processes to help volunteers get the most out of their time with us.

The wellbeing of our people is important and at Cats Protection we are committed to safeguarding children, adults at risk and all those that we come into contact with as part of our activities.

We are setting up a poetry group here at Birch Lane and are looking for a volunteer to help facilitate the group. Your volunteer role will include promoting the group to residents and encouraging attendance. Helping to set up the room for the session including moving tables and chairs if necessary. Set up any equipment for the group, searching poetry websites and printing out copies of the poem, and connecting to speakers to play audiobooks, being comfortable with IT equipment and navigating the internet would be a plus for this role. You will also make refreshments and tidy away at the end of the session.

During the session you will read the poems to the group and start the discussion afterwards with a couple of questions prepared to get people talking. You will need to be comfortable reading aloud to a group of people and as a poetry group facilitator you will be skilled in steering the discussion and keeping the conversation on topic and flowing. You will have a love of poetry and an interest in sharing this with group members. The group will run collaboratively and you will choose the poems for the sessions together, and encourage group members to read the poems aloud if they feel comfortable to do so.

Volunteer Duties:

· Promote the poetry group to residents.

· Choose poems for the group in collaboration with residents.

· Read the poems aloud to the group and lead the discussion afterwards, with a couple of discussion starter questions prepared.

· Be comfortable using IT equipment including searching website, navigating apps, printing, and connecting to speakers.

· Set up equipment for the session, and move tables and chairs if necessary.

· Prepare refreshments for the group.

· Display a friendly demeanour whilst respecting Creative Support policies on boundaries and Safeguarding.

· Report any concerns to Creative Support staff members

· Attend regular supervisions and undertake all training provided.

As a volunteer with Creative Support we offer training for your role, access to a volunteer supervisor, an induction, a monthly Volunteer newsletter, and an online volunteer’s peer support group. Together we can make a difference.

Suggested Time Commitment: Every Thursday 10:30am till 1pm

Creative Support is a passionate, inclusive, and anti-racist organisation. We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion, Disability Confident Employer who have recently received Investors in People Silver award. We actively encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds and cultures.

Across the UK, our 270 local groups play a vital part in supporting people affected by MS. They provide sense of belonging, unity and friendship. And they deliver services and support for their local MS community.

We are looking to recruit an Administration Volunteer for the Buchan Group. Our Administration Volunteers are the linchpin for our local groups’ activities. They act as the first point of contact and they make sure all relevant information is circulated to other volunteers and members. And they play an important role in keeping our data and details up to date to comply with data protection legislation.

In this role you’ll develop your administration and organisation skills. Most importantly you’ll be help your local group run efficiently, so they can keep providing valuable services to our MS community. 

Time Commitment

We estimate this role will need around 2 hours a week. Our roles are flexible and aim to fit around you. Time commitments for this role may vary depending on your activities. This is an ongoing role.

This is a great opportunity to gain experience within a large charity and develop your existing skills and learn new ones. We need you to get involved and help make positive changes to the lives of people affected by MS.

About you

You’ll have an interest in the MS Society and the work that we do, as well as the enthusiasm to represent both us and our values locally. You will understand the needs of people affected by MS in your area and be sympathetic to the needs and motivations of volunteers. You’ll be confident using Microsoft Office, the internet and email. You’ll be able to apply disability, equality and inclusion practices and understand and apply our risk management system. Ideally you’ll understand the local area and organisations that provide local services.

You will be reliable and easy to contact and you need to live in or near the area the group to carry out this role.

Please apply online.

The MS Society is committed to promoting diversity. We can only offer roles to over 18s.

Finance Volunteer

We’re the MS Society – a community of people living with MS, scientists, campaigners, listeners, organisers, ambassadors and fundraisers. Our volunteers are a key part of achieving our goals and their support is vital. Join us.

About this opportunity
We are looking to recruit a Finance Volunteer for our Buchan Group. As a Finance Volunteer, you would be joining a coordinating team of volunteers to plan and deliver services and activities to support people locally.

You will maintain and approve income and expenditure records and explain financial information clearly to other group members. You would ensure our financial requirements and policies are followed, and that money is spent in a cost effective manner.

This is a great opportunity to gain experience with a large charity, develop your existing skills and learn new ones. We need you to get involved and help make positive changes to the lives of people affected by MS.

About you
You’ll have an interest in the MS Society and the work that we do, as well as the enthusiasm to represent both us and our values locally. You will understand the needs of people affected by MS in your area and be sympathetic to the needs and motivations of volunteers. You’ll be comfortable with figures, preferably with an accounting or business background.

Apply 

Read through the role description carefully

Please apply online

The MS Society is committed to promoting diversity. We can only offer roles to over 18s.

Across the UK, our 270 local groups play a vital part in supporting people affected by MS. They provide sense of belonging, unity and friendship. And they deliver services and support for their local MS community.

We are looking to recruit a Communications Volunteer for the Buchan Group. As our Communications Volunteer you’ll make sure people know they have a local MS Society group to turn to.

In this role you’ll be able to develop your writing skills, and gain an experience of communicating across a range of digital channels. 

Time commitment

We estimate this role will need around 2 hours a week. Our roles are flexible and aim to fit around you. Time commitments for this role may vary depending on your activities. This is an ongoing role.

This is a great opportunity to gain experience within a large charity and develop your existing skills and learn new ones. We need you to get involved and help make positive changes to the lives of people affected by MS.

About you

You’ll have an interest in the MS Society and the work that we do, as well as the enthusiasm to represent both us and our values locally. You will understand the needs of people affected by MS in your area and be sympathetic to the needs and motivations of volunteers. You’ll be confident using Microsoft Office, the internet and email. You’ll be able to apply disability, equality and inclusion practices and understand and apply our risk management system. Ideally you’ll understand the local area and organisations that provide local services.

You will be reliable and easy to contact and you need to live in or near the area the group to carry out this role.

Apply 

1. Read through the role description carefully

2. Please apply online

The MS Society is committed to promoting diversity. We can only offer roles to over 18s.

Want to learn more about what councils are doing to combat the climate and ecological crises? Want to help communities to get their council to take Climate Action seriously? Interested in gaining experience of local policy, initiatives and best practice?

Climate Emergency UK’s free, online, 4-week Local Climate Training Programme is the place to start!

Councils have the power and influence over around 30% of emissions in their local area. Therefore, they are uniquely placed to make a real impact on emissions within their area. Following the success of the first-ever Council Climate Action Scorecards last year, Climate Emergency UK is looking to create the second edition of the Action Scorecards. But we know that councils can be taking more effective action as the average score in the 2023 Action Scorecards was only 32%. Now, we’re looking for volunteers to help us create the 2025 Council Climate Action Scorecards, tracking the progress that has been made, and scoring all UK councils on their climate action. 

Apply today:
Cohort 2 - Late September-October 2024

Our workshops, alongside the practical experience of assessing local climate action, are designed to help you develop your knowledge, skills and experience around local climate policy and action. Your assessments will help create the 2025 Council Climate Action Scorecards - helping your community and other people around the UK understand how well councils are tackling the climate crisis, the progress that has been made, who’s doing well and what is possible. During the programme you will be part of a cohort of people (maximum 50) who share your passion for environmental justice and local action.

The Training Programme will help you understand:

• The powers local authorities have to tackle the climate crisis.
• The actions local authorities are taking to tackle the climate crisis.
• What good council climate action looks like. 

We will also have workshops from educational, policy and campaigning experts to give you a strong foundation in local climate action. Last year this included speakers from the Climate Change Committee, Lancaster City Council and Friends of the Earth. Those on the training programme will be able to manage their time but must be able to make the mandatory dates, listed below. Both cohorts will be 4 weeks and have the exact same programme of events. While these will be part of the training it will be up to you to make the session, although some of these sessions will be recorded. A full schedule will be sent out 1 week before the training starts.

Programme Dates

We are running two cohorts of the training programme: The First Cohort is deadline has passed. The Second Cohort will run from late 17th September to 22nd October 2024.

You will need to be free for the following mandatory dates:

• Scorecards Volunteer Inductions: You will need to attend one induction session on either Tuesday 17th or Thursday 19th September 2024 from 5:30 to 6:30pm. 
• Scorecards Scoring Training: You will only need to attend only one of the training sessions but please keep both of the evenings free until you are allocated a Scorecards section, which will determine which session you need to attend: either Tuesday 24th or Thursday 26th September. You will need to be available from 5:30-7pm.
• Policy Programme Course sessions will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1st - 22nd October for about 1 hour 30 minutes between 4-7pm (times vary a tiny bit each week)
• Final Handover & Certificate Ceremony Tuesday 22nd October, 5:30-6:30pm

The Second Cohort will run from late September to mid-October 2024. If you are interested in joining the second cohort you can already do so. 

Who is this Programme for? In order to apply you must be:

• Aged over 18
• Able to commit to approx. 15-20 hours a week for four weeks
• Based anywhere in the UK
• Have reliable internet access and access to a computer
• You do not need to have previous environmental related experience or a relevant degree. 

Note: We will not accept current Councillors or Officers. Parish/Town councillors or staff are welcome to apply.

Other than that, anyone can apply to be on this programme. We are particularly looking for people who:

• Are passionate about tackling climate change and sustainability
• Have an interest in supporting climate action in their local communities
• Are interested in a career in environmental policy or advocacy (or just enjoy this as a hobby!)
• Able to use Google Docs and SLACK. Although you will receive training in both. 

Each cohort will be limited to 50 places and we expect to fill the programme. Your acceptance onto the programme will be confirmed once you have attended the Group Interview. 

If you are not able to commit to the training programme but would still like to be involved in scoring local authority climate action then please visit our page on becoming a Volunteer Assessor following this link.

Apply today below:
Cohort 2 - Late September-October 2024

Across the UK, our 270 local groups play a vital part in supporting people affected by MS. They provide sense of belonging, unity and friendship. And they deliver services and support for their local MS community.

We are looking to recruit a Communications Volunteer for the Plymouth and Tamar Valley Group. As our Communications Volunteer you’ll make sure people know they have a local MS Society group to turn to.

In this role you’ll be able to develop your writing skills, and gain an experience of communicating across a range of digital channels. 

Time commitment

We estimate this role will need around 2 hours a week. Our roles are flexible and aim to fit around you. Time commitments for this role may vary depending on your activities. This is an ongoing role.

This is a great opportunity to gain experience within a large charity and develop your existing skills and learn new ones. We need you to get involved and help make positive changes to the lives of people affected by MS.

About you

You’ll have an interest in the MS Society and the work that we do, as well as the enthusiasm to represent both us and our values locally. You will understand the needs of people affected by MS in your area and be sympathetic to the needs and motivations of volunteers. You’ll be confident using Microsoft Office, the internet and email. You’ll be able to apply disability, equality and inclusion practices and understand and apply our risk management system. Ideally you’ll understand the local area and organisations that provide local services.

You will be reliable and easy to contact and you need to live in or near the area the group to carry out this role.

Apply 

1. Read through the role description carefully

2. Please apply online

The MS Society is committed to promoting diversity. We can only offer roles to over 18s.

Across the UK, our 270 local groups play a vital part in supporting people affected by MS. They provide sense of belonging, unity and friendship. And they deliver services and support for their local MS community.

We are looking to recruit an Activities Volunteer for the Plymouth and Tamar Valley Group. As our local group Activities Volunteer you’ll help us to set up activities in the area. Whether you’re serving refreshments, talking to people, registering attendees or collecting payments, you’ll be making sure everyone feel welcome.

In this role you’ll be able to develop your organisation, communication and team working skills. Most importantly you’ll be supporting your local group to run activities that bring friendship and fun to your local MS Community.

About you

You’ll have an interest in the MS Society and the work that we do, as well as the enthusiasm to represent both us and our values locally. You will understand the needs of people affected by MS in your area and be sympathetic to the needs and motivations of volunteers. You’ll be able to apply disability, equality and inclusion practices and understand and apply our risk management system. Ideally you’ll understand the local area and organisations that provide local services.

You will be reliable and easy to contact and you need to live in or near the area the group to carry out this role.

Time Commitment

We estimate this role will need up to two hours a week. Our roles are flexible and aim to fit around you. Time commitments for this role may vary depending on your activities. This is an ongoing role.

Apply 

1. Read through the role description carefully

2. Please apply online

The MS Society is committed to promoting diversity. We can only offer roles to over 18s.