What volunteering do you do?

[vickster]

Sounds rewarding, interesting and mind-opening.

How do you find out / hear about openings for volunteers ?

Most local councils have a volunteering webpage. Kind of depends what skills you have or want to do.
eg for Suffolk https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/care-and...&entryId=56fcf6aa-d311-59d9-a0c6-f2370a7f0b7d

AgeUK are always looking for volunteers to chat to lonely older folk. Posting on here doesn’t count despite the general demographic

 

[All uphill]

Most local councils have a volunteering webpage. Kind of depends what skills you have or want to do. AgeUK are always looking for volunteers to chat to lonely older folk. Chatting on here doesn’t count despite the general demographic

Are we your charity work @vickster ?

 

[sevenfourate]

I’ve just joined

Most local councils have a volunteering webpage. Kind of depends what skills you have or want to do.
eg for Suffolk https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/care-and...&entryId=56fcf6aa-d311-59d9-a0c6-f2370a7f0b7d

AgeUK are always looking for volunteers to chat to lonely older folk. Posting on here doesn’t count despite the general demographic

I’ve just joined a local group via that link Vickster - thanks. And applied for my first position !!

 

[Big John]

I volunteer every Wednesday for a local bike charity in their workshop, I do a mixture of servicing customers bikes and refurbishing donated bikes which we sell. Really rewarding work and one of the highlights of my week.

https://windrushbikeproject.uk/

Snap. When I retired over four years ago I put one day a week in for our local bike charity. Same type of set up. It's like being a kid working in a sweet shop. It does have it's up and downs though so it's not all fun, fun, fun. I do other work for them at home such as wheel building.

 

[Reynard]

Currently nothing in terms of formal volunteering, other than the odd irregular photoshoot for the Siamese Cat Welfare Trust.

I was involved in my local branch of Cats Protection for close to twenty years, helping out with fundraising (as a buyer for bits for market stalls / raffles etc), running the branch website and lost & found, providing a space for emergency fosters and doing all the photography the branch needed. But just prior to Covid, the longstanding co-ordinator stepped down, and all the people who were on good terms with her, were then quietly shunted to one side. That included me - I wasn't even told my services weren't needed any more, they just went silent on me. I never got a thank you either - not that I expected one, but it would've been nice...

I've also volunteered for the local branch of the Red Cross. It was more my mum's thing, but if I was free I'd go along too, to do the thankless and often rather grim task of sorting out donations.

Slightly more informal volunteering is stewarding or dogsbody-ing at cat shows if I'm not judging. Madam Lexi doesn't enjoy showing, and I quite like days at a cat show, so it's a good thing to do. Plus if I'm in the pedigree section (I'm a household pet judge), I get to learn about all different breeds of cats, and how to handle and present them. It's very rewarding, and I'm always up for free cat cuddles.

 

[Cavalol]

None yet, but applying to help one for the visually impaired and another for homeless families.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I started volunteering in 2019, when I had found a job with less hectic hours than my previous one.
As a second job, I was doing community work for the Co-op, which was a 4 hours weekly paid job, then I started to volunteer with some of the local groups I was working with.
Lockdown came, I lost my main job, the groups stopped operating, I continued volunteering with the food bank doing admin duties wfh.
I work full time again, sometimes 6 days a week so time is restricted but I still do the food bank when I can, and I run a community gardening group.

 

[C R]

I volunteer helping fix donated bikes at a local group on and off.

 

[Beebo]

I coach an U14 rugby team. And occasionally volunteer at Parkrun.
Working with kids is fun, but I have huge respect for teachers. 2 hours of handling the nonsense from teenage boys is enough for me. I don’t know how teachers do it all week.

 

[Gillstay]

I have worked a few years for the Nat Trust, but they are hopeless at using my expensive skills. They say they have no money , so I say well let me do that expensive job for you, for free and then they invent a rule to stop a volunteer doing it. You can be qualified insured, etc but no cannot do it. But a private contractor comes into work on the road with dodgy vehicles, no signs, not even basic tools and that's fine. Nuts.

So working for Wildlife charities and do occasional stint with air ambulance fund raising. A big eye opener.

Then I do my own stuff. Bird box making day for anyone who wants to come along and just working for free for people I think I can help.

Amazing how suspicious some people are of you doing something for free. Its good to help other though.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Most local councils have a volunteering webpage. Kind of depends what skills you have or want to do.
eg for Suffolk https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/care-and...&entryId=56fcf6aa-d311-59d9-a0c6-f2370a7f0b7d

AgeUK are always looking for volunteers to chat to lonely older folk. Posting on here doesn’t count despite the general demographic

Brilliant training ground for anger management and conflict resolution though

 

[Mike Ayling]

I have been a Scout Group Leader, Venturer Scout Leader, Tandem captain for visually impaired stokers and currently a member,former President and current Treasurer of our local Parish St Vincent de Paul Conference (aka Vinnies in Oz). Rostered on once a week to deliver food parcels.

 

[Alex H]

When I was a computer engineer I used to fix talking book machines for RNIB 'clients'. Then the tape machines got smaller and I was out of a job. Got myself qualified to reach Adult Numeracy and was then told there were no vacancies to teach. Left it alone until I retired and moved up here. Tried again - local heritage railway declined after finding out my previous profession. Local museum was just not for me. Got a job at the library as a 'Digital Champion'. The idea being I would help people with their computer / tablet / phone problems. I was in post for 8 weeks with no customers.

Finally I found something to do, that is very flexible on time and it would appear, I'm quite good at. I'm a 'Connections for Life volunteer' for the Royal Air Forces Association. We talk on the phone to people who are lonely or troubled and who are connected in some way to the Royal Air Force.

At the moment I only have one contact, who I phone for 1/2 hr every week. As I've only just started, I'm thinking of adding another for variety. Some volunteers have 6 or more, but I think I'll build it up slowly.

 

[richardfm]

I volunteer helping fix donated bikes at a local group on and off.

I do this one day a week at https://www.cardiffcycleworkshop.org.uk/

I also volunteer at my local parkrun about once every 10 runs

 

[Stephenite]

I'm not far off 60 now and have young children and a full-time job. The kids' activities and, any physical training I do, take up most of my 'out of work' time. I like to think, though, I'm one of those who can be relied upon to help fill the gaps when needed.

Regular opportunities these days are:

Race-timing, working the door, baking, and logistics, for my son's swimming club events, and once a week I sit in the changing room for an hour to make sure the high jinks don't spill over and upset the younger kids. The daughter has a few things going on in the week with the the choir and her swimming group that i help out with. Six times a year i meet up with the local group and we tidy up in the local 'hundred acre wood'. I am the health and safety rep at a particular department at the company i work for.