Area volunteer volunteer roles in Welling, greater london

As a Retail Volunteer, you'll try a bit of everything! Be the friendly face of our shop, handling customer transactions with a smile. You'll provide top customer service, and help create a warm, welcoming atmosphere that keeps our customers coming back!

Do you want to make a real difference?

At Oxfam, we're not just selling pre-loved items and unique finds – we're working together to build a radically better world. With your help, we will turn pre-loved treasures into resources that empower communities worldwide.

Here's why Oxfam is the perfect opportunity for you:

Be a Second-hand Superhero: In our high street shops, Ecommerce Hubs and Online Shop, people like you help create exciting and inspiring collections – retail therapy with a purpose!

Increase Your Skills: If you have a particular interest, you can build on it to gain valuable retail experience to add to your CV, such as merchandising, customer service, and teamwork.

Find Your Community: Meet like-minded people who share your passion for a fairer world.

Flexibility: We know life gets busy. That's why we offer flexible volunteering options. A few hours a week is all it takes to make a big difference.

Oxfam isn't just another charity shop. We're a movement of passionate individuals working to create a fairer world, and we’d love you to be a part of it!

What happens next?

After you apply, the manager will ask you to come in for an initial chat. This is not an interview, just a chance to get an idea of what you'd like to do help out. From there, you can meet the rest of the volunteer team and get involved with whatever area of the shop takes your interest!

RSPCA South London

Our charity shop in the heart of SW17 7TW is looking for a friendly volunteer to join our team and help make our shop a huge success. Make new friends, have fun, and help us help more animals!

As a volunteer Charity Shop Assistant, you would join a small team working with the shop manager and 1-2 other volunteers to help make it a success and raise vital funds for animal welfare.

About Our Charity Shop

The shop plays an essential role in raising the profile of the RSPCA in our local community and funds for our branch so that we can continue our vital animal welfare work. Our shops sell a mixture of donated items, including clothes, books, bric-a-brac and collectables, and a selection of new items. We have positions available on the shop floor and in our stock room or you could volunteer to do a mixture of both.

Volunteer Charity Shop Assistant responsibilities

• Helping customers in the shop find what they need.
• Accepting donations of items and money from the public.
• Processing sales through the till and card machine, including Gift Aid.
• Sorting through donated items to determine what we can sell.
• Preparing donated items for sale by steaming and hanging and items.
• Merchandising stock on the shop floor.
• Creating attractive shop window displays.

What we are looking for in a volunteer Charity Shop Assistant

• Friendly volunteers who are confident talking to people.
• Retail experience would be ideal but is not necessary as full training will be given.
• We are ideally aiming for someone who is flexible and can offer an ongoing commitment.
• Good communication and numeracy skills.
• You will need to be aged 16 or over.

What we can offer you as a volunteer Charity Shop Assistant

• A way to meet new people and make new friends in your local area.
• A place where you will learn excellent new skills to add to your CV, such as customer service, multi-tasking, merchandising, and many more.
• An excellent induction and training programme relevant to your role.
• The opportunity to make a huge difference to the welfare of animals.
• Reimbursement for any reasonable travel expenses you may incur whilst volunteering with us.

If you’ve got the drive and compassion to volunteer with the RSPCA and are passionate about improving animal welfare, we’d love to hear from you!

We hope you are interested in volunteering for the South London Branch

Join us in making a real difference to the lives of animals in need.

Our voluntary roles are subject to an informal interview and trial period. We will ask you to provide contact details for two referees, and dependent on the position, you may need to sign an agreement and undergo specific training before starting the role.

Are you a dog lover with room in your home to look after a dog during evenings and weekends? This could be the perfect role for you!

As a Training Dog Fosterer, you’ll provide a loving temporary home to a dog in training, typically for a period of 12 to 20 weeks, as they begin their journey to become a guide dog. You’ll get to see the progress your furry companion is making in their training and be a vital part of their journey, without the commitment of looking after a dog full time.

What you’ll be doing:

In this rewarding role, your support for a guide dog in training will include:

• Doing the school run for your dog in training! This will typically involve dropping them off and picking them up at an agreed time Monday to Friday at one of our regional centres or community teams, however, some sites may vary. There are some locations where we will be able to collect and return the training dog from your home. 
• Caring for your dog in your home such as feeding, grooming, free running and playing, following the advice of our expert staff.
• Helping your dog keep up with their training by reinforcing the techniques at home from our first-class training programme.
• Making sure your dog is not left alone for more than four hours in a 24-hour period. If you’re planning on going on holiday, let us know at your initial phone call so we can plan alternative cover for your future life changer.

Can I foster a dog?

If you’re hoping to foster a guide dog in training, here’s what we ideally look for:

• Being close to one of our regional centres or community teams so that your dog can get to their training. 
• The agreement of your landlord to have a dog in your home if you rent your home.
• A safe and secure area outside for the dog to go to the toilet.

However, we try to be flexible – for example, you’ll still be able to foster a dog if you live in London, even if you don’t have access to outside space. 

What you’ll get:

• The opportunity to have a lovable canine companion!
• The satisfaction in knowing you’re supporting people with sight loss to live actively, independently, and well.
• The rewarding feeling of seeing your dog learn new training techniques to help them develop into a guide dog.
• An insight into our bespoke world-class training programme so that your dog’s training stays consistent at home, which can also help you train your own dogs or advance in a future career in dog handling.
• The opportunity to be part of the Guide Dogs community, meeting like-minded people in your area.
• A dedicated volunteer manager and fellow peers who will help support you throughout your role.

Training and support

You’ll attend a training workshop to understand the basics of our bespoke training techniques so you can confidently support your dog’s training at home. You’ll also receive ongoing guidance from your volunteer manager. If you have questions about the training requirements, we can answer these at your initial phone call along with any other support or accessibility needs you may have.

Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any pre-agreed expenses related to volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, dog food costs and other materials needed for your dog’s training.

Minimum age for volunteer is 18.

We also have a respite fosterer role available in some areas, where a dog would stay with you full time before moving on to the next stage of its journey.

Please check out our website to see what roles are available where you live.

Shop Volunteering Opportunities

Islington

Our shops are at the heart of local communities raising vital funds for our fight against homelessness and bad housing - and they’re powered by our volunteers!

Suggested Involvement: It’s up to you! We have volunteers who support for one hour a week and others who volunteer more. Many people volunteer for a morning or an afternoon each week, but we’ll have a chat about your availability after you’ve applied.

Availability: The shop is open Monday - Saturday 10:00-18:00 and Sunday 11:00-17:00. We are particularly looking for volunteers who can support us on Tuesday mornings

Location: 159 Upper Street, Islington, N1 1US

Supervised by: Community Shop Manager/Assistant Manager

Why volunteer with Shelter? 

Home is a human right. It's our foundation and it's where we thrive. Yet, every day millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We’re passionate about what we do, and love giving second-hand clothing a chance of going to a good home. Our shop teams ensure fighting the housing emergency never felt so fun. 

What can I do?

After you’ve filled in an application, we will invite you for an informal chat to find the right role for you. Some roles involve a basic criminal record check being completed during recruitment. Having a criminal record does not mean that you cannot volunteer with us, but it may impact the ways you can get involved.

• Volunteering in the shop

Our retail volunteers are in the middle of it all, and there’s plenty to get involved with. You might be sorting stock, engaging with customers, ringing items through the till, creating fantastic window displays or keeping our shop floor looking organised.

- You will not undergo a criminal record check for this role  

• Volunteering in the community

Our Van Driver’s mates are out and about supporting drivers with delivering and collecting stock throughout the local area. They play a key part in getting donations to and from shops. This role does require the ability to lift heavy items. 

• Volunteering in a leadership role

Our volunteer supervisors help with overseeing the running of our shop and creating a fantastic environment for our customers. You may be involved with coordinating and supporting other volunteers, operating computer systems, and being a key point of contact for the shop.

Skills and Experiences Required:

We welcome applications from people with a wide range of skills and experiences. You don’t need to have volunteered or worked in a shop before as full training will be provided. What’s important to us is that you are a team player, open to learning and willing to follow Shelter’s policies and can be an excellent ambassador for Shelter. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of bad housing or homelessness.

Induction, Learning and Development:

To enable you to take part in this opportunity Shelter will:

• Welcome you with a Volunteer Handbook
• Provide training, induction, and ongoing support from your Shop Manager to help you feel confident in your role
• Refund any out-of-pocket expenses in line with Shelter’s volunteer expenses policy

Benefits of volunteering with Shelter…

• Supporting Shelter in our fight against bad housing and homelessness
• Gain valuable experience in a retail environment
• Getting involved in your local community and being part of a great team
• Build your confidence and develop transferable skills

We aim to respond to all applications within 14 days

If you would like to find out more about the volunteering opportunity before applying, why not pop into the shop, or contact us.

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.

Our football for wellbeing hub provides a safe, inclusive and wellbeing space in the community to improve mental and physical health in collaboration with QPR FC, Everyone Active and FootyAddicts Company.

As Football Session Helper Volunteer you will help the facilitator/s with pre-session tasks and delivery of exciting football sessions while adhering to the FA code of conduct.  We are currently seeking applications to support our newly launched  football sessions and potentially coach/manage our Football Club’s (West London NHS Peer FC) team if an FA qualified coach or willing to get the qualification. 

In return we will offer you:

• A full induction including support to access the FA free training
• On-going support, guidance and supervision from a member of staff
• The opportunity to develop your personal, professional and football coaching skills
• The opportunity to get involved in other areas of The Trust’s work, including NHS careers
• Reimbursement of reasonable expenses
• The opportunity to contribute to our mission

Get on board, join our Trustees.

The Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) is a unique non-profit organisation that works with affected communities to pursue innovative legal actions across borders, challenging states and other powerful actors involved with systemic injustice. Our vision is justice across borders. We have a Board of seven passionate and knowledgable Trustees. We are looking to expand this with up to three new appointments. 

ABOUT THE ROLE As a trustee, you will: Contribute to the strategic direction and governance of the charity. Ensure we remain true to our mission and comply with legal and financial responsibilities. Bring your skills, experience, and perspective to strengthen our board KEY REQUIREMENTS We are particularly keen to hear from: Those with lived experience of the kinds of harms GLAN aims to tackle, to ensure we are amplifying voices of those too often excluded, and to support our work addressing systemic injustices in a meaningful way. Black and Brown candidates who bring knowledge of, or have strong connections to, the Global South/Global Majority. Experience in movement building and strengthening civil society alliances. Candidates who bring expertise in the areas of Impact measurement, Fundraising or Marketing Candidates that will support GLAN to meet an increasingly challenging operating environment in terms of external risks and fundraising. Candidates who share GLAN’s values and can evidence a commitment to decolonial practice and anti-racism Candidates who are fully supportive of GLAN’s ambition to create an environment where employees have a strong, collective voice in matters affecting their work and wellbeing

INDEPENDENT READING GROUP VOLUNTEER (FACE-TO-FACE) 

CARAS Youth ESOL Programme – Monday, Wednesday mornings  

About CARAS: 

Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS) is a registered charity that has been supporting refugees and asylum-seekers since 2002 empowering them to integrate and engage in the local community. 

Arriving as an asylum seeker/refugee can be a disempowering experience. Difficulties with language, accessing services and overcoming prejudice are ever-present. As an organisation we are committed to work alongside refugees to overcome those challenges, and to help them build their lives. 

We offer group support and targeted support work. We offer a range of activities including: ESOL classes; social and recreational activities such as youth club, drama, trips, and family activities; educational support for young people; and casework and advocacy support. 

Our values are at the centre of all our work: 

• Kindness: CARAS will nurture all who are part of our community, helping everyone to develop their skills, talents, and interests. 

• Justice: CARAS will strive for social justice following a rights-based approach in all our work and challenging instances when rights are not upheld in wider society. 

• Empowerment: CARAS works alongside people, recognising and respecting their skills and strengths and striving together for better outcomes. 

• ‘With’ not ‘for’: CARAS will put the voices, opinions, experiences and needs of its beneficiaries at the heart of all that we do. 

About Youth ESOL: 

Our award-winning ESOL project offers English language classes to young people at a wide range of levels. This provides vital skills, opportunities and social contact and is crucial for enabling young people to do well at school or college.

About the Role: 

CARAS is looking for Reading Group Volunteer to support our face-to-face study programme for young people.

The reading group is in Streatham and is an important element of a study programme for young people aged 14 to 18 who are out of formal education. The timings of the reading group sessions are as follows: 

• Monday afternoons 2pm to 3pm 

• Wednesday mornings 11am to 1pm. 

Volunteers are required to attend either one of both sessions. Volunteers are also welcome to stay and support the more traditional English language classes either before the reading session on Mondays or after the reading session on Wednesdays. 

Students will be supported to read at length and complete challenges that are adapted to their ability level.

The reading group aims to foster independence and a joy of reading among the young people and requires volunteers to learn about the young peoples' interests in order to help them select an appropriate text.

The ESOL teacher will provide volunteers with tips to support reading and understanding for emerging learners of English, such as phonics and elicitation strategies.

Volunteers will work with 1-5 students, mostly reading out loud with them or helping them to decode unfamiliar language.

Please note that ESOL classes do not run during school holidays, and we follow Wandsworth Council term dates.

Volunteer tasks and responsibilities: 

• Providing learners with one-to-one or small group support within the Reading Group sessions; 

• Helping to set up the classroom and provide learners with classroom resources; 

• Contributing to debriefs to inform the ESOL teacher how each student found the lesson/task and the students’ areas of greatest challenge and success;  

• Attending and contributing to volunteer debriefs after each session; 

• Making use of any community languages you may know to help students during the class; 

• Working collaboratively as a team and helping to shape the project; 

• Supporting people to develop their knowledge and skills, encouraging and inspiring participants to reach their full potential; 

• Assisting participants to recognise and celebrate their achievements; 

• Listening and supporting students to select, read and understand a text; Showing flexibility to the wide range of ability levels in the classroom; 

• Following CARAS’ confidentiality, safeguarding, health & safety, equal opportunities, data management and all other policies as relevant.  

Requirements: 

Essential

• To be 18 years or older; 

• An interest in education and English language teaching;

• Currently resident in the UK; has asylum-seeker or refugee status 

• * Able to provide five years’ worth of addresses, and willing to undergo a DBS check; *DBS and proof of residency is not necessary if you are a CARAS community member who is more recently arrived in the UK.  

• Able to attend volunteer induction training (online) prior to start of role 

• Able to travel to our community centre in Tooting (food and travel expenses can be reimbursed); 

• To be non-judgemental and able to engage with young people from diverse backgrounds; 

• To be reliable and punctual; 

• Good communication skills, especially with people who are new to English; 

• An interest in books and stories, writing and poetry 

• The ability to volunteer on Wednesday during Wandsworth term time for a minimum of four months; 

Desirable: 

• Knowledge of community languages, such as Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Kurdish, Somali or Spanish; 

• Experience of reading with young people or learners of English, or teaching ESOL or phonics. 

Through volunteering with us you will: 

• Gain experience of English language teaching; 

• Meet new members of your local community; 

• Learn about different cultures; 

• Learn about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum; 

• Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team; 

• Develop your skills and competencies such as literacy and phonics strategies for emerging learners of English; 

• Be able to access relevant training, including safeguarding training. 

• Be able to obtain a reference from us relating to your placement after 3 months of regular volunteering. 

Cats Protection is the UK’s leading feline welfare charity and our vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs. Cats are at the centre of everything we do and our objectives are: homing, neutering and educating people about cats and their care. We help thousands of cats across the UK each year thanks to our network of dedicated volunteers, staff and supporters.

A bit about this role

As a charity we are able to help thousands of cats each year thanks to the generous donations we receive from members of the public. Our fundraising team leaders have the exciting and varied role of inspiring our fundraising volunteers to plan and deliver local fundraising events. Using their passion and imagination, they oversee a small team of fundraising volunteers who come together to raise the vital funds needed to cover costs such as veterinary bills and food. Our fundraising team leaders support their team of volunteers in all aspects of their roles, making sure our volunteers are happy, confident and supported.

What can you expect to be doing?

• Supporting and encouraging a team of fundraising volunteers in the Horsham and district area
• Planning fundraising events and activities with your team
• Allocating tasks before and during fundraising events
• Keeping financial records from fundraising events
• Encouraging and promoting a professional image of Cats Protection 
• Following policies and guidelines and ensuring licences and permits are obtained for events

A bit more information about this role and the team

• This is a flexible role. The amount of time you offer can work to your availability and convenience.
• There may be opportunities for your activities to be fully remote and/or admin based if you'd prefer.
• You will need your own transport if you wish to attend events, ideally a car or van since items, stock and equipment will usually be needed.
• We ask that you complete training to support you in your role. This can be completed online if you have access to the internet and the necessary device (computer/laptop/tablet etc). Support can be offered or paper versions of much of the training if needed.

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 by helping raise funds and awareness through organising local events. You will also meet new people, make new friends and be part of a dedicated team of volunteers.

We’re looking for someone with

• Great people skills and the ability to bring out the best in others
• Excellent organisational skills
• The ability to prioritise and delegate
• An appreciation of the importance of handling money and charity resources responsibly
• Fine-tuned communication skills and a passion for engaging with people within your local community
• Basic IT skills to use Cats Protection systems - training and support can be provided
• Committee volunteers need to be aged 18+

Time expectation

Our fundraising team leaders usually spend three to four hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.

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.

Who are we?

We are Buttons & Bubbles CIC. We work with children, young people, families and other professionals associated and affected by illness and disability. We have several different services including inclusive characters, sensory workshops, resources, events, advocacy and more.

What are we looking for?

Do you enjoy art? Graphic design? Are you an amazing illustrator? Then we might just have a project for you. One of our aims is to have every type of disability in every culture, religion and ethnicity depicted through our characters. And yes, we know that’s going to mean a lot of hard work and a lot of characters! But NO we are not asking you to complete this entire project!

We’ve created 11 characters so far that depict a variety of conditions. We want to look at potentially re-developing these characters and starting work on some new ones!

What do we expect?

• Be willing to undertake our training programme which will be done virtually and at a time to suit you.

• Have an Enhanced DBS check (preferably be on the update system)

• Sign our volunteer contract. (If you disagree with anything in it please do discuss it

  with us and we will be happy to have a conversation and make small changes if

  appropriate).

• A positive attitude to disability and illness. We are happy to answer questions on this.

  What can you expect?

  • A community group that does not currently operate a rota system of any kind. You don’t have to regularly commit your time.

• A kind, caring, nurturing company who cares about people, staff and volunteers. Our aim is to keep your wellbeing at the centre of our work.

• A very positive and proactive approach to disability and illness. Any and all accommodations will be made that you require. If there is anything you wish to discuss in private please email us and we will arrange a confidential chat.

Benefits to Volunteering with Buttons & Bubbles CIC

• Gaining valuable experience and improving your confidence

• Allows you to explore potentially different areas of interest.

• Make a difference to community

• Develop your current skill set and gain new skills.

• Displays your level of commitment to future employers.

• Displays your ability to balance and schedule your time effectively when seeking future employment.

Our Friends Ageing Better (FAB) project is looking for volunteer hosts for our FAB cafés around Bristol. In this volunteer role, you’ll be part of creating vibrant, welcoming community spaces that build relationships and connect people with activities in their local community.

At Age UK Bristol, we want to change the way we age. We aim to keep people aged 55+ well and active, encouraging Bristol to be an Age Friendly city. We do this in 3 ways - through providing practical help and supporting people’s emotional and physical wellbeing in a range of ways depending on their needs.  In addition, we want to prevent people from needing our help wherever possible.  We do this in our strategic work, where we aim to create the conditions for older adults to remain healthy and independent.

We are looking for FAB Cafe Host Volunteers for the following cafes

• Avonmouth - Mondays, 2:30-4:30
• Fishponds - Tuesday mornings
• Westbury-on-Trym - Wednesdays, 10:00-12:00
• Withywood - Tuesdays 11:00-1:00

The role involves

• Welcoming older people who are new to the FAB café
• Facilitating conversation and activities in the group
• Promoting your local FAB café and the FAB membership card scheme
• Keeping sign-up sheets for attendees at cafes
• Providing information about events and activities happening in the local area with the support of the FAB team

The qualities and skills required for this role are

• Welcoming and friendly disposition, with the ability to include people.
• Reliability.
• Ability to communicate well with a diverse range of people.
• Ability to respond to people’s varied access needs (such as hearing loss) to make sure each individual can participate well.
• Ability to work cooperatively in a busy community setting.
• An understanding of the needs of older people.

Become a Trustee of Young Citizens and help light the spark of active citizenship for children and young people 

With citizenship education set to become statutory in primary schools, votes at 16 on the horizon, and growing concern about the health of our democracy, this is a pivotal moment to join Young Citizens as a Trustee. 

For over 35 years, Young Citizens has helped children and young people understand society, engage in democracy and make a positive impact in their communities. Through flagship programmes like The Big Legal Lesson, The Big Democracy Lesson, the Make a Difference Challenge and the National Mock Trial Competitions, we bring citizenship to life in classrooms and communities across the UK – reaching 300,000+ young people every year. 

Our five-year strategy, Lighting the Spark, is focused on making sure every young person in the UK experiences powerful, practical and immersive citizenship learning. As a Trustee, you will help shape this next phase of growth, strengthen our financial sustainability, and ensure we make the most of the opportunities ahead.

This is a voluntary role (reasonable expenses reimbursed) and a chance to play a strategic part in strengthening UK democracy through education. 

Role Snapshot 

• Shape Young Citizens’ strategic direction and monitor performance 
• Ensure compliance with charity law and our governing document 
• Safeguard the charity’s values, reputation, and financial integrity 
• Oversee effective use of resources and long-term sustainability 
• Support and advise the CEO, ensuring delivery against agreed objectives 
• Act as an ambassador, promoting Young Citizens and building relationships with partners, funders, and supporters 

Why join as a Young Citizens Trustee? 

Being a Young Citizens trustee is a strategic and deeply rewarding opportunity. You will: 

• Help steer a national charity at a pivotal moment for citizenship education and democracy 
• Collaborate with fellow trustees bringing expertise in education, law, finance, communications, governance, and public affairs 
• See our impact first-hand by attending key events such as programme launches and the National Finals of our competitions 
• Support a small but highly skilled staff team (around 13 colleagues across the UK) and a network of 1500+ professional volunteers 
• Contribute to decisions on resource investment, digital development, programme growth, and deepening impact 

In short, you’ll help ensure hundreds of thousands of young people every year gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to participate meaningfully in society. 

What We Are Looking For 

We’re seeking two trustees who can help Young Citizens expand our reach, influence, and financial resilience. You don’t need prior trustee experience, we provide a full induction, safeguarding training, and ongoing support.

We’re especially interested in those with expertise in one or more of the following areas: 

• Citizenship teaching or school leadership – understanding how schools work and how to embed civic learning and active citizenship across the curriculum. 
• Marketing, communications and influencing – building brands, running campaigns, shifting perceptions and engaging educators, young people and supporters. 
• Business growth, strategic partnerships and business development – scaling organisations, securing strategic partnerships and growing mission-aligned income streams. 
• Digital transformation or innovation – using digital tools, products or platforms to grow impact. 
• Fundraising and income generation – philanthropy, trusts and foundations, corporate fundraising or individual giving. 

We continue to welcome applications from those experienced in leadership, public service, law, finance, policy or youth engagement.

If you’re ready to help steer a national charity at a pivotal moment for citizenship education, influence strategy and strengthen UK democracy through education, we’d love to hear from you!

Role Requirements 

The role requires around 4–6 hours per month, including preparation and engagement between meetings. Trustees attend four board meetings a year at our St Paul's office (usually weekday evenings), monthly online finance updates, and an annual Away Day. Appointments are for an initial three-year term, with potential renewal. While day-to-day operations are led by the Chief Executive and senior team, trustees hold ultimate responsibility for governance and compliance.

To learn more about the role and the application process, please refer to the job pack for full details. 

Support EcoCounts management with administrative tasks, keeping accurate records, and helping smooth operations. 

This is a hybrid role and you will need to attend in person every now and again, so we are looking for someone local to our area in N. London. 

We are looking for someone who has worked in a small, busy office for at least 3 years, preferably at a senior level.

What will you be doing?

• Helping the founder and lead volunteer Adam, the trustees, and the main project leads

• Picking up non-time critical, general tasks from meetings or on-going workstreams

• Fielding external queries to appropriate people

• Overseeing the whole operation with a view to identifying weak spots or neglected areas

• Providing support for a crowdfunder scheduled for February 2026

Purpose of role 

You will play a crucial role in supporting our Senior Hospital Services Partnerships & Outreach Executive with the administration and delivery of our Sunshine in Hospitals programme. From carrying out general administrative duties, liaising with medical professionals across our core hospitals, to supporting with the delivery of our diverse hospital programme, you will help create a positive and uplifting environment for young patients and their families currently undergoing medical treatment.  

Key Responsibilities: 

· General administrative duties, including sending out of promotional materials to hospitals, monitoring and responding to email enquiries from the hospital services inbox, and taking telephones calls.

• Supporting with the planning and delivery of activities at our Hospital Activity Days, such as arts and crafts, games, and storytelling sessions, tailored to the interests and abilities of the children. 

• Collaborate with hospital staff to ensure activities are safe and appropriate for the medical setting. 

• Assist in setting up and cleaning up activity areas before and after sessions. 

• Support with the delivery of our special projects (i.e. sensory bags, teddybear day, world book day, liquid to tablets initiative). Including and not limited to researching and sourcing products, dealing with suppliers and associated administrative duties.

• Support with the distribution and collection of feedback from medical teams and families taking part in any of our programmes.

What skills do I need to have? 

• Friendly, you'll be an ambassador of Rays of Sunshine whilst volunteering with us 

• Experience of working with children and young people (not essential but preferred) 

• Be comfortable interacting with others (especially children and young people) to create a relaxed and positive experience for them and their families 

• Creative and organised, with knowledge of using Microsoft programmes (such as powerpoint and excel)

• Ability to solve problems and manage unexpected situations/last minute requests with a calm and professional manner 

• Caring and empathic

• Ability to work collaboratively with hospital staff and other volunteers. 

The Media & Communications Director will play a pivotal role in developing communication strategies to enhance awareness and recognition of mountain rescue and the teams within the UK, and supporting internal communication to enable effective dissemination of information and news for Mountain Rescue England & Wales (MREW), supporting 47 active mountain rescue teams across the region. This voluntary position is responsible for devising and implementing a robust plan, working alongside a range of partners and colleagues.

Reporting to the CEO, the person will need to contribute to the MREW’s overall future strategy. There will be a need to understand the MR structure and to have the ability to work as part of the MREW Senior Management Team, and alongside trustees, liaison team, regional structure and local teams. 

Mountain Rescue England & Wales (MREW) is a voluntary organisation that provides mountain rescue services 24/7, 365 days a year, and offers support to communities during other crises. It consists of 47 independent volunteer search and rescue teams that operate across eight geographical areas. The organisation serves as the national body to represent the whole organisation, acting as an advisory body, linking with partner organisations and helping to standardise training and share information.

Objectives

 The overarching activities for this role are:

• Development of external communication to a wide range of outdoor enthusiasts and ‘new explorers’ taking an interest in the great outdoors. 
•  Leadership of a small team plus the wider Media and Communications Network (MCN) of MR volunteers to develop and deliver a Media and Communications Strategy and programme of activity
  • Publications and online communications (all social media)
  • Website development
  • Development of key messages, inc. support to MREW spokespeople (messages, materials and training) to enable effective stakeholder communications.
•  Leading and planning for effective reactive communications in challenging situations, including issues management, messaging and spokesperson briefing.
• Liaison with external partners (PR, Magazine Editor, Public Affairs), relevant media and stakeholders, including a process for responding to incoming enquiries and interview requests and a process for planning proactive media activities.
•  Development of key messages inc. safety messaging
• The development of effective Internal communications to support knowledge of MREW and to enable consistency of message from the family of Teams.
• Represent MREW at relevant external meetings.

Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to inspire and influence a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Strong relationship management skills, with the ability to foster trust and accurately represent MREW’s mission and goals.
•  Ability to work alongside colleagues and manage competing priorities.
• Creativity, imagination and intuition.
• Excellent communication skills, written and spoken.
• Good organisational and project management skills.
• An ability to develop, negotiate and work within a financial budget.
• A strategic approach to the reputational management of mountain rescue in England and Wales (at all levels).
• Knowledge and understanding of the various forms of media, including broadcast and print, digital and social, so as to be able to meet their differing needs and ensure that there is a clear process for the handling of approaches or enquiries to MREW from outside media organisations, agencies or individuals.

Personal Attributes

• The ability to lead and motivate a team that combines volunteer and professional roles and that covers a range of disciplines, skills and platforms.
• Capable of working under pressure, within constraints and meeting deadlines.
• The ability to build and maintain relationships, internally and externally, based on integrity and trust.
• The ability to delegate to others, engaging and involving appropriate support from the wider network.
• Strong personal creativity, imagination and intuition in dealing with challenges, opportunities and people.
• A proactive attitude, with the drive and enthusiasm to initiate and carry out projects to conclusion, involving others, on time and on budget.
• Resilience, particularly when faced with challenges, uncertainty and setbacks.

Management responsibilities:

• To contribute to the management of MREW through regular business meetings, ensuring that the media and communications aspects of activity are considered in planning and decision-making.
• To ensure all network members are treated fairly, in line with MREW policies and also its mission and values.
• To develop an approach to the sustainability of the Media and Communications function, including succession planning for key roles and the strengthening of the dispersed network.

We are looking for a motivated, self-starter with a proactive attitude, drive and enthusiasm to carry out projects to conclusion. You will need to demonstrate commitment to the mission and cause of the charity. 

Qualifications

• Essential to this role is an awareness of the internal character of MR and the external environment in which it operates, and an ability to identify and anticipate communications priorities.
• Practical experience in a media or communications management role is also desirable, for instance, such as journalism, PR, marketing, or online media.
• An ability to plan proactive media and communications activities and to develop ways of measuring their effectiveness.
• Experience of issues and crisis management, enabling anticipation and support to management and others on the development of plans, messages and position statements.

Additional notes

• To work with the CEO to plan for future activity and to ensure that a planned communications approach is developed.
• To ensure all committee members are treated fairly through MREW Equal Opportunities Policy.
• To work with other national teams to release internal communications, press statements and support campaigns as required.
• This is a voluntary role within MREW, elected annually; it is expected that the applicant will serve a term of 5 years, with a possible extension of a further 5 years if desired.
• Travel during the working day may be required, with occasional absence from home overnight, as meetings with partners, colleagues, and other stakeholders may cover a large geographical area. Out-of-pocket expenses can be reclaimed in line with the MREW Expenses Policy.