Community group volunteer volunteer roles in greater london

Family Lives was formed over forty years ago by volunteers with the aim of ensuring that all parents had somewhere to turn before they reach crisis point.

We know that the right support at the right time makes all the difference.

Family Lives provides targeted early intervention and crisis support to families who are struggling.

Purpose of the role:

To be part of a flexible team providing empathic, caring and informed support to families, carers and others who use our services.

Our volunteers take calls from parents and carers on a wide range of subjects, whether that might be issues around separation and divorce, isolation, depression, bullying and abuse, dealing with behavioural problems, etc. You can find out more about our services on our website. We are a national service with home-based call takers county wide and a call centre in Old Hatfield Hertfordshire.

Once trained volunteers sign up for a weekly 4-hour shift comprising 3 hours ‘online’ followed by a debrief session with your supervisor which can last around half to one hour.

We recruit volunteers with a range of backgrounds and experiences though we ask that volunteers have experience of parenting or working with children and young people, are good listeners and have a willingness to learn. Being remote it will be very important that you have a PC/laptop, plug in headset with microphone, good Wi-Fi and a private place to work from home. You need to be a UK resident.

Our volunteers often tell us how rewarding their time with us is.

You'll be part of a compassionate community and feel a real sense of pride for what you do. You'll meet new people, gain valuable experience, and develop your skillset. We're passionate about helping people to reach their full potential, so we'll offer you full training suitable for the role, supervision from a named member of staff, including help setting personal development goals, and opportunities to increase skills and input into practice via regular Practice Development Groups.

Our training programme is excellent and will give you the opportunity to develop the skills needed to offer empathic support and guidance to callers whatever their circumstances; all shifts are overseen by a regular shift supervisor who provides ongoing remote support.

We ask our volunteers to make a commitment of 1 year (with time off for holidays), obviously we understand that circumstances sometimes make that an impossibility but can be helpful to know at the outset that is the general expectation.

We have remote call taker training sessions that run over five sessions and is done remotely connecting you via a Microsoft Teams link. Our next training is starting in September 2025.

Module One = Tues 16th Sept

Module Two = Wed 24th Sept

Module Three = Weds 1st Oct

Module Four = Weds 8th Oct

Module Five = Wed 15th Oct

10am to 2pm

You would need to be able to attend all five sessions and be available on four occasions to listen into calls, this can be organised remotely. If you are unable to attend the training however are interested, please do apply as we run training throughout the year.

Why we want you: 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. The friendly faces and warm welcome provided by branch volunteers mean attendees get the most from the group, with the activities on offer running smoothly.

What you will be doing: Core to group meetings, you'll help set up the venue, offering a warm welcome to all attendees; assist with fundraising events; getting involved in the activities the group offers - joining in to get the most out of these for you too.

The skills you need: Good communication skills; supportive; able to listen to the needs of people with Parkinson's, and reflect these to the group to shape the support provided; honest; you'll know when to ask for help, or when tasks might be seen as less important, and able to share that with Parkinson's UK and your group.

What's in it for you: You'll make new friends and meet new people, both in the branch and in the local community; you'll be making a real difference for people affected by Parkinson's in your community; developing valuable organisational and people skills; you'll be part of a movement of people improving the lives of people affected by Parkinson's; you'll be able to take part in the activities of the group.

Providing a confidential non-judgemental listening ear to Residents and Staff. Supporting those wishing to develop their spiritual journey from a Christian perspective. The role will be based across one of our hostels in Watford, Borehamwood, Bishop's Stortford, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield or High Wycombe, 

Activities include:

• Proactively engaging with Residents and staff to build safe relationships and trust
• Offering a ‘listening ear’ to all and giving emotional support
• Sensitively discerning when to offer prayer and support from a Christian perspective, and when to use faith based language
• Be inclusive and welcoming to people of all religious faiths and none, referring people to other faith communities as appropriate
• Working alongside support staff, volunteers & local agencies
• Maintaining records of support and feeding back concerns about Resident welfare to Staff/Line Manager.
• Attend regular volunteer team meetings
• Being proactive in seeking spiritual and emotional support for your own benefit as this is a challenging role.

Additional activities could include:

• Facilitating group work for example: Retreat Programme, Bible Study, prayer or Mental Health Support.
• Welcoming new Residents by phone or in person
• Leading or helping with Chaplaincy lead events: Easter/Christmas activities, Remembrance Services
• Being an ambassador for YMCA’s mission in local Churches

Skills/Qualities/Experience:

• Be a good and active listener who can support others
• Be of a friendly, welcoming and cheerful disposition
• Self-motivated, reliable and punctual
• Sensitivity and courage to care for people experiencing a range of distressing situations including: grief, trauma, poor mental health, substance misuse, suicidal thoughts.
• A commitment to your own spiritual development
• A good understanding of the Christian faith, as well as some understanding of other faith traditions
• Ability to use both faith and non-faith based language, as appropriate
• Good communication skills in English; in person & over the phone
• A willingness to learn new things and get stuck in
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Respect the Christian ethos of the YMCA and uphold its values
• Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have

Training Support:

• A full induction to the service and specific site will be provided
• A one day ‘Chaplaincy Essentials’ training, plus a menu of additional training will be made available
• Online training: Safeguarding (Adults & Young People), Fire Awareness, Manual Handling
• Ongoing support and regular 1:1 meetings with your line-manager
• Team meetings and social events
• Mileage and expenses may be payable

You will need 2 x references and a DBS (we will apply for and fund this). 

Enjoy dancing? Interested in supporting young Disabled people in an inclusive setting? Volunteering with us is a great way to build teamwork and communication skills in a warm and welcoming community.

No dance experience needed, just an interest or passion for supporting young people.

Stopgap Dance Company are a global leader of disability access in dance and continuously examine best practice. We actively advocate for the industry and the wider world to become more inclusive.

Our mission is to create an inclusive world where diversity is not just accepted but pursued, a world where no one is limited by prejudice against Deaf, Disabled or neurodivergent people.

Alongside our professional productions we run multiple dance companies during the week and we are looking for motivated volunteers to support with our Wednesday evening group.

Below is an idea of the things you could support with:

• Welcoming members at the start of the session
• Helping with setting up and tidying the space
• Encouraging our members to engage in activities
• Supporting with the creative tasks
• Performing at our annual community platform
• Dancing and having fun!

Skills you’ll gain from joining us:

• Invaluable teamwork and communication skills
• A chance to support your local community
• A fulfilling and rewarding experience that builds your confidence within an inclusive setting
• A deeper understanding on how to teach and support an inclusive group
• Build great relationships with the group members and other volunteers.

Availability: Wednesday evening, during term time only.
Consistency is key for the young people we work with, so we are looking for someone who would be able to commit to most weeks.

Venue: Guildford, GU1 1NS

DBS check: Anyone who becomes a regular part of our team will need a DBS. If you do not already have one, we will ask you to complete an online form before starting, as well as reading our Safeguarding and code of conduct policies.

Crossness Pumping Station (overseen by the Crossness Engines Trust) is a unique and valuable museum of UK and world reknown telling the history of how the ambitious management of sewage transformed London as a city of growth and innovation in the 1860s and helped eradicate cholera. Preserved and restored by a group of enthusiasts since 1987, we are now entering a second phase of major restoration and we need visionary trustees who can help us achieve it.

This role is one of three we have created for experts in their field to help us implement a major programme over the next 5-10 years. It really is your chance to be part of our history!

As well as the usual trustee roles (outlined in the role description attached) the specific skills needed for this role include:

Role Objectives

• Acting as lead expert on the Board in relation to fundraising (eg grant funding, legacy funding, onsite donations, but not commercial trading/visitor charges).
• Advising on good practice and regulatory and policy issues in charity fundraising.
• Identifying future fundraising prospects and working with volunteers to achieve these.

Responsibilities

• Work with a volunteer lead/team on identifying future funding sources from grant-making bodies.
• Develop a fundraising strategy with volunteers.
• Develop corporate fundraising targets with other trustees.
• Investigate legacy fundraising and other visitor/member/donor opportunities.

Candidate requirements

 Essential

• Proven success in heritage or similar charity fundraising.
• Good knowledge of the standards required by the Institute of Fundraising.
• Ability to develop fundraising skills in volunteers.
• Good knowledge of relevant stakeholders in the fundraising community.
• Excellent communication skills including with staff and volunteers as well as fellow trustees.
• An understanding of the importance of collaboration and problem-solving.
• Confident and proficient in the use of MS Office 365.
• Commitment to attend board meetings regularly and volunteer for other sub-committees as appropriate.
• Able to devote around 2-3 hours per week on preparing for meetings.
• Treating colleagues with respect and politeness.

Desirable

• Experience in the charity sector.
• Experience as a volunteer in a similar organisation.
• Experience in Digital, Marketing and Finance would also be useful.

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

Thousands of cats each year rely on the help of animal charities because they have been abandoned, they have strayed or because there has been a change in their owner’s circumstances. Becoming an administration volunteer is just one way you can help improve the lives of cats in your local community. Our administration volunteers help provide vital admin support to our volunteer groups and teams across Cats Protection. They help keep up to date records of the number of cats that have been rehomed, collate supporter details and send out newsletters. This could be the perfect volunteer role if you have administrative experience, a passion for cats, or both!

You can expect us to

· Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours

· Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection

· Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy

· Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

What we need from you

You’ll be:

· Recording relevant information related to your volunteer group

· Signposting enquiries to the relevant teams within Cats Protection

· Sending information to supporters, volunteers and to our Head Office

· Distributing information leaflets if required

Time expectation

Our administration volunteers usually spend 2 to 3 hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.

Inspiring, supportive, and committed - just a few of the words we’d use to describe our volunteers. 

At Rethink Mental Illness, volunteers are at the heart of what we do. They play a vital role in supporting our services and making a real difference in people’s lives. If you’re looking for a rewarding role where you can have a positive impact while developing your own skills and experience, we’d love you to join us. 

About the role

We are looking for Volunteer Befrienders to support our Brent Mental Health service in the London Borough of Brent. 

As a Volunteer Befriender, you will be required to travel across Brent to meet with service users and carry out your role. Ideally, you will be able to commit a minimum of 2 hours per week to volunteering. 

You will be supported by Befriending Volunteer Coordinators who will provide regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. You can read more about the benefits of volunteering on the full advert on our website.

About the service

Our Brent Mental Health service provides support to people aged 18 and above, who live in the Borough of Brent, and who have a mental illness and are known to the local NHS trust Central and North West London (CNWL).

The Befriending Service aims to;

• Reduce social isolation of service users
• Increase the confidence of service users in accessing community resources independently
• Provide meaningful activities and peer support for service users 
• Help service users to live happier, healthier, independent lives
• Provide volunteering opportunities for people with mental health issues
• Reduce stigma and raise mental health awareness

What you will be doing as a Volunteer Befriender:

• Meeting with service users in locations and times which meet their needs (including evenings and weekends)
• Provide befriending support to a maximum of 2 service users at any one time
• Provide emotional support based on your own lived experience
• Support service users to access and build social and community networks and activities
• Act as a community connector to local services

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• You will have good communication skills
• You will be flexible to meet the needs of the service users

How to apply 

To apply, simply click the “apply now” button on the advert on our website and complete a short interest form. 

If you would like to express an interest in this opportunity, please complete an application as soon as possible, as the advert may close early if we receive a high level of interest.

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”    

It is an exciting time to join our growing charity. We are on a transformation journey, one that supports the delivery of the organisation strategy – delivering Communities that Care. Supporting employees, managers and leaders through this change is a key priority for the People function. Just like its key that we attract diverse people to come and work for us.    

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion  

Diversity is important to us and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic and our LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.  

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation  

We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrate our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.  

We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning), Intersex and (asexual) (LGBTQIA+), people with a disability, and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. 

Trustee (Voluntary Role)

Location: Nationwide

Department: Volunteer Roles

Salary: Volunteer Role

Job Type: Part time

Contract Type: Permanent

Do you want to help lead an organisation committed to addressing low literacy and numeracy levels amongst people in the criminal justice system?

We’ve made substantial progress in recent years, with improvements and expansions to our delivery model and significant growth in our staff team. To support our strategic development, we are recruiting new Trustees to help steer our activities and strengthen our governance.

Working collaboratively with our non-executive Board of 14 trustees, your responsibilities will include shaping and monitoring the charity’s strategic direction, overseeing financial planning, risk and compliance, supporting and constructively challenging senior staff, and acting as an ambassador for our work. You’ll also ensure our governance is robust and that we meet our regulatory obligations. The role typically involves between four and ten days each year and is unpaid, though reasonable travel and other expenses will be reimbursed.

To succeed in this role, you will bring strong personal commitment to our mission, the confidence to engage in strategic and governance discussions, and a readiness to support and challenge respectfully. You do not need prior trustee experience - training and support will be provided. We particularly welcome applicants with skills or experience in governance/regulation or legal practice, digital strategy, marketing and brand development, fundraising, board-level financial management, HR and organisational development, educational practice, leadership across public/private/charity sectors, government relations, and equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging. We are equally interested in those with lived experience relevant to our mission (for example, developing reading skills later in life or having personal experience of the criminal justice system).

If you share our dedication to supporting literacy, numeracy, and transformation within the criminal justice system, we’d love to hear from you - please see our recruitment pack for further details.

Benefits: Induction training and ongoing training to support and develop you in your volunteer role; ongoing support and quarterly reviews to gain the most from your volunteering experience; flexible volunteering opportunities, subject to the requirements of your role; reasonable, out of pocket, volunteering expenses are reimbursed.

REF-224 167

Why we want you:
Food banks provide three-day emergency food parcels for people in crisis, volunteering in partnership with organisations across the community. Through our social media platforms, we are aiming to gain support for our activity as a food bank and raise awareness in our local community of the drivers pushing people into poverty in order to inspire local people to take action and support us. We are looking for a Social Media volunteer to help oversee and drive this important activity forward and enable us to elevate the voice of food bank staff, volunteers, and those with first-hand experience of hardship. 

What you will be doing:

• Lead the development and delivery of our social media and communications plan.
• Prepare a social media calendar of key annual activities for the next 12 months.
• Increase our Social media presence and grow our follower numbers.
• Create regular, innovative and engaging social media posts that reflect our campaigns, key activities, events, and requests for support.
• Engage and interact with our followers, keeping them up to date with activities and developments.
• Follow, reshare, and like posts from our key audiences, ensuring our accounts remain active and relevant Identify new trends we might use to strengthen our position within the community.
• Monthly meetings with the food bank manager to plan our social media activity.
• Once a month, visit our 3 sites to create content and stories.
• 4-6 hours per week

The skills you need:

• Experience and understanding in using social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter (privately or professionally)
• Ability to think creatively to deliver engaging and authentic online content with accuracy and good attention to detail.
• Strong in your writing skills and able to deliver messages clearly and confidently.
• Ability to operate in a professional manner when communicating online.
• Understanding the need for confidentiality, safeguarding, and data protection.
• Ability to get on with others and be part of a team, as well as being motivated to complete tasks independently

What's in it for you

• Using your existing skills to make a difference
• Meet new people who share your passion to end poverty in the community
• Make a real difference to the running of your food bank
• The opportunity to serve your local community

Disclaimer

We recognise that we have under-represented groups within our team. As part of our commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity we are actively encouraging applications from under-represented groups such as parents or carers who are re-entering volunteering after a career break, people who are LGBTQ+, from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition

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Become a Healthwatch Champion!
Want to make a difference in your community? Join Healthwatch Barking & Dagenham at pop-up events to raise awareness and gather people’s views on local health and care services. help us listen to local voices and improve health & care services! ✨

What we’re looking for:
Friendly, reliable people who can listen, engage with the public, and represent Healthwatch professionally.

What you’ll get:
✅ Full training & support
✅ Travel expenses covered
✅ Valuable experience & job references
✅ Chance to meet new people and give back

Please get in touch if you wish to apply.

This position is open to anyone with a keen interest in Friends of the Earth and our local campaigns in the borough of Camden. We are looking for someone interested in environmental and sustainability issues and environmental justice in the Camden community who enjoys digital design. 

Duties:

The designer will help with:

• Designing and producing event materials (brochures, flyers, posters)

• Designing social media post templates & banners

• Attending events and being part of the FoE Camden community

Desired attributes: 

• Experience with Image Editing software (Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Canva, etc.)

• Passion for the campaigning group’s mission and a commitment to communicating the impact of the charity's work 

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Please send us a message stating clearly why you are interested in volunteering in our group. Also please be aware Friends of the Earth Camden is a local campaign group, so there's no need to apply if you're not UK/ London based. 

Who are we?

We are Buttons & Bubbles CIC. Our aim is to increase and representation across society for disabled families. We have several different services including inclusive characters, sensory workshops, resources, events, advocacy and more.

What are we looking for?

Are you creative? Or looking for a practical volunteering project with artistic flair? Then we might just have something for you!
This year we turned our inclusive characters into props and began creating our ‘safe bubble’ at festivals. We want to continue this work and made some improvements! Jazz up the props and make our safe space look amazing. In a nutshell we want to make our props more interactive and create props, decorations and lighting for our safe space.But we are super open to hearing ideas as to what we could do with this!

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.

We are passionate about supporting disabled volunteers of all ages. For further information or to apply email us.

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

If you enjoy driving and would love to use those skills to help our cats, this could be the role for you. Our transport volunteers provide vital assistance to our teams and volunteer groups in the local area by transporting equipment, litter, food – and even cats! They have the essential role of connecting our network of volunteers, sites, vets and supporters.

Without the passionate and committed teams of volunteers across Cats Protection, we wouldn’t be able to help the thousands of cats and kittens each year that rely on us for help.

You can expect us to

• Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

A bit more information about this role and the team

The branch are looking for a transport volunteer to cover weekends

What we need from you

You’ll be:

• Arranging and transporting equipment, litter and cat food
• Transporting cats to and from vets, foster homes and centres
• Transporting equipment to and from events

Time expectation

Our transport volunteers usually spend two to four hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

Join Our Board as a Volunteer Member!

Healthwatch Barking & Dagenham is seeking passionate individuals to help shape the future of local health and care.

What you’ll do:
✔️ Take part in board meetings
✔️ Guide strategy and governance
✔️ Champion community voices

What we’re looking for:
�� Experience in governance or community health
�� Strong teamwork & problem-solving skills
❤️ Commitment to improving local services

What you’ll gain:
�� Influence change in health & care
�� Training & support
�� Networking opportunities