Community volunteer roles in aberystwyth, ceredigion
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
The Feminist Shop
The ethos behind The Feminist Shop is to explore and fuel feminism from different angles: education (content), ethical shop, community creation and more! We give back to the cause through information, profit sharing, supporting companies with the same values in the process, and taking care of the ethics.
All the products are not only ethically produced but conceived to be wearable activism: statement makers & conversation starters.
It has, since its conception evolved and now it is now also focused on the work of Virginia, the founder, as author, consultant and trainer on topics related with gender equality.
We want a more equal world for everyone (#NoPressure). Fight the stigma around the word feminism, educate about the importance of gender equality, empower people to challenge gender stereotypes and become part of the solution.
We want to be is the brand that helps people no matter where they are in their journey, and we do it in many different ways!
- Ethical products that are conversation starters and statement makers
- We sell (and recommend) over 300 books! whatever you are curious about it we probably have a book about it!
- Virginia has written 2 children's books (one about gender stereotypes and one about consent) and a parenting book.
- Training, consulting, public speaking… something bespoke for your organisation (school, business, community…)
We couldn't be here without some help! The shop is not profitable yet but we still donate a % of the revenue and care deeply about creating something we are proud of. We want to be able to have a team one day and grow the project but at the moment we need to scale and get there. We want your help to get us there (and then hopefully join us!) and hope you learn a lot on the way, try your ideas, build connections and skills and feel part of something that makes a difference.
Graphic Designer/Artist
Volunteer Role Description (remote, unpaid)
We are looking to refresh the vibe of the The Feminist Shop and would like to bring more vibrant and visually appealing designs in collaboration with feminist artists. We can't pay upfront (although there will be gift card when published, and a profit share with the sales and full credit given, with links to personal websites/social media).
Weekly Time Commitment
4-6 hours per week
Duration of Volunteer Role (remote)
One-off project
We connect professionals with impact startups matching their causes, skills & schedule.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Patient and Public Involvement 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 Patient and Public Involvement Volunteer, to join our project team looking at developing a payment for involvement policy. The MS Society involves people affected by MS in many aspects of work, often this involvement means that we share decision-making power with people affected by MS or we gain insights on living with MS which help shape our work. It is considered best practice across the involvement sector to reimburse people for their time when they contribute to our work in this way. The aim of this project is to establish a policy on how the MS Society should be reimbursing people for time spent on involvement activities.
Your role on the project group will be to represent the needs and opinions of the MS community on this topic. You’ll be asked to attend regular online project meetings (one meeting every 6 weeks). You’ll also be asked for feedback on ideas and the draft policy via email in between meetings. The project is expected to last until autumn 2025.
This is a great opportunity to gain experience within a large charity and develop your existing skills and learn new ones.
About You
You’ll have an interest in the MS Society and the work that we do, as well as the enthusiasm to get involved and represent us and our values. You will understand the needs of people affected by MS.
To Apply
- Read through the role description carefully and apply online
The MS Society is committed to promoting diversity. We can only offer roles to over 18s.
Over past decades, enormous advances have been made in our understanding of MS. Research has got us to a critical point, and we can see a future where nobody needs to worry about their MS getting worse. Our Stop MS Appeal needs to raise £100 million to find treatments for everyone with MS.
Our Stop MS Champions help us reach more people and inspire them to get involved in our Stop MS Appeal by encouraging raising funds and awareness by delivering presentations, attending events and identifying new audiences to speak to. They inspire people to engage with and influence fundraisers and groups, enthuse people and make sure our community’s voice is heard.
As our Lead Stop MS Champion, you’ll motivate your team of Stop MS Champions to help reach more people and inspire them to get involved in our Stop MS Appeal.
By using your ability to motivate and support, you will oversee and lead a team of 5-10 Stop MS Champion volunteers, encouraging them to engage the people they know to raise funds and awareness, and provide reliable information and guidance.
You’ll also network to engage with and influence fundraisers and community groups, enthusing people by delivering presentations at events and finding new audiences to speak to. In this role, as well as developing your leadership, networking, influencing, communication, organisation and presentation skills, you’ll have a chance to be part of something amazing – you could help us stop MS.
Help children as Trustee of an innovative, enterprising Tees Valley Charity that is increasingly supporting children in care through fostering and a planned residential provision. Join an agency that transforms children's lives.
What will you be doing?
You will join us at an exciting time as we pursue growth of fostering and residential services, as well as growth of our early help offer.
You will work across the Charity and the subsidiary fostering company (which we will amalgamate back into the parent Charity).
You will have a particular focus on helping the fostering agency drive growth, ensure regulatory compliance, and deliver excellent care for children and support for foster parents. You will provide support and challenge to the management team.
You’ll contribute 2 to 6 hours a month. The Charity board meets every 8 weeks (shifting to quarterly after September) and the fostering board meets every 8 weeks.
You’ll join a Charity that’s brought £millions of investment into Tees Valley and that helps over 1000 local people a year. We’ve been runners up at the national Charity Governance Awards and ‘community’ winners at the Hartlepool Business Awards.
We are looking for experienced professionals who share our values and want to help.
What are we looking for?
At this time we are specifically looking for Trustees with some of these areas of skills or experience:
Business development
Safeguarding management
Fostering or children's residential care or childrens social work management
Financial management
What difference will you make?
We want to help children and family members heal from trauma, primarily through helping them develop a network of nurturing, loving and appropriately challenging relationships with people in their close and wider communities. Any small surplus we make from helping children in care will be diverted into work to help families stay together and thrive. You will join a team that strives to make this difference. You will help ensure the Charity keeps a strong focus on children and young peoples needs whilst being sustainability and ensuring the agency manages the risks associated with growth and investment in new services.
Before you apply
After expressing an interest through the site, we'd welcome an initial conversation with our CEO and/or Chair. After that, we usually take applications to the Board for consideration. This is usually quite a quick process.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
About Access Academia
Access Academia is the charitable umbrella which was created out of the creation of the student-led publication, the Journal of Intersectional Social Justice. When Journal of Intersectional Social Justice (JISJ) was created, there were not any expectations for the project to be any more than that: a student-led academic publication. However, as it rolled on, attention for the project widened and it began to cover other topics and get involved in other realms of knowledge sharing, activism, and content creation. The creation of the seminal Access Series on the Intersections blog springboarded the idea for the JISJ to turn into something much more than a simple academic publication. Now as we have restructured the JISJ into Access Academia, we are finalising our official registration as a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) in the UK.
Our core purpose is to Make Academia More Accessible. We plan to accomplish this by many different avenues, as obviously it is a very wide-ranging goal! The main ways we plan to do this are through encouraging Open Access academia and knowledge sharing through the Access Series, expanding the themes covered on Intersections with additions such as Mental Health Mondays and Colonialism in Subject, creating accessible content across our social media platforms which encourages truthful and accurate knowledge sharing and activism, running research events to encourage students to publish and interact with academia, covering inside stories of academia, running student engagement programmes to try and make academia less of an Ivory Tower, and much more!
What is a Volunteership?
A volunteership is a unique hybrid opportunity that combines elements of volunteering and interning. Participants commit to working with a charity or nonprofit organization for a specified period of time, fulfilling a set of responsibilities and expectations. In return, they gain valuable experience, receive a letter of recommendation, and are offered LinkedIn endorsements. Additionally, they may have the chance to continue working with the charity through future hiring cycles as long as they remain a student. This experience provides both personal fulfillment through giving back to the community and professional development for future career opportunities.
Volunteership: Events & Programmes Coordinator
Duration: May to August 2025
Eligibility: Must be currently enrolled as a student
Requirements:
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Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate program.
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Strong interest in event planning, programme coordination, and nonprofit work.
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Excellent organizational skills with the ability to multitask and prioritize.
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Strong written and verbal communication skills.
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Ability to work independently as well as in a team setting.
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Prior experience in event planning or project coordination is a plus, but not required.
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Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace.
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A passion for contributing to social impact and supporting charitable initiatives.
Duties & Responsibilities:
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Event Planning & Execution:
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Assist in the planning, coordination, and execution of monthly charity events. This is a minimum of 1 online event per month.
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Work closely with team members to ensure events are organized efficiently, within budget, and aligned with the charity’s mission.
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Help with logistics, setup, and support during events.
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Manage guest lists, invitations, and event communications.
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Annual Research Programme Coordination:
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Support the coordination of the charity’s annual research programme. This is currently an annual programme, the Social Justice Research Fellowship, running in 2025 from June 2nd - August 8th.
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Assist in organizing logistics, outreach, and scheduling for research participants.
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Ensure that resources and materials are available for programme participants.
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Track the progress of the programme and report on key milestones.
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Contribute to planing and logistical initiatives surrounding expanding the provisions of research programmes, including brainstorming and coordination for potential new programmes.
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Collaboration & Teamwork:
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Collaborate with internal teams and volunteers to ensure smooth event and programme execution.
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Participate in regular team meetings, contributing ideas and insights.
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Provide feedback and suggestions for improving the efficiency of events and programmes.
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Participate in Outreach & Marketing meetings and follow direction provided from Senior Staff.
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Post-Event & Programme Reporting:
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Help in post-event evaluations, collecting feedback from participants, and reporting on outcomes.
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Assist in maintaining and updating event and programme documentation for future reference.
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What You’ll Gain:
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Hands-on experience in event management and programme coordination.
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Networking opportunities with peers, university departments and professors, and other charitiable groups.
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Opportunities to develop key skills in project management, communication, and teamwork.
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A letter of recommendation upon successful completion of the volunteership.
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Certificate of participation of the volunteership.
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LinkedIn endorsements and the chance to be considered for future hiring cycles with the charity.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Would you like to be part of our future? After a period of growth Grassroots Suicide Prevention are seeking to recruit further trustees.
We are a national suicide prevention charity, and our vision is a future where more lives are saved from suicide. We empower people to help saves lives from suicide through connecting, educating, and campaigning nationally:
· Connecting: We listen and connect people to support through our Stay Alive app, tools, and resources to help keep people safe from suicide.
· Educating: We offer bespoke and evidence-based consultation and training, co-designed to empower individuals, organisations, and communities to develop the skills and confidence to help save lives.
· Campaigning: We help remove the stigma around suicide. We know that most suicides are preventable with timely intervention and the right support. We raise awareness through campaigning on the ground and influencing at a strategic level.
As a Trustee, you will be joining a charity in a strong position with an ambition to build on our successes. We will be looking to build on existing activities and developing new innovative projects.
Trustees are our most senior leaders. They set our strategic direction, make sure we’re using our resources effectively and ensure we’re having the greatest possible impact in the communities in which we work. Trustees are expected to undertake duties in a manner that reflects GSP’s values and ethos.
We are particularly looking for Trustees with skills and experience in one of the following areas:
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charity experience, ideally a CEO or former CEO who has grown a local charity into a national
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fundraising and/or someone who sits across marketing, comms and fundraising but with more experience on fundraising than comms
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frontline support both online/digital and face to face in health and social care
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business development and networking
We are a friendly and welcoming organisation and are passionate about what we do. You’ll be joining our Board of Trustees at an exciting time with lots of opportunities to build on our success over the next few years. If you have the time and enthusiasm to be part of something amazing, please get in touch.
We welcome applications from those with lived experience.
If you would like to apply and/or find out more about this position, please see the job description attached.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
While gaining invaluable experience in recruitment, human resources and NFP Social enterprise, practice your passion within real-life scenarios.
We are looking for Recruitment Managers to join our team. The ideal candidate will play a vital role in sourcing, engaging and will help us build a diverse and dedicated team to support our brand messages and visions.
If you are enthusiastic, passionate and dedicated about building a dynamic team and are excited to contribute your recruitment skills to a meaningful cause, join us as a Recruitment Manager Volunteer. Together, we can create a positive and lasting impact in our community.
Please note the role is a voluntary position and could be entirely remote. Any incurred reasonable expenses will be paid.
Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with HR and leadership team to understand needs, roles and requirements.
- Develop and implement effective recruitment strategies and campaigns.
- Utilise online platforms, social media, and community networks to advertise opportunities.
- Assist with review applications and inquiries, and assess candidate suitability.
- Conduct interviews with potential candidates to determine their skills, motivations, and alignment with our values and visions.
- Maintain a database of potential and current candidates and keeping track of their skills, interests, and availability.
- Work closely with leadership team and other team members to ensure a seamless transition from recruitment to engagement.
- Regularly report on recruitment metrics and effectiveness to the leadership team.
- Continuously seek opportunities to improve recruitment process.
Requirements:
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to effectively market and promote opportunities.
- Experience in recruitment, human resources, or volunteer management is a plus.
- Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritise effectively.
- Proficiency in using online platforms, social media, and communication tools.
- Dedicated and willing to learn.
- Committed to our values and mission
Please send your CV and a brief cover letter outlining your interest and relevant experience. We look forward to reviewing your application and discussing how you can become a vital part of our team.
ABOUT TESYouth
TESYouth (Training, Employment Opportunities & Social Development for Youth) is a NFP social enterprise which focuses on improving the rate of youth employment, through volunteering, interactive and skill-based workshops, work-experience and training programmes. Together with our strategic partners, we collaborate with organisations to provide youth to develop their skills, and to assist in achieving their career aspirations.
Tackle and reduce youth unemployment by providing with the necessary tools to develop skills, aptitudes, knowledge and self-confidence.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Are you interested in facilitating a peer support group for people who are struggling with their mental health? We are looking for passionate volunteers to facilitate a weekly online or face-to-face group, to discuss topics relating to mental health. We are hoping to find someone who has either ‘lived experience’ of mental health issues and is now at a positive place with their own recovery or someone who has good knowledge of mental health and looking to support others.
We work with people who need support with their mental health across London and the South East. Our support ranges from registered accommodation services for people with severe mental health conditions to drop-in community and crisis services.
In the last year, 9,499 adults accessed Hestia’s mental health support.
We help people to feel safe, develop hope for a better future, and achieve their personal goals. These goals may include rebuilding relationships with family members and friends or connecting more with their local community.
What you will be doing
- Facilitating weekly peer support groups, covering topics related to mental health.
- To encourage participation and to provide focus and guidance for discussions within the group
- To negotiate/facilitate conflicts or disagreements that may arise during group meetings
The skills you need
- Strong listening and communication skills
- Ability to create and maintain a safe environment where the participants' thoughts and feelings are valued, and group members are treated with fairness, equity and respect
- Lived experience of mental health or desire to learn
What's in it for you
- Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
- Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
- Valuing You - Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards, outings, celebration, and social events for our volunteers to get together and have some fun; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering.
We deliver services across London as well as campaign and advocate nationally on the issues that affect the people we work with.




Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
About Roots Academy
At Roots Academy, we’ve built a learning experience that’s changing the lives of the ummah’s future leaders, change-makers and visionaries.
Our vision is enabling university students to live God-centred lives, so we teach structured, engaging and transformative face-to-face foundational Islamic education to over 2000 students across the UK & Canada.
Role Summary
The HR Lead will be the focal point for all HR tasks in Canada. This will include supporting the Canada team with recruitment, maintaining HR files, keeping accurate records in line with compliance requirements, issuing volunteer agreements, and ensuring the Canada team are compliant with Canadian employment law.
Key tasks
- Recruitment – supporting with role descriptions, advertising positions, arranging interviews and onboarding new starters.
- Compliance and employment law – requesting IDs and other documentation as required, supporting with training requirements, and advising the leadership team on best practice.
- HR Admin – managing the contracting / volunteer agreement process, ensuring personnel files are kept up to date and accurate record keeping of all HR files.
What we’re looking for
- Prior experience in an HR role, HR qualification would be a bonus
- Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to be diplomatic
- Understanding of the importance of confidentiality
- Experience handing sensitive information desired but not essential
- Strong understanding of the Muslim Community in Canada, and belief in Roots Academy’s vision
What we have to offer
- Contribute to a growing organisation that educates and empowers the Muslim community.
- Access to in-house tarbiyah sessions to develop your deen.
- Receive continuous rewards for facilitating Islamic education through Roots Academy.
Please note: This is an unpaid volunteer position. Volunteers can claim expenses for food, travel, and equipment in line with the Expenses Policy.
We teach structured, engaging and transformative face-to-face foundational Islamic education to students across the UK and beyond.

Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our partner is a legal charity committed to alleviating poverty and helping citizens create a fairer and more just society, by providing free, community based legal advice on issues affecting the day-to-day lives of people living in North Wales.
They are seeking a new Treasurer, with suitable accounting and finance experience as well as energy and enthusiasm, to provide board level insight and scrutiny of financial plans, processes and decision making.
The post holder will inspect and authorise fortnightly payments, review and approve the organisations financial statements, and oversee financial plans and budgets and monitor and evaluate progress. Previous governance experience is not required, and a full induction and training will be provided.
The board meets 4-6 times a year, usually remotely in the evening, with one annual in-person away day in North Wales. The total estimated time commitment required for the role is approximately 5 hours per month.
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For more Trustee and Treasurer roles please visit the AfID website.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Join our amazing volunteer team in this flexible opportunity that puts you at the heart of our work supporting blind and partially sighted people. You’ll make taking part in events and carrying out volunteering easier and more enjoyable for our customers and volunteers with sight loss. You’ll take some of the stress and anxiety out of getting around and taking part in activities as a blind or partially sighted person. The help you give will encourage people to do more. What you’ll be doing • Sighted guiding / giving practical help to individuals in and around venues, so they can take part in events. • Supporting volunteers with sight loss with their volunteering activities which range from facilitating a regular community group to delivering a talk about sight loss to a local business. Your role would involve things like guiding; Meeting and greeting at group activities or creating a welcoming and interesting display stand at events. In this role you will only be helping individuals in places open to the public, often in a group setting. We will provide training in sighted guiding techniques and understanding sight loss. We would particularly like to recruit support volunteers within the Downpatrick area (last Wednesday of every month) What you’ll gain from the role: • An opportunity to give something back. • A chance to build a strong community. • A sense of achievement through the difference you make. • A chance to be part of a team of like-minded people • An opportunity to develop and explore different roles with RNIB, including our internal job vacancies. In return for donating your time we will provide: • A rewarding experience. • A great Induction and training. • A supportive manager. • Regular updates and catchups. • Expenses. • An opportunity to connect with other volunteers.
What skills and experience are needed?
- • An outgoing, friendly approach to meeting new people. • An empathetic and professional manner. • The ability to take the supportive and helpful role.
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Particularly looking for Volunteers in Downpatrick area - Last Wednesday of Every month
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
About Pain Concern
Pain Concern is a charity providing information and support to people with pain and those who care for them, whether family, friends or healthcare professionals. Visit our website to find out more about what we do, including our Airing Pain radio programme, Pain Matters magazine, information helpline, community pain education sessions and our research and campaigning work.
All pain is unpleasant, but for the 7.8 million people in the UK living with long-term pain it is a part of everyday life. It diminishes quality of life more than any other condition, leading often to loss of work, depression and disability. Anyone at any age can develop persistent pain and you will very probably know somebody affected. Although there is usually no cure, people who receive the appropriate treatment, information and support can manage their condition effectively with life changing results
Role purpose
We are seeking highly motivated individuals to join our social media team to help raise awareness of chronic pain and the work of Pain Concern to reach more people in need of the support we offer.
What you would be doing
• Help develop social media campaigns and day-to-day activities;
• Manage presence in social networking across all platforms;
• Prepare graphics for sharing across channels
• Monitor the impact of social media campaigns; Analyse, review and report on effectiveness of campaigns in an effort to maximize the charity’s reach.
• Scheduling and posting social media content
• Capture and report on monthly data from across all social media platforms
Is this role right for me?
We are looking for an individual who possesses some or all of the below experiences, skills and qualities.
• Excellent communication skills
• Good knowledge and understanding of social media platforms
• Knowledge of marketing
• Strong IT skills and knowledge of MS Office
• Attention to detail
• Knowledge of / interest in pain and long-term conditions
Availability and location
• Minimum 2-4 hours per week
• Volunteer from our office at Newcraighall Road, Edinburgh EH15 3HS or from your own location
Benefits to you
• Experience volunteering as part of a friendly team
• Meet new people
• Build on your employability skills
• Training and a dedicated volunteer line manager looking after you
• A job reference after 3 months of volunteering.
• Satisfaction of giving a valuable service to the community
• On-site car parking
• Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with our Volunteer Policy
How do I apply?
For more information, please visit our website
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Do you have a great idea to benefit people living with MS? At the MS Society, we campaign on a range of issues like welfare, treatments, care and support that people with MS need. We want to do more locally and want to support your ideas on making change happen. Together we can do more.
Perhaps you’ve spotted there are no blue badge spaces at your local supermarket? Or maybe your neighbourhood has no kerbs easy for wheelchairs to use? In this volunteer role, you’ll help drive change for people with MS in your community and develop your networking and influencing skills along the way.
As a campaigner you’ll bring your own ideas, local knowledge and personal experience to your campaigns. You’ll make decisions about your own campaign activities and collaborate with other campaigners in your area.
This role is flexible and aims to fit around you. Time commitments for this role may vary depending on your activities and the campaigning you’d like to do. This is an ongoing role.
Apply
1. Read through the role description carefully (available via file attached on the right hand side)
2. Apply online, and have a welcome chat with your support staff member
Lead the Board of Via, the charity delivering vital substance use, mental health and well-being services across the UK, and help provide high-quality, person-centred care to the people and communities affected.
Location: Flexible (Via has services across London, NW England and SW England)
Closing date: Tuesday 27th May
Who we are.
Via is an exceptional charity that puts people at the heart of everything we do. Over three decades, we’ve evolved from our origins as Westminster Drug Project, with a new now award-winning name and brand, into a dynamic, multi-service organisation delivering vital support across substance use, mental health, employment, sexual health, smoking cessation and youth services. With a turnover of £36m for 24/25 and remarkable growth of over a third in 2023/24, we’re now supporting over 12,500 service users annually across an expanding geographical footprint from London to Gloucestershire.
Our commitment to excellence and innovation is evident in our industry-leading services, which consistently perform significantly above the national average. We’re particularly proud to be pioneering the development of the UK’s first women-only detox facility, demonstrating our commitment to addressing crucial gaps in service provision.
Our Approach Makes Us Different
At Via, we believe in doing things differently. This starts with our commitment to staff well-being, including up to six months of full sick pay – a policy that exemplifies our trust in our people and our understanding that supporting our staff enables them to better support our service users. We achieved Investors in People Gold certification and were nominated for UK Employer of the Year and Third Sector Employer of the Year at the Investors in People Awards 2024, recognising our dedication to creating an outstanding workplace culture.
Our active Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group drives real organisational change, ensuring our services are accessible and effective for all communities. These aren’t just initiatives – they’re expressions of our core values: Care, Be Human, and Do the Right Thing, which guides everything we do.
The opportunity.
As we have experienced growth and are launching our new strategy, we had new Trustees join our Board as others have come to the end of their terms. As our current Chair, Yasmin Batliwala MBE comes to the end of her term later this year, we are looking to appoint a new Chair.
What Makes a Great Via Chair
- A Strategic Leader with proven experience operating at a senior level with a successful track record of achievement. You’ll have the personal gravitas to lead a significant, complex, national organisation, alongside the ability to lead a newly evolving and forming Board.
- Passionate About Our Cause: You will bring your expertise and passion for improving lives and reducing inequality. You’ll be someone who understands the complexity of our work yet can think strategically about our future. Your genuine enthusiasm will inspire others and strengthen our impact.
- Governance Experience: you will bring the experience of being on Boards and will work to lead the board to ensure sound financial health and accountability while effectively managing risk and continuing to innovate in service development and delivery.
- An Inclusive Champion committed to fostering diversity that reflects the communities we serve, promoting DEI training and growth, and holding staff and trustees accountable to these practices.
- A Relationship Builder with excellent interpersonal skills and diplomatic tact. You’ll develop a strong working relationship with the Chief Executive, maintain connections with key stakeholders, and represent Via as an effective ambassador.
- A Collaborative Leader who can bring people together, foster a team environment, and work in partnership with our board and team to drive our ambitious strategy.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
Diversity in governance isn’t just a goal for Via – it’s a necessity. Our services support people from every part of society, and we want our Board to reflect this diversity. We actively encourage applications from people with lived experience of addiction/recovery (whether personal or as family members/carers), and people from communities currently underrepresented at board level.
Time Commitment
The Board meets quarterly, usually in person. Including preparation time, representation at events, and strategic input, we estimate a commitment of the equivalent of 2-3 days per month. This includes:
- Four Board meetings per year
- Quarterly committee meetings
- Annual strategy and away day
- Ad hoc conversations with fellow board members and the Executive
- Occasional representation at events and meetings with key stakeholders, including at services.
Making a Difference Together
This is an extraordinary time to join Via. As we implement our new 2025-29 strategy and expand our geographical reach, innovate our evidence-based offer and increase access to more people. We’re not just growing – we’re evolving. You’ll help shape innovative services like our women’s detox facility while ensuring we maintain our unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and person-centred care
Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.
Applications for this role close on Tuesday 27th May.
We’re an executive search firm working across third sector, education and membership sectors to transform leadership and inspire change.

The Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) was set up in June 2005 in memory of legendary campaigner, Sheila McKechnie.Campaigning is vital to a healthy society. We help campaigners to thrive. In a free and hopeful society, people need to know they have the power to make a difference: that they are able to envisage change and can push for that change to happen. For nearly two decades, we have helped all sorts of individuals, causes and charities to find their power as changemakers – as campaigners. We support, connect and champion these campaigners, equipping them to go after the social change they seek.
The Chair will hold the Board and staff team to account for SMK’s mission and vision, provide inclusive leadership to the Board and ensure that Board members fulfil their duties and responsibilities for the effective governance of SMK. The Chair will line manage and support the Chief Executive and ensure that the Board functions as a unit and works closely with the Chief Executive and staff team to achieve agreed objectives. They may also be asked to act as an ambassador and a public face of SMK in partnership with the Chief Executive and the Board.
For further information, see our website and the recruitment pack.