Community volunteer roles in carshalton, greater london
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!
Volunteer Befriender
Octavia works with people affected by unemployment, ill health, social isolation or low income to connect them with opportunities for positive personal change. Our vision is to build stronger, happier and healthier communities in central and west London to help create an enriched life where we live. Please help us to do this by volunteering to befriend a member of the local community, who is isolated and vulnerable, in Westminster or Kensington and Chelsea.
Reasons to volunteer
Would you like to assist an isolated person in your local area? Would you like to provide them with the emotional support, social skills and confidence that will help them to feel happier in their everyday life?
You will know that you have helped someone to move on in their life and take part in society
Full induction, ongoing training and support. This includes training on: communication, empathy, health and safety, confidentiality and safeguarding
Opportunity to enhance your CV and to learn new skills
We are able to provide references to employers and/or further education establishments
Travel costs and out of pocket expenses reimbursed on the provision of receipts*
What would I be doing?
Meeting once a week with the person you have been matched with, in their own home or an agreed public place, at a mutually agreed time
Encourage communication on a shared interest or topic
Arrange activities and listen to your Befriendee with empathy and encouragement
On occasion you may be asked by your befriendee to accompany/escort them outside on a one to one basis or do some shopping in circumstances where they are unable to
What skills are we looking for?
Good communication skills
Understanding of empathy and the needs of people with isolation issues
Understanding of confidentiality
Able to use own initiative and work unsupervised, reliable and trustworthy
We ask that you volunteer for 1 hour per week, for a minimum of 6 months
Sounds great! How do I sign up?
When you aplply, we ask for 2 references but these do not need to be from employers. For instance, they can be character references from college tutors or support workers who know you well. We also carry out Enhanced Disclosure checks on all volunteers, but this would only happen if we both agree that Befriending is the right fit for you.
We are committed to equality and diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Please contact us should you prefer to apply over the phone or via hard copy, for accessibility reasons. If you require any adjustments due to a disability (including: physical, psychological or neurological disease or disorders) in order to get the most out of your time volunteering with us, please do let us know so that we can ideally facilitate this.
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!
A charity based in Croydon, Surrey, London, UK is looking for volunteer Charity Volunteer Assistants; to volunteer 30 unpaid hours per week. The Charity serves a multi ethnic community especially people from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Responsibilities:
- To assist in the delivery of events (ours and those we are invited to), projects and our yearly summer community event.
- To assist in the daily collection and drop off of Greggs after day produce to various soup kitchens
- To assist in promotion of organisations services. eg flyer distribution, school workshops, etc.
- To assist in the delivery of essential services
- To assist in our soup kitchen projects
Person Specification:
- Someone enthusiastic and passionate about charity work and committed to working towards the achievements of the charities objectives.
- Knowledege of Black and ethnic minority tradition/culture is preferable however not essential.
- Experience is desirable.
This is a non-paid one year temporary position however accommodation and maintenance will be provided.
All interested candidates are required to send us a letter of application, a resume, and contact to the email provided. If your application is accepted, you will be invited for a telephone interview. Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered unless we have been unable to find a suitable candidate for this vacancy.
Successful candidates will require a DBS/POLICE check and references prior to commencement.
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!
BABY BASICS NORTHAMPTON
Trustee Recruitment
Volunteer role
An exciting opportunity to volunteer your skills to support a much-needed local charity working across Northamptonshire.
Baby Basics Northampton is a registered charity that provides moses basket starter packs to parents with new babies in Northamptonshire, via referrals from healthcare professionals and local agencies.
The charity is in its 12th year, and ready to grow in line with community demand for our vital service. We are recruiting new Trustees, to join the Board to ensure this much-loved local charity thrives as it increases both its reach and impact.
If you believe you could make a difference, we’d really like to hear from you.
Areas of special interest to us include experience of:
Health/NHS Sector
Fundraising
Marketing & Communications
Charity board experience is desirable but not as important as a desire to make a positive contribution to the wider community.
Trustees are expected to attend monthly meetings, preferably in person, and a full induction will be provided. In addition to board meetings, we encourage Trustees to visit and occasionally support the small staff team at the Baby Basics Northamptonshire office.
Please send your CV and cover letter outlining your relevant skills, experience and interest in joining the Board of Trustees.
If you are interested in applying but would like to have an informal conversation to find out a little more, we are very happy to facilitate that.
Thank you for your interest.
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!
Your role
Amazing, giving, and inspiring are just a few words we would use to describe our volunteers.
Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.
About the role
As a Regional Fundraising Volunteer, you will support Rethink Mental Illness in generating income, raising awareness, and building community engagement through local fundraising initiatives. The role will involve event planning and support, and public engagement to help achieve regional fundraising goals.
You will play a major part in bringing to life regional fundraising activities in line with our “Rethink in the Community" concept and increase regional awareness to generate much needed additional income and amplify the impact of the work Rethink Mental Illness do.
You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role.
Regional locations
Whilst this is a home based role, you will occasionally attend events within your region. We're particularly interested in receiving applications from people who live in the following areas:
Yorkshire & Northeast: Newcastle, Gateshead, York, Sunderland
Northwest: Manchester, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent
Midlands: Birmingham, Solihull, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Walsall
Southwest: Gloucester, Bristol, Plymouth, North Devon, South Devon, Cornwall
East of England: Norfolk, Norwich, Ipswich
What you will be doing as a Regional Fundraising Volunteer:
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Support and assist in organising and participating in local fundraising events.
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Help with event logistics, set-up, and participant engagement to ensure smooth delivery.
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Take part in local initiatives acquiring donors and do it yourself fundraisers.
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Increase awareness of the organisation’s work by helping to promote regional fundraising activity.
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Represent the organisation at schools, community groups, and public events, delivering presentations to inspire support.
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Communicate with supporters via phone, email, and face-to-face interactions.
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Attend and contribute to meetings with the fundraising team and supporters to share updates and ideas.
What will make you a great fit for this role?
You will have good knowledge of your local community and be passionate about making a difference to those severely affected by mental illness. You will also have:
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The ability to organise events and activities
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The ability to inspire and motivate others
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Good communication skills
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Creative ideas to promote diverse fundraising activities
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Dedication to our cause
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.
We’re Rethink Mental Illness and no matter how bad things are, we can help people severely affected by mental illness to improve their lives.
We’re looking for volunteers with a keen interest in dementia to join our team of Trustees, contributing their experience and skills to help support, shape and develop the charity.
Who we are
Arts for Dementia uses the power of the arts to inspire people living with dementia to get creative, connect, learn new skills and most importantly, have fun.Our free workshops aim to challenge and boost confidence and wellbeing through a variety of art forms from visual arts to drama, sculpture, dance and more.
For people living with dementia and those who support them day to day, these are opportunities to make friends in a safe and friendly setting, to be part of the local community, to stay active and to enjoy the fulfilment that comes from creative activities. Our current priority locations are the London boroughs of Southwark and Camden.Our in-person workshops are all in London, while online activities are open to people across the UK.
Our regular one-day training courses provide creative facilitators across the UK with the knowledge and skills they need to support dementia-friendly activities.
The role of a trustee
Our team of trustees plays a key role in setting the strategy – the overall direction – of the charity. There are four formal board meetings each year where, together with the Chief Executive, our trustees oversee the delivery of the strategy and financial management, consider operational plans and explore what support they can provide to enable the staff team in their work.
Often this support is connected to a trustee’s expertise in a particular field, for example marketing, fundraising, I.T. or legal, or the networks they have access to such as local community groups, potential donors or arts organisations.
Specific areas of activity such as finance and fundraising are also supported by small sub-committees that bring appropriate staff and trustees together so that work can be progressed between the quarterly meetings. These are arranged at times to suit those involved.
Currently quarterly meetings of all Trustees are held in person and online alternately. Online meetings are early evening, and in-person meetings are in central London during the day. They each last for two hours. If it helps new trustees to be fully involved, we are happy to explore different timings for future meetings.
What difference could you make?
If you are reading this, it is likely you care about the lives of people living with and affected by dementia, and you may well have some personal experience. You can make a real difference to those and others affected by bringing your additional experience into the charity. This might be from involvement in your community or your understanding of dementia within a minoritized ethnic group. It might be from your work, leisure activities or your profession.
The important thing is that your experience should broaden our knowledge, help us reach a wide range of people and ensure our charity is far-sighted and well run.
What you could gain from being a Trustee
We know that dementia and its effects have no barriers, so our approach to recruiting new trustees aims to have no barriers and to be supportive and open to ideas. You may have never considered yourself as a potential trustee but feel that you do have something you could offer to a charity like ours. If so, do please contact us.
As a Trustee, you would be working with a friendly and approachable board that brings together a range of experience, which is enhanced by the skills of the staff team. The role also comes with responsibilities that incorporate legislation and good governance practice and this Charity Commission document explains these.
All new Trustees will benefit from an induction programme that allows them to get to know the staff and other trustees, meet some of the beneficiaries, learn how the charity works and understand the formal responsibilities. We would also enable you to develop your skills and confidence through access to training and information on Trustee responsibilities and skills.
There are many opportunities to broaden your own experience and develop your confidence in new skills within a supportive environment.
We also ensure no Trustee is out of pocket due to their responsibilities, so all reasonable expenses (e.g. travel to board meetings) are reimbursed.
At Arts for Dementia we use the power of the arts to inspire people living with dementia to get creative, connect, learn new skills and have fun.




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!
Here’s 5 reasons you’ll love to volunteer in our shops:
1. It's fun
2. It's flexible
3. You'll learn and share skills
4. You'll be making a difference
5. You'll work with a great team
We’re passionate about what we do, and love giving second-hand clothing a chance of going to a good home. Our shop teams are key to raising vital funds for our work and act as incredible advocates for the rights of children both in the UK and around the world.
Please note that this is a voluntary, unpaid role, based in the UK. We are unfortunately not able to provide support with visa requests.
Volunteering in the shop
Mary's Living & Giving for Save the Children is unique - a vibrant result of the generous gifts of local individuals and companies being turned around by the skills and passions of volunteer teams, to create a destination retail experience. Selling womenswear, menswear, shoes, and bags to household goods, our shops can be found in the London villages and bring in vital funds for Save the Children.
Our Wimbledon Shop Volunteers are in the middle of it all, and there’s plenty to get involved with. You might be sorting and pricing stock, engaging with customers, ringing items through the till, creating fantastic window displays or keeping our shop floor looking organised.
It’s up to you how much you commit. We have volunteers who support for a couple of hours a week and some do more. Many people volunteer either a morning or an afternoon each week - this is something that will be discussed at the selection stage, after you’ve applied.
Why volunteer with Save the Children?
In over 110 countries, we support children to transform their lives. By providing live-saving short-term help, and pushing for deep-rooted social change, we help children take, their future into their own hands. We believe every child has the right to learn. Every child should have good food to fuel their bodies and every child should have medicine when they're sick.
Skills and experiences we seek
We welcome applications from people with a wide range of skills and experiences. You don’t need any retail or shop experience as full training will be provided. What’s important to us is that you are a team player, open to learning and to follow our policies as well as be an excellent representative for Save the Children.
We know that our shop teams are stronger when they are inclusive and representative of their communities. Everybody can make a real difference. People come to us for all sorts of reasons, from all backgrounds, and we will do what we can to find a role that works for you.
What happens next?
After you’ve filled in an application, we will invite you for an informal trial shift. It’s a great opportunity to visit the shop, meet some of our existing volunteers and have a go at some of the tasks that you would be supporting with as a shop volunteer. Hopefully allowing you to get a feel for the role and make sure it’s for you. We also ask for a couple of references (these don’t have to be formal workplace ones, just someone who has known you for over 6 months and isn’t related).
How to apply
Express your interest on email via the apply button.
Please note that this is a voluntary, unpaid role, based in the UK. We are unfortunately not able to provide support with visa requests
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!
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
Unfortunately, thousands of cats each year are abandoned or have strayed and rely on charities like Cats Protection for help. Becoming a trap, neuter and return (TNR) volunteer is one way you can make a real difference to cats in your local area. Our TNR volunteers help reduce the number of feral cats by raising awareness of our TNR programmes, setting humane traps to safely capture cats, taking them to local vets to be neutered, and hopefully returning them back to their territory. Local TNR programmes are crucial, as feral and abandoned cats present a huge challenge for communities across the UK.
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:
- Trapping cats using humane methods
- Taking cats to local vets to be neutered
- Returning cats to their territory or finding a suitable alternative
The role might also include:
- Regular feeding of feral colonies
- Promoting neutering by building relationships with farmers, land owners and local businesses
- Liaising with vets to promote and arrange neutering
Time expectation
This is a flexible role and the hours will vary depending on the number of cats identified for specific TNR campaigns. Our current TNR volunteers spend about 2 to 3 hours per week in this role which 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.
Making a better life for cats, because life is better with cats


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!
Position Overview
An exciting and unique internship opportunity to work closely with key senior operational staff in a respected UK international development charity; this position has strong vocational content for anyone looking to break into the international development sector with future possibilities of progression into roles within the UK and/or Madagascar.
The post holder will gain hands-on experience in international development, gain understanding and skills across a wide range of duties associated with programmes development, corporate fundraising, volunteer coordination, and practical charity management.
The internship spans a minimum of six months and is a remote role. The diversity of activities that will be undertaken provides training for an early-career development professional who can effectively and efficiently deal with a comprehensive range of tasks related to the complex world of overseas development work.
Reporting to: Grants and Administrative Assistant
Location: Remote
Commitment: Part-time, two days a week for a minimum of six months
Salary: N/A (voluntary)
Responsibilities:
- Supporting the Programmes & Partnership Manager in securing trust and foundation funding, which will include: performing donor research; drafting, proofreading, and editing grant applications and reports (in part or in full); and ad hoc administration relating to donor management.
- Supporting the Corporate Liaison Officer to secure corporate funding, which will include: researching potential donor companies; supporting corporate facing marketing materials; and supporting creation of report and proposal materials.
- Supporting the Managing Director and the Director of Programmes and Operation, to ensure the smooth running of the organisation, which will include: preparing financial reports and documentation; note taking at trustees’ meetings; supporting development of policy and procedural documentation; building on fundraising and networking opportunities; and supporting the recruitment process.
- It should be noted that the successful candidate will take on a variety of tasks outlined above. While SEED Madagascar will make every attempt to tailor the tasks to the post-holder’s desired area of experience, this will be balanced by the priorities of the organisation.
Desired Knowledge/Experience/Skills/Qualifications
- Hold or be studying towards an undergraduate degree in or relating to international development (or have equivalent professional/experiential background).
- Knowledge and/or keen interest in development and/or conservation issues facing least developed countries such as Madagascar; previous experience living or working in a developing country would be an asset.
- Knowledge and/or keen interest in at least one of SEED Madagascar’s five core areas (community health; sustainable livelihoods; environmental conservation; education infrastructure and water, sanitation and hygiene); previous experience of community-based work would be an asset.
- Excellent analytical skills and ability to gather and assimilate information from various sources, compile documents (reports and proposals), and identify lessons learnt and best practice.
- Sound ability to adapt material for different audiences.
- Be able to conduct internet research.
- Be able to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Be able to financially support themselves for the duration of their internship as there is no stipend available for travel or sustenance.
- Strong written English is essential, French and/or Malagasy would be an asset.
- Experience working with American Corporate organisations would be an added asset.
- Be willing to take on mundane tasks such as drafting thank you notes for donors.
Application Procedure
Anyone interested in applying for this position should send a CV and covering letter in English explaining how their skills and experience match the requirements in the job description to Betty Gisore, Jacobs, Grants and Administrative Assistant, by email.
Application deadline: Monday 11th August 2025 at 23:59 GMT. This advertisement may however be withdrawn if we identify suitable candidates before the closing date; hence, we encourage early applications.
SEED Madagascar actively encourages equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and aims to create a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination, where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Are you aged 18-25, West Midlands based and passionate about environmental change?
Join us on our FREE programme!
Across 9 months, you’ll take part in both online and in-person events, equipping you with the skills and knowledge you need to spark positive change in your local area and beyond.
If you’d like to get more connected to nature, build transferable skills and meet like-minded people, apply now at the ELP2 website.
The West Midlands Environmental Leadership Programme2 (ELP2) is powered by Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts and Shropshire Wildlife Trust and it is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
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!
We are looking to build our LinkedIn profile and our reach into the business world. The role will include advancing our connections and cultivating lasting relationships in communities of like minded companies. Content creation, updating on news and arranging in person meetings when needed are a key part of the role so candidates will need good communication skills, creative writing experience and be tech savvy. Although remote the team are in daily contact when needed and meet in person at major fundraising events where live updates can be posted. We are passionate about animal welfare so if you love dogs and have a creative skillset and some business flair come and join us.Saving Strays is run by volunteers only, please ensure that you are serious about volunteering and dedicating some of your free time to the charity.
Please tell us why you want to volunteer for our charity
We save dogs from the streets and death row and restore their health and dignity. We rehabilitate and rehome where possible respecting their sentience




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!
We are looking for volunteers who would like to play a role in building people’s confidence. Would you be interested in supporting people to improve their conversational English skills?
English is a wonderful language, but it is also notoriously known to be difficult to learn. As an English-speaking volunteer whether native or fluent and with any kind of accent or background you will have the skills needed to support people who would like to improve and learn the English language. Just by talking to those wanting to learn, you will be helping and making a difference.
Improving someone’s understanding and spoken English language, will allow individuals to communicate and connect with people in their local community, widen their network of friendships and relationships and provide people opportunity to improve their employability skills
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!
Amazing, giving, and inspiring are a few words we would use to describe our volunteers.
Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.
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 aim of the Befriending Service is 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 in order to meet the needs of the service users
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.
We’re Rethink Mental Illness and no matter how bad things are, we can help people severely affected by mental illness to improve their lives.
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 support people in their time of need?
At our sanctuary (Finsbury Park, North London) for those in suicidal crisis, we offer a potentially transformative experience with a once-only 5 day (4-night) stay at our non-medical, family-style house. Through respite, time and space for reflection and compassionate and nurturing care, our Volunteer Befrienders and Lead Befrienders support an opportunity for the revival of hope and resilience.
Volunteer Befrienders are key to Maytree and work alongside Lead Befrienders to provide an open and containing space for people who are feeling suicidal.
Befriending is as it sounds: sitting alongside our guests as a friendly, compassionate and non-judgemental companion. Through active listening and human warmth our volunteers enable our guests to feel supported, explore their feelings in a confidential setting and discuss their options in their own way and in their own time. This face-to-face support is not therapy; it is about being calm and committed and not afraid of difficult subjects, including suicide.
To fill a gap in services for the acutely suicidal. Offering brief stay crisis support and engagement with non-medical, compassionate Befrienders.
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!
Could You Help a Young Refugee Find Their Path?
Are you passionate about supporting young refugees and asylum seekers as they begin their journey into the UK workforce? Become a Volunteer Mentor with Breadwinners!
What Does a Volunteer Mentor Do?
As a volunteer mentor, you'll be paired with a young person in one of our two core programmes:
- Risers Programme (2 months): For young asylum seekers aged 16-24 who are awaiting refugee status.
- Breadwinners Programme (6 months): For refugees with the right to work in the UK, helping them gain vital skills and experience.
Most mentors will work with our Risers, as this program is more fast-paced, but opportunities exist to mentor our Breadwinners too.
Your role? Help your mentee gain hands-on work experience at one of our weekend market stalls and lead weekly 1:1 mentoring sessions. These sessions are designed to develop employability skills, explore future goals, and foster social connections. Many of our mentors build lasting relationships with their mentees even after the program ends.
Time Commitment:
- Market Shifts: 2 hours per weekend (Saturday or Sunday).
- 1:1 Mentoring: 1 hour per week, in person or online, to support career development.
- Ongoing Support: Stay in touch via text or calls during the week to help with logistics and provide encouragement.
What Our Graduates Say:
“Having a mentor helped me feel more confident. I could ask questions, felt motivated, and learned new things. It was nice to have conversations about my future and how to succeed.”
— Sura, Risers Graduate
Who Are We Looking For?
You don’t need special qualifications to be a mentor—just a good understanding of working in the UK, strong communication skills, and a passion for helping young people succeed. If you’re ready to make a real difference and become part of a fun, supportive community, this role is for you!
Feeling Inspired?
Apply today and join us in helping young refugees build brighter futures!
We recruit every January, April, July, October.
We support young refugees well-being by providing them with work, training and mentoring.





The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.