It volunteer volunteer volunteer roles in Burnley, lancashire

The difference you will make to cats and people

As a charity we are able to help thousands of cats each year thanks to the generous donations we receive from members of the public. Our fundraising events organisers have the exciting and varied role of helping plan and deliver local fundraising events to raise the vital funds needed to help cats. Our fundraising events organisers use their passion for cats and people to plan cake sales, barn dances, quiz nights and everything in between.

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:

• planning fundraising events and activities like cake sales, quiz nights and barn dances
• providing the treasurer with information on funds raised from fundraising events
• encouraging and promoting a professional image of Cats Protection 
• following policies and guidelines and ensuring licences and permits are obtained for events

Time expectation

Our fundraising events organisers usually spend two to three hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer.

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.

This is a great opportunity to play a strategic role making a significant impact on the future of our services. We’re looking for people who have a passion for tackling poverty and supporting their local community. We’re inviting people to apply who can bring their skills and experience to support the staff team, and their time to commit to working towards the eradication of food poverty whilst supporting our work in providing emergency food to people across Oldham facing crisis and hardship.

Anyone is welcome to apply, but we are ideally seeking people with a background in one or more of the following skills/experience;

• Knowledge or experience of local social services/NHS/care services (to give a better understanding of the needs and poverty faced by our clients)
• Charity governance including policies and procedures
• Experience or links with Oldham Council
• Health and Safety/Insurance (to lead on risk assessments of all areas of Foodbank)
• Lived experience of using a foodbank

Trustees have collective responsibility for the governance of Oldham Foodbank. They set the strategic direction for the organisation, ensuring alignment to our values, and are responsible for setting organisational policy and procedures, defining goals, agreeing the financial plan and evaluating performance.

We're looking for a Stalls Assistant Manager to help us to deliver an engaging and diverse stalls area at our flagship event, ensuring that the stalls area is a valuable and enriching experience for stallholders and attendees.

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Ideal time commitment: approx. 5-10 hours per month; flexible. This is likely to increase on the approach to an event. 

Location: remote/ home based, in-person attendance at events is desirable

Supported/ supervised by: the Stalls Manager, also working closely with volunteers in the Events team

Bi Pride UK’s mission is to create spaces where people who experience attraction beyond gender can be freely visible and celebrate themselves and their identities. It’s not enough to be ‘welcome’ at Pride. We make up a very large proportion of the queer community – the 2021 Census actually shows we’re half of the community – and we deserve to be visible and celebrated in our own right.

There are many ways to make this happen, and we work in many ways to bring this change about:

• Outreach work with other Prides, LGBTQ+ organisations and bi organisations – our consultation work with local Prides, the UK Pride Organisers Network and local and national LGBTQ+ organisations works in a tailored way to make sure that bi inclusion is a top priority and is being done well

• Organising a high-profile annual Bi Pride event – from September 2019, Bi Pride UK made history with the largest ever gathering of bi people recorded. A performance stage, a panel stage, stall village, street food, and over 1,300 attendees. After going virtual with the BiFi Festival for 2020 due to Covid-19 and running a virtual Pride event in 2021, we came back in person in 2022 with a hybrid event, and have been running the event in this format ever since

• Building a strong online and virtual community – just as important as the rest of our work is making sure that people hear about it! People need to know what resources and spaces exist for them, and how they can connect with other people like them

The role:

The Events team at Bi Pride UK is one of the core operational teams within the charity. The team handles programming, production and execution of our events, including our annual flagship Bi Pride event, which holds the record for the largest Bi Pride event in the world. This role will sit within the Stalls sub-team, who are responsible for organising the stalls area within Bi Pride UK’s events; a space which hosts stalls from bi+ community groups, LGBTQ+ charities, small businesses and other fantastic organisations.

The Stalls Assistant Manager will support the Stalls Manager on the planning and delivery of the Stalls area at Bi Pride UK’s events. This role will work collaboratively with the other Stalls Assistant Managers, and support the “on-the-day” volunteers at our events.  The holder of this role will work to maximise engagement in the stalls area and ensure that the stalls area is a valuable and enriching experience for all involved.

Key tasks of this role will include: 

• Working closely with the Stalls Manager, as well as volunteers across the charity, to deliver a stalls area that meets the charity’s vision;

• Supporting the Stalls Manager to recruit a diverse range of stalls, contributing to assessments of each stall holder’s suitability/ reputational risk against the aims and objectives of Bi Pride UK;

• Overseeing the completion of stall holder contracts, receipt of invoices and other relevant documentation, including accurate record keeping and storage of such documents;

• Supporting the Stalls Manager to organise the logistics for the stalls area (including layout, arrival times and access to resources such as plug sockets, etc.);

• Assisting the smooth delivery of the stalls area at the event, including guiding on-the-day event volunteers to carry out their tasks; 

• Maintaining positive relationships and facilitating effective communication with prospective stall holders, confirmed stall holders, volunteers, the venue, and any other relevant stakeholders;

• Working with the Access & Inclusion team and the Accessibility Consultant to implement their recommendations and ensure the I Am Proud Stage meets a high standard of accessibility. 

Our team volunteers remotely from anywhere in the UK, with some travel required occasionally (primarily for our flagship Pride event in London in August). All reasonable expenses incurred are reimbursed, including travel, lunch at away days and other all day events, and some childcare costs if required. The successful candidate will be invited to fortnightly Events team meetings on Wednesday evening via conference call, in addition to Stalls sub-team meetings which will be scheduled in line with the team’s best availability. 

Volunteer specification:

• Interest and passion for tackling discrimination against and improving the visibility of people in the UK attracted to more than one gender;

• An understanding of the needs of people and communities in the UK attracted beyond gender;

• Commitment to the aims and objectives of Bi Pride UK;

• Experience of delivering stalls-based events (preferable but not essential);

• Understanding of organising event logistics (e.g. venue layout, timings, resources) and some awareness of relevant health and safety and risk management measures;

• Ability to handle documentation and accurate record keeping in a manner which adheres to confidentiality and GDPR requirements;

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with volunteers at all levels within the organisation, as well as with external contributors (for example, stall holders);

• Excellent IT skills (for example, Google Workspace applications);

• Excellent written and oral communication skills;

• Meticulous attention to detail;

• Strong team player, with the ability to self-motivate when working remotely;

• Availability on Saturday 29th August 2026 to support delivery of Bi Pride’s flagship event in London.

The position is open to anyone over the age of 18, who is based in the UK. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, especially minority groups such as applicants of colour, trans and non-binary applicants and disabled and/ or neurodivergent applicants. Bi Pride UK is aware of the barriers that can be faced in gaining traditional work experience, particularly for global majority, disabled and/ or neurodivergent and trans people. We will give weight to this and encourage people when applying to consider caring responsibilities, including parenthood, volunteering, and other non-paid experiences and responsibilities when making their application.

Our Cat Fosterers play a vital role by providing a temporary, loving home for cats that are in the care of the RSPCA.

Why we want you 

We are the RSPCA South Bucks Branch and it's our vision to live in a world where all animals are respected and treated with compassion. Our volunteer fosterers are incredible, they play an essential role in helping us carry out our important animal welfare work by caring for cats and enabling them to be rehomed. 

You could be fostering an animal for just a few weeks, or it could be a longer term placement for several months and in a few cases it can be longer. 

What you will be doing 

Providing care and suitable housing in a safe environment for cats while they are in foster care in accordance with Society policies and guidelines.

Feeding, watering, providing enrichment, socialising and grooming cats (as appropriate).

Liaising with your Cat Co-ordinator regularly. For cats ready for rehoming: sharing photos and videos to the cat coordinator to enable them to raise awareness and rehoming. 

If the animal has specific needs you will be supported by your local team of fosterers to enable you to provide the care needed.

Offering a separate room to keep the cat/s in and separate from your own animals.

Some cats may have had surgery and will need a period of cage rest. This will be provided.

Your family/household must be fully supportive (and checked/confirmed that there are no cat allergies within the household).

All members of the household should discuss with their GP whether a tetanus vaccination is required, and make a decision based on this.

Transporting your foster cat safely for vet appointments.

Allowing a potential adopter to enter your home to view a cat up for adoption after they have been assessed by the cat co-ordinator, a volunteer can support you in this. 

Completing the local branch paperwork relating to the cats in your care.

The skills you need 

Volunteers must be aged 18 or over. 

Previous experience of fostering would be beneficial, and experience caring for cats is essential. 

If you have existing cats, they must be spayed/neutered and vaccinated. 

If in rented accommodation, permission from the landlord must be obtained. 

You must live in South Buckinghamshire or close to Chesham.

Volunteers must complete an online induction, you will need to have basic IT skills and access to a PC or laptop, or have someone who can help you carry out the induction. 

What's in it for you 

Meet like-minded people and get to know more about the work of the RSPCA South Bucks Branch.

Add an important animal welfare role to your CV.

A great induction and training relevant to your role. 

Support from our local and national teams.

You’ll be making a huge difference to the welfare of animals. 

What we provide you

We provide all the food, litter, medication and equipment needed to foster cats in our branch. Any other expenses must be agreed in advance with the Finance Manager.

A community of local fosterers to draw support and information.

Regular contact with your cat coordinator to support you.

Disclaimer 

Our fosterers are subject to an informal interview, home assessment visit, two satisfactory references and completion of online induction training including Health and Safety.