Prison volunteer volunteer roles in durham, co durham

Shannon Trust fulfils an unmet need around adult learning, supporting people who’ve fallen through the cracks in formal education.

We know a lot of people have had negative learning experiences in the past, so our programme is designed to be different, with no exams and no classrooms. Our unique, evidence-based Turning Pages reading manuals are used by thousands of learners in prisons and the community to improve reading skills. 

Prison volunteers live near to their local prison so that they can visit about once a month during the working week to nurture the growth of the Shannon Trust in their prison. They help unlock the power of reading by offering advice, guidance, training and support to prison staff and prisoner mentors who help other prisoners to improve their skills 1 to 1.

We are looking for volunteers who are able to work alone, able to give a regular, reliable commitment for ideally two years and able to deliver engaging training to groups of people in prisons.  Due to the nature of the role, prison security vetting will be required.

We provide training for the role via e-learning and 4 training sessions which are a mix of live, online and group training.

Shannon Trust fulfils an unmet need around adult learning, supporting people who’ve fallen through the cracks in formal education.

We know a lot of people have had negative learning experiences in the past, so our programme is designed to be different, with no exams and no classrooms. Our unique, evidence-based Turning Pages reading manuals are used by thousands of learners in prisons and the community to improve reading skills. 

Area administrators are an invaluable part of our team. They provide administrative support to our area coordinators and teams, organising and taking notes in area meetings. They're also an important link in how we evidence the impact of Shannon Trust, prompting and following-up data and monthly reports from our prison volunteers.

We are looking for a volunteer who is organised and good IT and admin skills. You will provide support to your area coordinator in supporting both prisons and volunteers. You will be providing communication links between everyone through organising meetings and sending email updates. Your role will help us to access the vital information which shows our impact on our learners.

Much of the role can take place on any day of the week and in the evenings but you will need to be able to attend a daytime area meeting 4 times a year, attend our induction workshops and national area administrators meetings.

For full role description and to apply please visit our website 

Shannon Trust Volunteer HR Assistant

Do you want to join an organisation committed to addressing low literacy and numeracy levels amongst people in prison?

Shannon Trust’s vision is of a future where everyone can experience the positive impact of learning. As our Volunteer HR Assistant your role will help us to make this a reality by providing support with a variety of HR administrative tasks. This will include assisting with recruitment, staff onboarding, creating letters/emails from templates and other HR related admin tasks as needed.

This is a home-based role and we are looking for a volunteer who can commit to 6 – 10 hours per week on a consistent and reliable basis - flexible over Monday to Friday but ideally covering Friday. The individual will ideally have previous HR or business administration experience or is keen to gain experience in an HR environment. The ideal candidate will have a good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel. In addition, you will be methodical, have great attention to detail and demonstrate exemplary levels of confidentiality.

Volunteer benefits include: induction training and ongoing training, support and development in the role, flexible working, recognition for your contribution and reimbursement of expenses where applicable. The biggest benefit though is our culture – our people really want to work for the organisation.

We welcome volunteer applications from people with lived experience of the criminal justice system and do not routinely ask for details of any criminal convictions.

Closing date: 15th August 2025

Interview dates: w/c 1st September 2025

About The Role

What will you be doing?

• Opening and closing the van
• Engaging with visitors, offering efficient and welcoming service
• Serving ice cream from the Carte d'Or van along with pre-packaged items
• Following food safety management and complete Food Safety Training level 2
• Cleaning the ice cream van as needed and refilling ice cream freezer
• Assisting with rubbish and recycling

Volunteers are an essential part of the WWT team. You'll get a warm welcome, including information on training, equipment and anything else you need. 

If you are interested in volunteering for WWT but don't wish to apply online, please email us or leave a message, with your name and number. 

About You

To carry out this role, you will need:

• Good verbal communication skills with an engaging personality
• Motivated to work alone or as part of a small team
• Ability to operate a card payment terminal
• To undertake WWT online GDPR training module in order to adhere to legislation
• Good general fitness as this role involves spending periods of time on your feet and may involve lifting
• To be reliable and committed to the role and the team
• A benefit if you’ve previously worked somewhere with an ice cream counter
• A benefit if you’ve worked in a fast past catering environment
• An interest in and enthusiasm for the work of WWT

About Us

We’re WWT, and we’re on a mission to restore the super-powered ecosystems we call wetlands. There’s never been a more important moment for our work, and we’ve got some phenomenal people on the case.

Whether they’re taking a new visitor under their wing, or conducting ground-breaking research further afield, our team are second to none. And there’s nothing we love more than watching them soar.

Whatever you do here, you’ll be helping to restore wetlands and unlock their power. So, the only question left is, what role will you play?

Why you'll love volunteering at WWT

• Feel good knowing you are helping to restore wetlands, and our world
• Be surrounded and inspired by like-minded wetland lovers
• Hear from the people who inject their energy, passion and expertise into wetlands and wildlife - talks, walks, webinars, tea and cake...
• Free entry to all our wetland centres, including your family
• Volunteer discount on shopping and memberships
• Access to webinars and practical information to help you manage daily life

Who are we looking for?

To carry out this role, you will need:

· Good verbal communication skills with an engaging personality

· Motivated to work alone or as part of a small team

· Ability to operate a card payment terminal

· To undertake WWT online GDPR training module in order to adhere to legislation

· Good general fitness as this role involves spending periods of time on your feet and may involve lifting

· To be reliable and committed to the role and the team

· A benefit if you’ve previously worked somewhere with an ice cream counter

· A benefit if you’ve worked in a fast past catering environment

· An interest in and enthusiasm for the work of WWT

General notes:

The exact hours you are able to contribute will be discussed prior to placement. We regret we are not in a position to reimburse expenses incurred in travelling to and from the centre, but any pre-agreed expenses incurred in the course of your duties will be reimbursed.

If poor weather means opening the ice cream van is not suitable on your planned volunteering day, we will identify any other areas where you would like to support the trading team to ensure your time is respected and supports our work in other ways.

This position is entirely voluntary and is therefore unpaid. Any offer of a volunteer opportunity is not intended to create a legally binding contract between us and any agreement may be cancelled at any time at the discretion of either party. Neither of us intends any employment relationship to be created either now or at any time in the future.

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Provide holistic end-of-life care to people who are suffering of a terminal illness, under the direction of the Palliative Care Nurse Team Leader. By caring for those often isolated, hopeless, and fearful, this position is a living example of God’s love and compassion for the weak, lonely, and marginalised members of society. This position works primarily off-ship; hot and dusty or wet (depending on season) conditions can be expected. Visiting people in their house requires cultural sensitivity.

What You Will Contribute

• Support terminally ill patients and their family members through the grieving process, preparing them for death

• Train and assist family members with wound care for the afflicted person

• Share basic health principles with terminally ill patients and family members in order to improve their health

• Encourage the use of local, affordable materials for wound care and locally available analgesia

• Encourage the family to find ways to be self-supporting and teach them about planning for the future

• Assist in reaching out to local healthcare professionals who care for palliative patients, build meaningful relationships, assess their practical and intellectual needs and assist them in sustainable and culturally appropriate ways, through mentoring and teaching

Trailblazers’ mission is to reduce re-offending and inspire new futures. Your support will help a young man to reconnect with his community, friends and loved ones, go into education, training and employment, and give a person a sense of hope for the future.

Trailblazers has been providing mentoring services to people in prison since 1998 with ultimate aim to reduce re-offending. We provide support to men between the age of 18 - 35 in custody who have 6 months left of their prison sentence, and then 'through the gate' into their own community for up to 12 months. The Education, Training & Employment (ETE) team supports our mentees in custody to break down barriers to employability. Post-release, this continues by supporting mentees to gain meaningful and career changing roles in sector specific industries such as Construction, Engineering, Catering & Hospitality or the Self-Employment route. 

The ETE team are looking to build a team of volunteers to work with mentees in the community and to shape the existing ETE service in the Thames Valley area. We are looking for volunteer mentors who can commit for up to 12 months and give a few hours a week to support men to change their life by being inspirational role models, helping with goal setting and supporting their mentee to access ETE opportunities and ultimately gain meaningful employment. Mentoring sessions will be 1:1, take place weekly and can be done remotely by telephone or online. These sessions will last approximately one hour, but some time should also be given to liaising with Trailblazers staff and researching relevant opportunities. 

Induction training is provided, out of pocket expenses covered, a mobile phone is provided to protect your identity, a Trailblazers T-shirt and lanyard are provided, DBS costs are covered, as well as regular reflective practice sessions to support you within your role. 

We are actively looking for people to join our mentoring community with lived experience of the criminal justice system, under represented groups from BAME community, creative arts, business skills, wellbeing - whatever your skills and background we are open to hear from you to support our diverse group of men. 

Trailblazers are looking for Volunteer Mentors who are:

• Empathetic with a positive outlook and manner.
• Able to help others without judgement or discrimination.
• Excellent communicators with a sense of humour.
• Well organised, can prioritise and multi-task.
• Reliable and able to commit to the role for up to 12 months providing weekly ETE sessions remotely either by telephone or via Zoom / MS Team digital platforms.
• Have skills and experience in supporting those who are disadvantaged into education, training and employment (ETE).
• Able to work independently with the ability to prioritise and manage your own workload with minimal supervision taking a flexible and creative approach to the demands of the post.
• Able to demonstrate sensitivity to other cultures, working with people from other backgrounds and demonstrate a commitment to equal opportunities.