Volunteer volunteer roles in West drayton, greater london

We are looking for a friendly, patient befriending volunteer to visit a lovely gentleman in New Southgate. He is keen to find an attentive listener who will show an interest in hearing his imaginative stories and will giggle at his jokes. He would love for someone to accompany him to McDonalds for a treat, to join him in a bit of music trivia, or sometimes for just a cup of tea and a chit chat.

We offer a lifelong befriending service for adults with learning disabilities. Matching the skills and interests of passionate visitors with the specific hobbies and interests of the people we visit. Visitors visit six times a year to create a 1-2-1 connection, offer companionship, encourage people to do the things they enjoy and check-in on their wellbeing. In many cases, the visitor is the only person in someone’s life who isn’t paid to be there for them.

This is an Out and about visit role which means your visits are likely to be longer, very active and the person you visit will often take an active part in planning your outings and activities in the community. Your volunteer manager will be happy to help you with ideas and suggestions for things you can do. Visits will vary in length but tends to be around a couple of hours, sometimes shorter or longer, depending on what you plan to do.

In this role you will spend quality time with the person you visit and could do a range of different activities like:

- Sitting and having a chat

- Checking in on their well- being

- Going out to a local café/pub for a meal/drink

- Take part on community activities like visiting a place of interest, go shopping etc.

- Enjoying a walk

- A craft activity at home

As a Mencap volunteer visitor you will be:

- Friendly and approachable

- Accepting of others who might be different to yourself

- Reliable and patient

- Passionate about supporting people with a with a learning disability.

As a Mencap visitor you will:

- Have the opportunity to help make a difference to the life of the person you visit

- Receive a personalised volunteer induction and training

- Have agreed out of pocket expenses reimbursed

- Meet new people

- Get on-going support, and feel appreciated and valued

About Mencap

Mencap is the leading learning disability charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We work with people with a learning disability and their families to challenge prejudice and change laws, and we directly support thousands of people to live their lives as they choose. We have an ambitious vision for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

Volunteering with us is YOUR opportunity to help us achieve this, whilst having the chance to develop your skills, meet new people and join a passionate and dedicated team.

If you have questions about volunteering with Mencap, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We are looking for a friendly, patient, female volunteer to befriend a lovely lady in Maidenhead. On cosy days in, she loves to have a chat, listen to music, paint her nails or a do a jigsaw puzzle. When feeling up to it, she would love to be taken in her wheelchair to her favourite treat, McDonalds.

She takes a little while to warm up to new people, so can sometimes display behaviours which may come across as challenging, such as making short, sharp noises. It would be great if her new volunteer has some experience with this or is someone who isn’t fazed easily. It’s important to know that her care team would always be a helping hand away, and that her not-so-secret kryptonite is chocolate!

Please note this person’s residence have a pet cat.

We offer a lifelong befriending service for adults with learning disabilities. Matching the skills and interests of passionate visitors with the specific hobbies and interests of the people we visit. Visitors visit six times a year to create a 1-2-1 connection, offer companionship, encourage people to do the things they enjoy and check-in on their wellbeing. In many cases, the visitor is the only person in someone’s life who isn’t paid to be there for them.

This is a Stop and stay, let’s get busy visitor role which means the person you will be visiting can communicate actively with you and take part in choosing or planning activities.  As you get to know each our you may choose to ‘go out’ either with or without support from the staff that supports the person you visit.  Your volunteer manager will be happy to help you with ideas and suggestions for things you can do. Visits will vary in length but tends to be around an hour or longer, depending on what you do.

In this role you will spend quality time with the person you visit and could do a range of different activities like:

• Sitting and having a chat

• Checking in on their well- being

• Going out to a local café/pub for a meal/drink

• Enjoying a walk

• A craft activity at home

• Reading a book/magazine together

As a Mencap volunteer visitor you will be:

- Friendly and approachable

- Accepting of others who might be different to yourself

- Reliable and patient

- Passionate about supporting people with a with a learning disability.

As a Mencap visitor you will:

- Have the opportunity to help make a difference to the life of the person you visit

- Receive a personalised volunteer induction and training

- Have agreed out of pocket expenses reimbursed

- Meet new people

- Get on-going support, and feel appreciated and valued

About Mencap

Mencap is the leading learning disability charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We work with people with a learning disability and their families to challenge prejudice and change laws, and we directly support thousands of people to live their lives as they choose. We have an ambitious vision for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

Volunteering with us is YOUR opportunity to help us achieve this, whilst having the chance to develop your skills, meet new people and join a passionate and dedicated team.

Become an Independent Visitor to be matched one to one with a young person in care. You will meet once or twice a month to take them out to do fun activities together. This is an opportunity for our young people to develop a healthy relationship with a trusted adult, have fun and share their worries and feelings if they are ready to do so.

We'll provide full training, all your expenses and ongoing support from dedicated staff. 

This is an opportunity for you to build skills and knowledge within social care and test yourself with real life experience of a young person in care.

We're looking for enthusiastic, committed people to bring their experience, skills and positivity to the lives of young people who have been through tough times. We will be providing training on the following subjects.

Session 1 Introduction to IV and the Care system
Session 2 Trauma, Attachment and Growth
Session 3 Safeguarding
Session 4 Communications and Boundaries
Session 5 The Role Of The IV

Events Volunteers needed! Join our lovely community 

Please read the description carefully. 

THIS IS A VOLUNTEERING ROLE

Home-Start Camden & Islington (HSC&I) offers free, confidential support and practical help to parents of children under five living in the London Boroughs of Camden and Islington.

Home-Start Camden & Islington is looking for friendly, local volunteers to help out at our various exciting community events!

We host all kinds of activities aimed at building confidence and helping build a community for example:

Walk & Talks

Foundling Art Course

Zoo Trips

Coffee Mornings

Museum visits

Park Days

Foodbanks

Every event is a chance to connect, support, and have a great time with local families.

We’re looking for a pool of volunteers.

We’re looking for people who can commit some dedicated time. Our events usually run in the mornings or afternoons so you would be needed from around 10am-1pm or 12pm-3pm. But we are looking for people who can commit to as much time as they can.

If you aren’t able to commit but are keen to help out with the events above, please also get in touch and we can discuss availability and options!

We will carry out a DBS check. 
Experience with families and children is required.
And we will also require references.
 

Volunteer Role Requirements

• Ability to communicate effectively and sensitively

• Open and welcoming to parents

• Parenting and Childcaring experience

• Ability to empathise with others

• Awareness & sensitivity to different lifestyles

• Reliability & Commitment

• Sufficient English to participate in activities

• Weekday availability (these events are always held in Camden and Islington but in different locations in the borough).

What you’ll be doing

• Helping set up the room: tea and coffee table and play area for children

• Playing with children

• Offering parents a drink

• Welcoming and chatting with parents

• If the event is out and about, you may be carrying some picnic items and toys (we have a trolley!)

• Helping parents with directions to arrive at the destination

• Games and activities

What is in it for you?

• Increase your self-confidence

• Help families in need and become more involved in your community

• Opportunities to meet new people

• References provided after one year

• Ongoing training and support throughout this journey

• Good experience on your CV for future jobs

If you are interested in this role, please send us a short letter about your experiences and why you’d like to be a part of Home-Start Camden & Islington. We would love to consider you for this role!

We are looking forward to welcoming you to our team! 

HEAD OF HR & VOLUNTEERING (REMOTE VOLUNTEER ROLE)

Build the backbone. Shape the culture. Power the movement.

Urban Youth is a start-up fast-moving, street‑level start‑up charity bringing high‑impact, urban-style youth work to London. We don’t sit in offices waiting for young people to come to us — we drop into the heart of the city, transforming unused spaces into hubs of creativity, connection, and opportunity.

But every movement needs structure. Every crew needs a culture. Every launch needs someone who can build the scaffolding behind the scenes.

We’re looking for a Head of HR & Volunteering — a founding volunteer leader who can design our systems, shape our people experience, and build the volunteer-powered engine that makes Urban Youth unstoppable.

Your Mission

You’ll be the architect of Urban Youth’s internal world — the person who builds the infrastructure that allows our street-level work to thrive.

You will:

• Design and implement our HR systems, processes, and policies from the ground up

• Build a volunteer programme that feels energising, inclusive, and purpose-driven

• Lead our volunteer recruitment strategy, working with our Volunteer Coordinator

• Shape a culture rooted in positivity, continuous improvement, team spirit, and belonging

• Develop onboarding, training, and support pathways for all volunteers

• Create simple, effective frameworks that help a start-up charity move fast without losing heart

• Work closely with the leadership team to prepare Urban Youth for launch and long-term growth

This is a rare chance to build the foundations of a charity before it takes off.

Who You Are

You don’t need to be a traditional HR professional — though you can be. What matters most is your ability to build systems, nurture people, and create culture.

You might be:

• Someone who loves structure, clarity, and good organisation

• A natural community-builder who believes in people-first leadership

• A champion of positivity, fairness, and continuous improvement

• A creative thinker who enjoys designing processes that actually work

• Someone excited by the idea of shaping a charity’s DNA from day one

Above all, you believe that people are the heart of everything — and you want to build a place where volunteers feel valued, supported, and part of a family.

Why This Role Matters

Urban Youth is volunteer-powered at its core. The systems you build will shape:

• How volunteers join

• How they’re supported

• How they grow

• How they feel

• How we deliver high-impact youth work across London

You’ll be setting the tone for an organisation that moves at the speed of the street — bold, agile, and full of heart.

This is a founding leadership role. A legacy role. A chance to build something that will outlast all of us.

If you want to help build a charity’s entire people ecosystem — and shape a culture rooted in hope, energy, and community — we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now and become the backbone of Urban Youth.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR / MANAGER — URBAN YOUTH (HYBRID VOLUNTEER ROLE)

Lead the movement. Shape the culture. Build the crew.

Urban Youth is a brand new start‑up charity bringing street-based youth work, pop-ups, and high-energy support to young people across London. We’re taking over unused spaces, showing up where teens actually are, and building a youth work model that feels more like a street wear fashion drop than a service.

But every movement needs a heartbeat. A culture. A crew. And that’s where you come in.

We’re looking for a Volunteer Coordinator/Manager to lead our recruitment drive, build our volunteer programme from scratch, and shape the spirit of Urban Youth as we prepare for launch.

If you love people, thrive in start-up energy, and want to help build something meaningful from day one, this role is for you.

What You’ll Do

As our Volunteer Coordinator/Manager, you’ll be the architect of our volunteer community — the person who turns enthusiasm into action and strangers into a family.

You’ll:

• Lead our volunteer recruitment drive across London and online

• Build our volunteer programme, pathways, and onboarding experience

• Shape a culture rooted in positivity, belonging, continuous improvement, and team spirit

• Support volunteers across street teams, pop-up crews, remote roles, and creative teams

• Develop simple, effective systems for communication, scheduling, and support

• Help create a volunteer experience that feels energising, empowering, and unforgettable

• Work closely with our leadership team to prepare Urban Youth for launch

This is a chance to design the volunteer journey from the ground up — the tone, the vibe, the rituals, the sense of community.

Who You Are

You don’t need years of experience — just the right energy, heart, and drive.

You might be:

• A natural people-person who loves building community

• Someone who thrives in fast-moving, creative environments

• A believer in youth work, inclusion, and giving young people a fair shot

• A builder — someone who enjoys shaping systems, culture, and teams

• A positive force who lifts others up and brings out their best

Most importantly, you care about creating a volunteer family where everyone feels valued, supported, and part of something bigger.

Why This Role Matters

Urban Youth is about to launch — and volunteers will be the engine behind everything we do.

You’ll be the one who:

• Sets the tone for our entire organisation

• Builds the team that powers our street work

• Creates a culture young people will feel the moment they meet us

• Helps transform an idea into a movement

This is a founding role. A legacy role. A chance to help write the first chapter of Urban Youth.

If you want to help build a charity from scratch — and shape a culture rooted in hope, energy, and community — we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now and become the heartbeat of Urban Youth.

URBAN YOUTH — REMOTE VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR OUR LAUNCH CREW

Help build a street‑level movement from behind the scenes.

Urban Youth is a brand new start‑up charity bringing street-based youth work, pop-ups, and high‑energy support to young people across London. We’re taking over unused spaces, showing up where teens actually are, and building fast, flexible provision that feels more like a drop than a service.

But before we hit the streets, we need a remote crew — the architects, organisers, creatives, and problem-solvers who can help us get launch‑ready.

If you want to be part of something bold from day one, this is your moment.

Join the Remote Founding Team

These roles are perfect for people who want to contribute from home, around work, study, or life. No long-term commitment, just meaningful, high-impact tasks that help us get Urban Youth off the ground.

We’re looking for:

• Admin & Operations Support Help us build the systems, processes, and foundations that keep a start-up charity running smoothly.

• Research & Development Volunteers Map youth needs, explore unused spaces, identify partners, and help shape our early strategy.

• Digital Creatives Designers, editors, content creators, help us craft the Urban Youth look, feel, and voice.

• Communications & Social Media Support Help us build our online presence, write copy, schedule posts, and amplify our mission.

• Fundraising & Bid Support Assist with research, drafting, and shaping early funding applications to fuel our launch.

• Project & Planning Assistants Work with our leadership team to organise tasks, timelines, and launch milestones.

Why Volunteer Remotely With Urban Youth?

Because you’ll be part of the origin story — the team that existed before the pop-ups, before the street teams, before the noise.

You’ll help create:

• The systems that make our street work possible

• The brand identity young people will recognise

• The strategy that guides our first year

• The momentum that turns an idea into a movement

Volunteering with us means:

• Flexible, remote tasks

• Short-term, high-impact opportunities

• Being part of a founding crew

• Real influence on how Urban Youth takes shape

• A chance to build something meaningful for young people who need it most

If you’ve ever wanted to help build a charity from the ground up — this is your chance.

Urban Youth is gearing up for launch. We need remote volunteers who can bring energy, creativity, and commitment from wherever they are.

Apply now and join the behind‑the‑scenes crew powering our launch.

Volunteer Photographer – London Marathon (Sense Charity)

Are you passionate about photography and capturing inspiring moments? Join Sense, a leading disability charity, as a Volunteer Photographer at the Manchester Marathon on Sunday, 26th April 2026!

You’ll play a key role in celebrating our amazing Sense runners — snapping action shots, cheering them on, and helping us tell the story of connection, determination and inclusion. Your images will not only give our runners lasting memories but may also feature on our website and social media to inspire future supporters.

What you’ll do:

• Capture photos of Sense runners throughout the marathon
• Edit and share a selection of your best shots for use across our channels
• Cheer on our participants and bring positive energy to the day
• Help promote Sense’s work by capturing powerful, joyful moments

You’ll love this role if you:

• Have your own professional-standard camera (DSLR or mirrorless)
• Are studying or passionate about photography (professionals welcome too!)
• Enjoy being outdoors, staying active, and working independently
• Have editing software and an eye for great storytelling through images
• Are based in Manchester and love supporting a good cause

What you’ll get:

• A free Sense hoodie to wear proudly on the day
• Travel costs reimbursed
• A professional reference for your portfolio or future roles
• The chance to use your skills to make a real difference for people with complex disabilities

At Sense, we believe in including everyone, finding a way no matter the barriers, and celebrating every connection. Come and be part of that story — one frame at a time.

What can Sense offer me as a volunteer?

• Full training with ongoing support and guidance from your team.
• A chance to meet new people.
• A great way to develop new skills and share your existing skills.
• The feeling you get knowing you’re making a difference to the lives of disabled people with complex needs.
• A reference to support future applications for paid or voluntary roles.
• Support from our Mental Health First Aiders, should you need it. 

About Sense

For everyone living with complex disabilities. For everyone who is deafblind. Sense is here to offer personalised support to help people communicate and experience the world. We believe that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. Our experts offer support that’s tailored to the individual needs of each person, whether that’s at our centres, through our holidays and short breaks, or in people’s own homes. In addition to practical support, we also provide information to families, and campaign for the rights of people with complex disabilities to take part in life.

Volunteers add real value to Sense, bringing their passion, enthusiasm and fresh perspectives to the work that we do. We believe that volunteers enable us to bring people together, and provide opportunities for people with complex disabilities to communicate and experience the world.

We include. We collaborate. We find a way. We challenge. We celebrate.

Apply now to volunteer as our Manchester Marathon Photographer and help us capture the spirit of inclusion in action!

Calling all creatives! If you are great with words, images and ideas, and want to find a flexible, regular, voluntary opportunity with a great small charity - we'd love to hear from you!

Criminal justice charity Belong: Making Justice Happen is looking for a Communications and Influencing Volunteer to join our friendly team and play their part in helping to make our vision of a society where there is hope, rehabilitation and recovery for victims and perpetrators of crime, a reality. This role is vital in ensuring we are telling our story and sharing the impact of our work with the world. It will assist Belong in working towards our goal of helping to develop a fairer, more effective, and more humane criminal justice system.

Supported by Belong’s Operational and Senior Leadership Team, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop creative content that highlight Belong’s key messages and promote change across our three policy objectives whereby we seek to promote:

1. Increased, higher quality support in communities engaging people who have offended, been victims of crime or who are at risk of offending or victimisation.
2. Fairer sentencing with equal, non-discriminatory application.
3. Reduced trauma and harm in prisons enabling greater productivity and rehabilitation amongst people serving prison sentences.

Place of work: Home-based

Hours of work: Flexible, depending on availability, between 2 – 4 hours per week. 

Supported By: Belong’s Operations and Finance Administrator, Head of Programmes and the CEO

Tasks

• Creating high quality, engaging content, such as graphics, written pieces, audio and video, for use in press releases, as well as across Belong’s website and social media platforms.
• Keeping up to date with social media posts and news pieces relevant to Belong’s work in the criminal justice sector, to help generate ideas for use towards press releases, and in social media and website content.
• Using ideas and information from Belong’s operational, front-line team to help generate ideas for social media and website content.
• Using Canva and any other relevant design tools to design graphics.
• Using our social media scheduling software Loomly to plan the week’s content across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin.
• Taking part in fortnightly to monthly meetings to help plan and develop the effective and creative communication of Belong’s charitable work and policy messaging.
• Helping us keep in the loop with our industry by engaging with partners and peers online.
• Supporting on developing specialist campaigns.

 What support will you be offered?

As part of your role we will provide you with full training, support and supervision. You will have the opportunity to meet and to work with other likeminded people who share Belong’s values of restoration, respect, inspiration, perseverance and empowerment. Belong’s administrator will be on-hand to assist with planning and sign off over email, as well as via catch ups over video call. Belong’s administrator and senior management will take part alongside you in monthly meetings to plan and develop Belong’s communications and policy influencing work.

What difference will you make?

Volunteering with Belong will give you the opportunity to use and develop your skills and make a real difference to building safer communities. You will be contributing to our growth and development, which in turn will enable us to reach a greater number of individuals, and change futures for the better, by:

• Raising awareness of Belong and our policy objectives via digital platforms. This will be measured via our annual report and monthly communications and policy influencing meetings.
• Improving press and media engagement with Belong’s work and policy objectives
• Building networks/relationships with other relevant organisations, including professionals/funders/corporates.
• Increasing followers across all platforms, with the aim of increasing the general support for Belong and engagement with our policy objectives.
• Increasing donations in accordance with priorities set out in Belong’s funding strategy, e.g. individual giving and will legacies via traffic from our social media.

If you’re seeking experience in this field or want to put your existing skills to a good cause, we’d love to hear from you. Please send us a CV and cover letter outlining a bit about why you are interested in the role and what you could do to take Belong’s communications and influencing work to the next level.  

Deadline: 24 April 2026

Interviews: 6 May 2026

Post to start: ASAP

Do you enjoy being outdoors and working with children? We’re looking for friendly, reliable volunteers to support weekly allotment sessions with primary school children. No gardening experience is required — just a positive attitude, a willingness to help, and an interest in nature and supporting young people.

Job Description

You will assist lead gardeners during 1-hour weekly sessions with children, helping them take part in planting and other simple gardening activities. The role also includes 30 minutes before the session to help set up and 30 minutes after to help tidy and pack away.

A DBS check and safeguarding training are required, and we will cover the full cost. We value consistency so children can build trusted, positive relationships with volunteers. You are welcome to volunteer for more than 2 hours per week if you wish.

Job Requirements

• DBS check and safeguarding training (cost covered by the organisation)

• Friendly, enthusiastic, and comfortable working with children outdoors

• Able to work as part of a team, supporting both gardeners and children

• Commitment to a minimum of 2 hours per week (including set-up and pack-down time)

• Reliable and consistent, helping children build trust over time

Job Responsibilities

• Support lead gardeners during 1-hour allotment sessions with primary school children, working collaboratively with staff and other volunteers

• Help children with planting, watering, weeding, and other simple gardening tasks

• Assist with 30 minutes of set-up before and 30 minutes of tidy-up after each session

• Encourage children to take part and keep sessions fun, safe, and engaging
  Be a positive, consistent presence and follow safeguarding guidelines

Organisation: Make a Smile
Location: Remote - UK-based (with opportunities for occasional in-person involvement)
Commitment: Flexible, approx. 4–6 hours per week

About Make a Smile

At Make a Smile, we believe every volunteer should feel supported, valued, and empowered. Our volunteers are the heart of our charity, and we work hard to break down barriers so that everyone—no matter their background—can get involved and make a difference to children’s lives.

The Role

The Supporting Chapter Manager provides support to Chapter that are deemed to be struggling. They should assess chapters frequently to ensure they have a clear awareness of what a chapter requires support, in addition to input from other Trustees. They will then provide hands on support to the struggling chapters with focus on recruitment, events and costumes. 

What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience in volunteer management and co-ordination.

• The chance to make a lasting impact in the areas needing the most support.

• Opportunities to develop leadership, communication, and management.

• The satisfaction of knowing you’re helping volunteers feel supported, engaged, and empowered.

Time Commitment

This role is flexible and can be done remotely. We ask for around 4–6 hours per week, though this may vary depending on activities or events.

Are you interested in communication? Have you got experience of using Mailchimp? Help us engage our charity's audience by creating compelling email and newsletter content so that we can support more people affected by a complex, debilitating chronic condition as well as raise awareness of this rare disease. This is a great opportunity to assist a small but mighty charity.

Description

Our small charity delivers awareness campaigns and a range of support services to patients, relatives, partners and carers who have been affected by a debilitating chronic condition; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). We are urgently looking for 2 experienced email marketing volunteers to join our communications team.

You will be a big link to our charity's clients who are vulnerable and isolated, to them learning more about events, our latest articles, fundraising events as well as ensuring they are aware of the services that we offer that be of help to them. You will also be helping us to raise awareness of this devastating chronic condition.

Even though we are a small organisation we have big ideas and having regular contact through emails and newsletters will show consistency and know they can rely on us to be there for them.

We would like the volunteer to help with:

• Email content: Develop our communication & marketing content calendar, write compelling regular email content, including calls for donations & support, that is relevant and has clear a call-to-action and high click through rates;
• Email content (membership): Create a regular email newsletter for our membership scheme
• Create a number of automated email series - for donors, members, fundraisers and more
• Newsletter strategy: Help us plan and articulate how we can use emails and newsletters to strengthen our organisation, motivate our supporters and communicate with our sponsors;
• Design and implement campaigns and promotional activity

What are you looking for in a volunteer?

We are looking for 2 volunteers who have:

• Strong writing and editing skills
• Good communicator
• Good computer skills and a willingness to be contacted via email and/or video chat
• Experience using email marketing software - specifically Mailchimp
• Marketing skills
• Experience of working on marketing strategies
• Ability to quickly understand the needs of our team, organisation and our services users (we are not expecting you to know about the condition we support)
• Can ask key questions to enable us to clarify requirements
• Understands the resource constraints of a small charity and is able to work with these
• Open to feedback
• A passion for marketing and email marketing
• Ability to work flexibly on your own or as part of a team with enthusiasm and commitment
• Ability to create email campaigns with little supervision (after initial support)

Skills

• Digital: Email Marketing
• Marketing and communications: Copywriting/Journalism

Making a difference

What impact will the opportunity have?

You will be joining a small charity during a challenging period and your expert knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our success. You will have a key role in ensuring we reach the patients, relatives, partners and carers who are in need of our support and inclusion on a regular basis. With your help we will expand our readership to ensure more people are aware of this condition, which will help those affected by it when they see a health professional.

What's in it for the volunteer?

You would be a part of our small, friendly, forward-thinking charity team, focused on reaching more people affected by this rare condition who may not know that we exist to support them. You would have a key role in developing a strategy to complement our awareness campaigns. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a real difference in someone’s life which is already isolated and painful, but who may not know there is support out there and to then realise they’re not alone.

About the location

Where will the volunteer be working?

The volunteer will be working remotely, online and entirely from your own home.

Travel Limit

This role will be completely remote.

When will the volunteer be working?

Volunteer availability

• Either in or office hours - however we are flexible

Estimate the time commitment

• 3-6 hours / week - but this is flexible however ideally it would be 4 hours or over to ensure email campaigns are going out at the right time

To apply for the email marketing volunteer please send by email your CV together with a covering letter saying why you think you would be a good candidate for this position, via the Charity Job 'Apply Online' 

Make A Smile is seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable Safeguarding Officer to help us ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children, families, and volunteers we support across the UK. If you have safeguarding experience and want to use your skills to make a meaningful impact, this role offers the chance to help shape safe, joyful experiences for vulnerable children.

About the Role

The Safeguarding Officer plays a central role in maintaining high safeguarding standards across all Make A Smile Chapters. You will work closely with the Recruitment Manager to deliver high‑quality safeguarding training to volunteers, ensuring they understand their responsibilities and feel confident when working with children.

You will also lead on maintaining and updating our safeguarding policies, liaising with relevant organisations to ensure they remain comprehensive, compliant, and aligned with current legislation. A key part of the role involves supporting local officers to ensure all volunteers have an up‑to‑date DBS check before attending events.

As the charity’s central point of safeguarding expertise, you will provide guidance on concerns, advise on escalation routes, and help embed a strong safeguarding culture throughout the organisation.

What We Need You to Do

- Deliver safeguarding training to volunteers
- Maintain and update safeguarding policies
- Ensure DBS compliance across all Chapters
- Provide guidance on safeguarding concerns
- Promote best practice and support volunteers
- Liaise with external organisations and stay up‑to‑date with legislation

Qualities and Experience

We are looking for someone with:

- Proven safeguarding experience (charity, education, healthcare, or social care preferred)
- Strong understanding of safeguarding legislation and best practice
- Excellent communication and organisational skills
- A calm, supportive, and approachable manner
- The ability to coordinate processes across multiple teams
- Good judgement, discretion, and attention to detail
- A commitment to Make A Smile’s mission and values

How This Role Helps Make A Smile

The Safeguarding Officer ensures Make A Smile can operate safely, responsibly, and confidently. Your leadership protects children, supports volunteers, and strengthens trust with families and partners. By maintaining robust safeguarding processes, you enable us to continue delivering magical, meaningful experiences to vulnerable children across the UK.

As our LGBT+ Community Space Volunteer, you will support the lead facilitator to run inclusive and creative employability workshops that support LGBT+ young adults (aged 18-30) to build confidence, develop soft skills, and strengthen social connections with fellow peers.

You will help create a welcoming, supportive environment where our services users feel safe enough to express themselves, establish a sense of belonging, and engage in creative learning.

You will be working collaboratively with other team members of Blossom to play a key role in delivering engaging, accessible sessions that center community, creativity, and both personal and professional growth. 

You will also be offered the opportunity to get involved with further “Train the Trainer” sessions to develop your own skills to help strengthen your facilitation and leadership.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1) Workshop Delivery 

• Support the lead facilitator with running the workshops (e.g. using creative methods to develop essential employability skills) based on the brief by the Head of Programmes & Services. 

• Create a welcoming, inclusive, and neurodiverse-friendly environment 

• Support participants to engage, connect, and build confidence 

• Encourage open and respectful communication 

2) Session Setup & Support 

• Support the lead faciliator to set up and pack down workshop activities and materials 

• Maintain a clean, safe, and organised space 

• Ensure resources are used safely and kept in good condition 

• Completing evaluation assessments and record keeping 

3) Safeguarding & Wellbeing 

• Support the safety and wellbeing of all of our service users 

• Raise any safeguarding concerns in line with procedures 

• Provide appropriate support and signposting where needed 

4) Planning & Collaboration 

• Share ideas for future workshop ideas based on the response and engagement from the service users 

ABOUT YOU:

We’re looking for someone proactive, reliable, and ready to get stuck in. You don’t need lots of experience — attitude and passion matters most. 
 
It is important that you: 

• Care about supporting LGBT+ young adults (aged 18-30) and creating inclusive spaces 

• Feel confident, approachable, and able to adapt to different people 

• Take initiative and work well as part of a team 

• Organised and able to manage tasks and resources 

Desirable but not essential: experience in youth work, community work, or creative workshops