Volunteer roles

We are looking for Welcome volunteers to staff the welcome desk and be first point of contact for our visitors. Our volunteers play an important and valuable role in our cathedral community. Volunteering  can be a wonderful way to find a sense of purpose and belonging. You can use your skills, build your confidence and develop as part of a supportive and caring team. You’ll have the opportunity to work in an exciting and vibrant place of Christian worship, surrounded by beautiful architecture and our world-famous stained-glass windows.

Our volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and each person has their own reasons for wanting to volunteer. We welcome applications from anyone interested in being a part of what we do, and will work with you to ensure that your volunteering experience is as inclusive and accessible as possible.

Our volunteers need to be sympathetic to our vision, mission and values, but you do not need to be a Christian to join our team.

Tasks include: 

· To greet visitors entering the cathedral and offer a first-class welcome

· To open positive conversations and demonstrate the welcoming nature of the cathedral

· To provide information and signpost as requested by the visitor, details and basic history of the cathedral, location of toilets etc.

DBS Check and Training to be completed / provided:

• Basic DBS check
• Basic Awareness and Foundation level safeguarding training.
• ACT Counter Terrorism training.
• In-house additional training as required.

Ensuring the safety of everyone who comes into the cathedral is Birmingham Cathedral Chapter’s highest priority. All volunteers must also complete our Safeguarding training before they can start working with us.

What this volunteering opportunity will provide you with:

• Knowledge of the international significance of the windows, the artists Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris and their links to Birmingham.
• Experience working with people from a diverse range of backgrounds.
• Insight into the workings of the cathedral, and experience working in a sacred building and place of faith.
• The opportunity to practice speaking in various foreign languages dependent on the nationality of visitors you encounter.
• Opportunities to volunteer in further roles in the cathedral team.
• Experience working alongside a team of skilled and knowledgeable individuals both clergy and non-clergy
• Safeguarding and ACT training (this is a requirement)

Depending on the nature of the volunteering role you undertake with us, we may need to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure in accordance with the Disclosure and Barring Service Rules.

All information provided by volunteers with be held in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation within the Data Protection Act 2018.

We are looking for kitchen assistants to help us prepare a warm meal for the children that attend our sessions after school or during the school holidays. 

Kitchen assistants prepare the meal depending on the ingredients donated to us and based on their confidence level. We want to make sure volunteers feel confident in what they are cooking. Often dishes are: jacket potatoes, pasta bakes, currys, stir fryes. 

During term time we tend to have 1-2 volunteers in the kitchen and holidays 3-4, as more children attend the sessions during the holidays.

Expect to feel the community energy when you enter the space, with children attending regualrly and their parients having attended when they were younger. Team feel, with the other volunteers working togther to make the meal. 

The Vench is a specail place and you will feel that and hopefully enjoy volunteering here. 

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) is a membership organisation and charity supporting the profession of planners in the UK. Planners 'make spaces', they work alongside communities, companies and politicians to decide the best way to use land and buildings to shape and develop both urban and rural areas. The RTPI works to raise professional standards, shape planning policy, and awards chartered status for those working in planning.

Finance Committee at the Royal Town Planning Institute plays a pivotal role in the Institute's central governance, overseeing on how the RTPI’s financial assets are being managed and employed for the benefits of its members. The Committee is a mix of members of the RTPI Board of Trustees and independent co-opted members. It reports directly to the Board who then report to the Institute's General Assembly.

The Committee oversees financial management, investments and major projects. We are looking for individuals who can contribute to the Institute's work and decision-making and bring with them experience in reviewing management accounts, budgets and medium to long term financial plans and/or overseeing the management of investments and/or reviewing major project plans and funding requests.

Ealing Book Festival is a young organisation with huge ambitions. We're looking for someone with great organisational skills and experience to join the team and help us develop and achieve our objectives.

In addition to the general responsibilities of a trustee, duties of the secretary are as follows.

·Preparing agendas in consultation with the chair and trustees and circulating them and any supporting papers in good time

·Making all the arrangements for meetings 

·       Ensuring the taking of, agreement and sign off of minutes

·Checking that trustees have carried out actions agreed at a previous meeting 

·Circulating agendas and minutes of the annual general meeting and any special or extraordinary general meetings (where required)

·Fulfilling the functions equivalent to a company secretary, assisting the chair and other trustees with charity reporting requirements, monitoring the policy register 

·Assisting the chair with board evaluation, succession planning processes and recruitment

Person specification 

In addition to the person specification for a trustee, the secretary should have the following skills, experience and qualities:

• Experience of governance and compliance procedures

• Organisational ability

• Minute-taking and report writing experience, including preparation of annual reports

• Preparation of the policy register

• Experience of board evaluation and succession planning processes 

These may have been acquired in a corporate or a charity environment. 

Help our charity to create new Allotment sites!

Green Allotments is a small, national, charity on a mission to create new allotment sites in England and Wales. 

We are currently looking for lovely volunteers for various roles which are all home-based:

Volunteer Desk-based Researchers (Our most popular volunteering role!)

Occasional professional/specialist micro-volunteers

Landscape Architect

Social Media Supporters

Welsh Language Translators / Gwirfoddoli Cyfieithwyr Cymraeg

There are no set hours when volunteering for us and you can turn down anything that you are offered. Obviously, we will treat you with dignity and respect.

We do not anticipate that you will incur expenses in this role. We expect our volunteers to already have an internet connection and be willing to use that as part of their volunteer role with Green Allotments CIO.

(At present we are unable to accept applications from under 18s, although we hope to be able to do so in the future as our charity grows)

Trustee – Toynbee Hall

Help shape a fairer future as a Trustee at Toynbee Hall

Toynbee Hall has been tackling poverty and injustice from our home in London’s East End since 1884. We work alongside local communities to provide vital advice and support, carry out research and advocacy, and create space for people to come together and shape solutions to the challenges we all face.

We are now seeking new Trustees to join our Board and help guide the next chapter of our work. Trustees play a crucial role in setting our strategy, safeguarding our mission and ensuring the organisation remains focused, effective and sustainable.

We are particularly looking for a Trustee with a background in finance, accountancy or financial decision making to join our Finance Committee.

You do not need previous experience as a Trustee as we will provide a full induction and support, but you do need to bring independent judgement, strategic thinking and a commitment to building a fairer future.

We aim for a Board that reflects the communities we serve and especially welcome applications from people connected to Tower Hamlets and the East End, as well as from candidates who are Black or Asian or who bring diverse lived experiences.

Time commitment: Four evening Board meetings a year, an annual away day, and membership of at least one committee, which meets up to three times a year, usually online. Trustees serve a three year term, renewable up to a maximum of nine years.

Applications are open until midday on 10 November 2025.

Trustee with a focus on income-generation, for Home-Start Wokingham District

Do you want to improve the lives of parents and young children in Wokingham  by focusing our charity on better income-generation?

You could be a trustee for Home-Start Wokingham District, an local charity that gives every child the best possible start in life.

Set up in 1996, we offer “a lifeline”, a free family support service to families with at least one child under the age of five, provided by volunteers who are parents themselves, to support other parents. That home visiting service is unique in Wokingham Borough, providing compassionate, confidential and non-judgmental help and friendship to local parents struggling to cope with the daily challenges of family life.

We are affiliated to national Home-Start UK, but we are an independent local charity responsible for our own governance and securing our own funding.

Our income in 2023/24 was over £100k, and we want to maintain at least that level in order to provide our services.

What we are looking for in an income-generation-focused trustee

Trustees are the people who make the top-level decisions for our charity. Our Board includes people with experience and skills in supporting parents, and we’d expect new trustees to have empathy with our cause and our beneficiaries. 

We’re looking for strategic focus on our income generation, for a trustee to guide and drive our plans to continue, and increase, our funding streams. You’ll offer support to our Fundraiser and Operations Manager, working with other trustees to develop and track all our income.

You don’t necessarily need prior experience of charity trusteeship, as support from local charity-support organisations is always available.  Full induction to our organisation will be provided, plus specialist support as a new trustee including access to external training.

If you can think strategically and plan long-term, you have the primary skills needed by our trustees; you’ll also need to be able to work collectively with other Board members.

We are a charity not a business, but we apply business principles to governing our organisation. We are looking for people from a variety of backgrounds to join our charity. We want to expand the diversity of our board, in all meanings of the word, and strongly welcome applications from people from less-represented groups. 

The focus of a trustee role is strategic, and trustees will not be expected to get involved in the organisation’s operations on a day-to-day basis; however, contact and liaison with other trustees and employees is expected.   

We ask for about ten hours per month on average, which includes all meetings, discussions, etc.  You will need access to digital communications, as much of our charity’s business is run that way.

How to apply  

This appointment is being managed for us by inVOLve Community Services, a charity-support organisation, who offer a no-obligation discussion by video. A detailed Role Description and Person Specification can be made available to you upon request.

Trustee appointments are subject to satisfactory references, to completion of an online Safeguarding course and an Enhanced DBS check. 

Your CV or similar will be read by our existing trustees, and an interview offered as soon as mutually convenient.

I need to know more 

Contact Mike Allen via Quick Apply, below, for more information and arrange to have a no-obligation initial informal discussion (Teams or Zoom).

Trustee with an HR-skills focus, for Home-Start Wokingham District

Do you want to help us improve the lives of parents and young children in Wokingham and surrounding areas, by helping us support our volunteers and employees?

You could be a trustee for Home-Start Wokingham District, an local charity that gives every child the best possible start in life.

 Set up in 1996, we offer “a lifeline”, a free family support service to families with at least one child under the age of five, provided by volunteers who are parents themselves, to support other parents. That home visiting service is unique in Wokingham Borough, providing compassionate, confidential and non-judgmental help and friendship to local parents struggling to cope with the daily challenges of family life.

We are affiliated to national Home-Start UK, but we are an independent local charity responsible for our own governance and securing our own funding.

As our services to local parents are delivered by our volunteers, who are in turn supported by our small employee team, we want to better aid of recruitment of both, and assist those who help our communities.

What we are looking for in a new trustee

Trustees are the people who make the top-level decisions for our charity. Our Board includes people with experience and skills in early years, education and business. We’d expect new trustees to have empathy with our cause and our beneficiaries.

We want to increase the recruitment, retention and training of our volunteers and employees, and are looking for a trustee to lead that strategy, develop our policies and help enhance the organisation’s ‘people offer’.

If you can think strategically and help us plan long-term, you have the primary skills needed by our trustees and will work collectively with all other Board members.

You don’t necessarily need prior experience of charity trusteeship, as support from local charity-support organisations is always available.  Full induction to our organisation will be provided, plus specialist support as a new trustee, including access to external training.

We are a charity not a business, but we apply business principles to governing our organisation. We are looking for people from a variety of backgrounds to join our charity. We want to expand the diversity of our board, in all meanings of the word, and strongly welcome applications from people from less-represented groups. 

We ask for about ten hours of your time per month, which includes all meetings, discussions, etc., many of which are held online. You’ll need access to digital communications, as much of our charity’s business is run that way.

 How to apply  

This appointment is being managed for us by inVOLve Community Services, a charity-support organisation, who offer a no-obligation discussion by  video. A detailed Role Description and Person Specification can be made available to you upon request.

Trustee appointments are subject to satisfactory references, to completion of an online Safeguarding course and an Enhanced DBS check. 

Your CV or similar will be read by our existing trustees, and an interview offered as soon as mutually convenient.

I need to know more 

Contact Mike Allen via Quick Apply, below, for more information and arrange to have a no-obligation initial informal discussion (Teams or Zoom).

Cycle Sisters is looking to appoint up to two new Trustees to support our mission to create inclusive and empowering spaces for Muslim and ethnically diverse women to cycle.

This is an exciting opportunity to bring your skills and experience to an award-winning charity that is tackling inequality and creating lasting change in communities.  

About Cycle Sisters

Cycle Sisters is a women-led charity supporting Muslim and ethnically diverse women to transform their lives through cycling.   Through group rides, cycle lessons and volunteering opportunities, we create accessible and empowering spaces where women can build confidence, improve their health and connect with others. 

We work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders – from local authorities to national bodies such as British Cycling, Transport for London and the Bikeability Trust to advocate for greater inclusion in cycling.

Since starting with a single local group in 2016, we’ve grown into a thriving network of over 2,000 women across 10 groups London-wide. Our impact is far-reaching: 92% of women who take part in our activities report improved health, with 91% feeling more confident and 86% being more connected in their communities.

Cycle Sisters is seen as a leading voice in our sector and has been recognised with multiple awards, including our Chair winning the BBC Sports Personality Unsung Hero of the Year Award for the London region.

Looking ahead, our vision is to build a national movement of diverse women cycling, with plans to expand beyond London and share our model across the UK. By doing so, we aim not only to transform individual lives, but also to shift the culture of cycling so it truly reflects the diversity of our communities.

What will you be doing? 

As a Trustee of Cycle Sisters, you’ll play a key role in shaping the direction of a growing, values-led charity. Your responsibilities will include ensuring we comply with our governing document and charitable objectives, safeguarding our reputation, and supporting sound financial management, risk management and accountability.

You’ll contribute to strategic planning by helping to set goals, review progress and ensure long-term sustainability. Working closely with fellow Trustees and senior staff, you’ll bring insight, expertise and constructive challenge to strengthen the organisation. Trustees are also ambassadors for Cycle Sisters, raising our profile and creating opportunities through their networks and community connections.

What we’re looking for

Essential 

• Commitment and passion for Cycle Sisters’ vision, mission and values 

• Ability and capacity to give the role the time and focus required, including an average of 4-6 hours per month as well as attending quarterly board meetings 

• Understanding of the charity and/or sport sector

• Track record of leadership and delivering success 

• Ability to think creatively and strategically and scrutinise decision-making.

• Strong team player and ability to work effectively with others 

• Understanding of the experiences and perspectives of Muslim communities in the UK, whether through personal experience or professional/community engagement

• Understanding of the importance of women-only spaces in enabling confidence and participation

• Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship 

Desirable 

• Previous Trustee or governance role 

• Skills in networking, advocacy/influencing and partnership-building

• Relevant networks or connections that can support Cycle Sisters’ growth 

Our commitment to diversity

We want our team to represent the diversity of the women we serve.   We aim to be an organisation where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued, and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop.  We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and ages, particularly those currently underrepresented on our team.

Trustee for Home-Start Wokingham District

Do you want to help us improve the lives of parents and young children in Wokingham and surrounding areas?

You could be a trustee for Home-Start Wokingham District, an local charity that gives every child the best possible start in life.

 Set up in 1996, we offer “a lifeline”, a free family support service to families with at least one child under the age of five, provided by volunteers who are parents themselves, to support other parents. That home visiting service is unique in Wokingham Borough, providing compassionate, confidential and non-judgmental help and friendship to local parents struggling to cope with the daily challenges of family life.

We are affiliated to national Home-Start UK, but we are an independent local charity responsible for our own governance and securing our own funding.

We are looking for new trustees to join our Board, as our longer-standing trustees stand down.

What we are looking for in a new trustee

Trustees are the people who make the top-level decisions for our charity. Our Board includes people with experience and skills in early years, education and business. We’d expect new trustees to have empathy with our cause and our beneficiaries.

We are looking to refresh our Board as some of the trustees who’ve governed us for a while now stand down. If you can think strategically and help us plan long-term, you have the primary skills needed by our trustees and will work collectively with all other Board members. Support from our paid employees is always available, as they will be dealing with the day-to-day running of the organisation.

You don’t necessarily need prior experience of charity trusteeship, as support from local charity-support organisations is always available.  Full induction to our organisation will be provided, plus specialist support as a new trustee, including access to external training.

We are a charity not a business, but we apply business principles to governing our organisation. We are looking for people from a variety of backgrounds to join our charity. We want to expand the diversity of our board, in all meanings of the word, and strongly welcome applications from people from less-represented groups. 

We ask for about ten hours of your time per month, which includes all meetings, discussions, etc., many of which are held online. You’ll need access to digital communications, as much of our charity’s business is run that way.

How to apply  

This appointment is being managed for us by inVOLve Community Services, a charity-support organisation, who offer a no-obligation discussion by video. A detailed Role Description and Person Specification can be made available to you upon request.

Trustee appointments are subject to satisfactory references, to completion of an online Safeguarding course and an Enhanced DBS check. 

Your CV or similar will be read by our existing trustees, and an interview offered as soon as mutually convenient.

I need to know more 

Contact Mike Allen via Quick Apply, below, for more information and arrange to have a no-obligation initial informal discussion (Teams or Zoom).

The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (the Institute or NIESR) is one of Britain’s leading independent policy and research institutes dedicated to understanding the economic and social forces that shape people’s lives.

NIESR has a long-standing reputation for accurate, authoritative analysis founded on excellent research, and for bringing its insights to bear on the issues of the day. As such, it acts to bring together an array of policymakers, academics, the media and other research institutes, and plays a pivotal role in both national and international policy debates.

We are seeking to appoint up to three trustees to join the Institute’s Council of Management and are seeking individuals with backgrounds in HR, leadership within an SME professional services context, or economic research.

Our Trustees are responsible for overseeing the management of the Institute, including approving strategy, operational plans and budgets, monitoring organisational performance, managing the Institute’s principal risks and ensuring the fulfilment of the Institute’s charitable objectives. The time commitment for a trustee is the equivalent of between half a day and a day a month. The role is not remunerated.

Full details of the role and responsibilities of a trustee can be found in our Trustee Candidate Pack attached. 

The skills and experience that we are looking for are:

 Experience

• An individual with senior HR expertise, preferably in a context where professional staff are the key asset of an organisation; OR
• Someone with leadership experience in a small-to-medium sized organisation, preferably within a professional services context and in an economics-related field; OR
• An internationally-renowned academic with research interests aligned to the work of the Institute.

 Skills and abilities

• An understanding and appreciation of the work of NIESR and its importance to public policy.
• The ability to act with credibility and authority in the role as trustee, preferably with experience of working in a governance or board context.
• Fully able to commit to attendance of Council meetings and relevant sub-committee meetings.
• Objectivity, fairness, independence of mind, integrity, wisdom, discretion and good judgement. 
• Strategic vision and the ability to focus on practical issues.
• Readiness to make and be accountable for decisions.
• A willingness to attend other NIESR events and engage with NIESR publications and output.

To apply

To apply for a trustee position at NIESR, please send:

• A tailored CV of no more than two pages; and
• A supporting statement of no more than one side of A4 setting out how you meet the skills and experience criteria outlined above.

Your statement should detail your relevant experience, ensuring it is aligned with the role description and person specification above, and providing specific evidence demonstrating how you meet the criteria. Your statement should also highlight your interest in the work of the Institute and your motivation for joining our Council of Management.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our board to ensure the Institute benefits — at board level — from a broader range of perspectives, more creativity in generating ideas and solutions, and to improve decision-making. In addition to finding individuals with the specific skills outlined above, we would especially welcome applications from women, who are under-represented on our board.

Get Involved: Volunteer at Acorns Match Day Takeover!

Are you ready to experience the excitement of match day while making a difference in your community? Join us for the Acorns Match Day Takeover and become a vital part of the action as Aston Villa takes on Liverpool!

Event Details

• Date: Sunday 20th November
• Match: Matchday takeover vs Wolves
• Kick-Off: 14:05
• Volunteer Hours: 11.00-17.00

What’s Involved?

Be part of the buzz and help create an unforgettable match day!

• Bucket Collection: Energise the crowd by collecting donations around the stadium before and after the match.
• Tombola Extravaganza: Bring the excitement to fans by running a tombola packed with amazing prizes, keeping the donations flowing!
• Exclusive Perks:
  • Free nearby parking.
  • Refreshments to keep you energised.
  • Access to one of Aston Villa’s lounges during the match, where you can catch the game on TV.

Are You the Right Fit?

We’re looking for volunteers who:

• Have a friendly and approachable personality to connect with fans.
• Feel confident spreading awareness and working outdoors during the event.

Why Volunteer with Acorns?

• Make an Impact: Every pound you help raise supports vital work in your local community.
• Boost Your Skills: Gain valuable experience to add to your CV.
• Join a Team: Be part of something bigger, with opportunities to grow into other rewarding roles.

Note: Volunteers must be 18 years or older. If under 18, a parent or guardian must apply and accompany you during your activities.

Be a part of the match day magic and make a difference with Acorns!

Are you looking for a Fundraising role that makes a real difference to a local charity? 

 At Acorns we provide care and support for life limited or life threatened children and their families. We are a charity, and our fundraising is vital to enable us to continue providing care and support to the children: it costs around £13 million a year to run our care services. 

Join our fundraising team at Tesco, St Peters Drive on Thursday 11th November and make a difference. We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help us collect donations from shoppers, supporting our cause in a rewarding environment. Plus, enjoy the convenience of free parking for all volunteers.

 How much time will it take?

The collection is from 10.00am – 3.00pm, but you can join us at any point for an hour or two.

 Am I right for the role? 

We’re looking for volunteers who are

• Approachable and happy to raise awareness about Acorns
• Versatile and willing to adapt and help out 

  Why volunteer at Acorns? 

• To help a local charity and make a difference in your community
• Connect with likeminded people and make new friends
• Learn new skills to boost your CV

• Opportunities to progress to other roles

  We can only accept volunteers who are 18 years of age or older. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must also apply as they need to accompany you for the duration of your volunteer activities.

Are you organised, reliable, and keen to make a real difference in your local community? We are seeking a dedicated individual to take on the vital role of Parish Treasurer. You’ll play a central part in overseeing our charitable status, managing Gift Aid, and maintaining accurate records of income such as standing orders, donations, fees, and investment income. Your attention to detail will also help ensure the smooth handling of parish expenditure. Financial experience is not essential but would be helpful —enthusiasm and a willingness to learn are most important. If you’d like to support the church’s mission and contribute to its ongoing work, we’d love to hear from you!

The role would take 4 – 5 hours per month plus a few face-to-face meetings per year and whilst a volunteer would be perfect, it could be a paid role.