British heart foundation volunteer roles

Our volunteers help us fund lifesaving science to improve the lives of families and loved ones living with heart and circulatory disease. Volunteering with us is easy, flexible, and inclusive. If you can spare a few hours a week, or a couple of hours occasionally, we’d love you to join our volunteer team in our friendly store in Alfreton.

Are you calm, collected and happy to chat on the phone? Join the volunteer team at our store. With support from the shop team, you will be the first point of contact for customers, helping them with any phone or face-to-face enquiries, arranging collections of donations via our local van teams and explaining our Gift Aid scheme. You will also be using our online collections request system to process online collection booking requests. This is a busy front of house role for those who like to be in the thick of it and makes a huge difference in helping us continue to fund lifesaving research.

Just so you know, we are unable to accept volunteers aged under 17 or with unspent criminal convictions. Please note this is an unpaid voluntary position in a friendly charity shop. 

Typical tasks include:

· Dealing with face-to-face, phone and online enquiries, supported by the team

· Reception and front of house duties, helping around the cashier desk

· Completing administration procedures accurately

· Arranging collections of donations via our local van teams

Volunteering with the British Heart Foundation comes with plenty of benefits too…

· A 25% discount on donated goods and 10% discount on New Goods in our shops

· Unlimited, free, and confidential support by Retail Trust

· Access to training and development

· Reasonable travel expenses reimbursed

· Refreshments available

· Volunteer certificates, references and long service awards provided

· Access to discounts with other retailers

At the British Gas Energy Trust, our mission is clear and unwavering: we exist to reduce the harmful impact of poverty, with a dedicated focus on tackling fuel poverty across Britain.

Since our establishment in 2004, we have grown into one of the UK’s largest and most influential charitable funders in this field. Our work spans direct financial assistance, specialist advice, and community‑based programmes, and we continue to deepen our understanding of what truly helps households build resilience. This combination of practical support and system‑level insight places us in a unique and important position within the sector.

The Trust has evolved significantly over recent years. We now operate with a strengthened in‑house team, a clear strategic direction, and a growing reputation as both a funder and an influencer in the national conversation on fuel poverty.

THE ROLE

As we prepare for our next strategic phase from 2026 where we will continue to focus on both immediate assistance and long‑term systemic change, we are seeking a Deputy Chair and two trustees to join our Board. We’re particularly interested in strategic thinkers with non-executive experience who bring strong relationship building skills and a proven track record of leadership within their fields from: the energy sector, technology sector, those with deep understanding of fuel poverty/poverty, and income generation/fundraising.

We are looking for people with sound judgement, emotional intelligence, and a collaborative, inclusive approach who recognise the dignity of the people we serve and the importance of working in partnership to achieve lasting change.

If you share our belief that no one should face energy hardship alone, and you are motivated by the opportunity to contribute to an organisation with both heart and influence, we would be delighted to hear from you.