Community volunteer roles

Do you want to be inspired by the impact of education? Schools across Colne are looking for skilled volunteers to support education by becoming school governors.

What will you be doing?

Governing bodies are responsible for the strategic management of a school and will make decisions about a wide range of issues

The core responsibilities involved are:

• Ensuring accountability
• Providing support and challenge to the schools senior leadership team
• Monitoring and evaluating the school’s progress
• Budgetary allocation and control
• Shaping plans for school improvement and overseeing their implementation
• Setting the school’s aims and values
• Appointing senior members of staff including the Head Teacher

The governing body is usually split in to a small number of committees, each responsible for one area such as finance or pupil achievement. These committees will meet separately from the main governing body to discuss relevant issues in more detail. Discussion is then fed back at a full governing body meeting.

A school governing body is made up of representatives from the school, the parents, the local authority and the local community.

What are we looking for?

You don’t need any specific skills or experience to be a school governor. You must be over 18, but you don’t need to be a parent or have experience working in education. Often, it’s the outside perspective you can bring that a school needs.

Professional experience in areas such as HR, finance, law, or project management are all useful to a school. But soft skills such as leadership, communication, and problem solving are also great additions.

What difference will you make?

Governors make decisions that affect schools for years to come. Our recent impact survey found that our volunteers bring £9.9 million worth of value to schools each year, and 9/10 volunteers would recommend being a governor to a friend. 

As a governor, you can visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos and to get the most out of the role. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first-hand.

What's in it for the volunteer?

Volunteering as a school governor is a challenging but rewarding role. As part of the governing board, you’ll:

• help schools overcome challenges to ensure a bright future for children in your community
• work collaboratively with people from different backgrounds, challenging your own perspective and broadening your network
• gain experience outside of your job description and skills you can bring back to work

Before you apply

You will need to complete an application form and will have an interview with the school. DBS checks will be taken up

Youth Leaders work directly with young people in St John Ambulance Badger Setts and Cadet Units. By organising a mixed weekly programme, this role will support the learning and development of young people into the next generation of healthy citizens. Youth Leaders also help young people develop their confidence, teamwork skills, and self-discipline, and generally encourage them to strive to be the best they can be, as well as supervise and support other adult volunteers in their team.

You’ll get a huge sense of satisfaction and pride delivering an essential service. It’s great for you, great for your community and great for our nation, and it requires only a small commitment of your time. 

Pursuing the role

Closing date for these opportunities is: 30/04/2026.

To apply for this opportunity, please follow the link below:

We are recruiting Youth Helpers to assist at our various Cadet and Badger groups in the Surrey area.

Youth Helpers work directly with young people in St John Ambulance Badger Setts and Cadet Units by supporting our Youth Leaders to deliver a sessions across our range of programmes. In this role, you'll support the learning and development of young people into the next generation of health citizens. Youth Helpers also help young people develop their confidence, teamwork skills, self-discipline, and generally encourage them to strive to be the best they can be, as well as supervise and support other adult volunteers in their team.

You’ll get a huge sense of satisfaction and pride delivering an essential service. It’s great for you, great for your community and great for our nation, and it requires only a small commitment of your time. 

Pursuing the role

If you are successful you will need to undertake induction & training for role at these dates:

• Welcome Event (Induction) -  31/01/2026.

To apply for this opportunity please follow the link below:

Youth Leaders work directly with young people in St John Ambulance Badger Setts and Cadet Units. By organising a mixed weekly programme, this role will support the learning and development of young people into the next generation of health citizens. Youth Leaders also help young people develop their confidence, teamwork skills, self-discipline, and generally encourage them to strive to be the best they can be, as well as supervise and support other adult volunteers in their team.

You’ll get a huge sense of satisfaction and pride delivering an essential service. It’s great for you, great for your community and great for our nation, and it requires only a small commitment of your time. 

Pursuing the role

If you are successful you will need to undertake induction & training for role at these dates:

• Welcome Event (Induction) -  19/05/2026

Closing date for these opportunities is: 24/02/2026

VOLUNTEER CHAIR/COORDINATOR

Across the UK, our 65 local branches help disabled people live the lives they choose. Our network of skilled volunteers respond to thousands of requests each year to design and make customised equipment free of charge.

As your local Chair or Coordinator, you’ll take the lead in making sure your local branch works as effectively as possible. You’ll recruit, induct, and support other branch volunteers to make sure your branch’s activities meet the needs of your local disabled community.

You’ll bring your leadership, communication, organisation, and motivational skills to this role.

What the role involves

This is a varied role where local need shapes what you’ll be working on, but it often includes:

•  Coordinating the activities of our local branch to undertake and meet the needs of  referrals in your area

• Coordinating and chairing the branch meetings

• Leading the branch’s shared responsibility for planning and completing referrals

• Coordinating the recruitment, induction, and ongoing support of new local branch volunteers

• Working with your Treasurer or Finance Officer to approve branch accounts

• Ensuring the branch’s activities comply with policies to keep people safe

• Regularly communicate and act as a key contact between staff and volunteers

What you’ll need for this role

Essential

• Confident in leading and chairing a meeting

• Confident using Microsoft Office, the internet and email

• Willingness to attend local events to promote the charity’s work

• Ability to understand and follow external and internal policies and procedures

• Able to keep people’s personal details safe

• Willing to follow Remap policies and procedures – and a commitment to our values

Desirable

• Confident in communicating with different audiences, including decision-makers and volunteers

• Able to delegate and motivate the activities of others

• Enthusiastic about raising awareness of the charity’s work in the local area

• Willingness to develop skills and experience

You’ll also need to complete the induction checklist and reference check, and you may need a DBS check if you also have another client facing role.

Why volunteer

When you volunteer with us, you join a community of committed people with a passion for helping to improve the lives of others. We’re a volunteer led organisation and we couldn’t do what we do without your hard work, skills and commitment.

N.B. We’ll reimburse any out-of-pocket expenses during your time with us.

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

Unfortunately, thousands of cats each year are abandoned or have strayed and rely on charities like Cats Protection for help. Becoming a trap, neuter and return (TNR) volunteer is one way you can make a real difference to cats in your local area. Our TNR volunteers help reduce the number of feral cats by raising awareness of our TNR programmes, setting humane traps to safely capture cats, taking them to local vets to be neutered, and hopefully returning them back to their territory. Local TNR programmes are crucial, as feral and abandoned cats present a huge challenge for communities across the UK.

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:

• Trapping cats using humane methods
• Taking cats to local vets to be neutered 
• Returning cats to their territory or finding a suitable alternative

The role might also include:

• Regular feeding of feral colonies
• Promoting neutering by building relationships with farmers, land owners and local businesses
• Liaising with vets to promote and arrange neutering 

Time expectation 

This is a flexible role and the hours will vary depending on the number of cats identified for specific TNR campaigns. Our current TNR volunteers spend about 2 to 3 hours per week in this role which can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed. 

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.

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

Thousands of cats each year rely on the help of animal charities because they have been abandoned, they have strayed or because there has been a change in their owner’s circumstances. Becoming an administration volunteer is just one way you can help improve the lives of cats in your local community. Our administration volunteers help provide vital admin support to our volunteer groups and teams across Cats Protection. They help keep up to date records of the number of cats that have been rehomed, collate supporter details and send out newsletters. This could be the perfect volunteer role if you have administrative experience, a passion for cats, or both!

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:

• Recording relevant information related to your volunteer group
• Signposting enquiries to the relevant teams within Cats Protection
• Sending information to supporters, volunteers and to our Head Office
• Distributing information leaflets if required

Time expectation

Our administration volunteers usually spend 2 to 3 hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.

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.

Youth Helpers work directly with young people in St John Ambulance Badger Setts and Cadet Units. By supporting our Youth Leaders to deliver a sessions across our range of programmes. In this role, you'll support the learning and development of young people into the next generation of health citizens. Youth Helpers also help young people develop their confidence, teamwork skills, self-discipline, and generally encourage them to strive to be the best they can be, as well as supervise and support other adult volunteers in their team.

You’ll get a huge sense of satisfaction and pride delivering an essential service. It’s great for you, great for your community and great for our nation, and it requires only a small commitment of your time. 

Closing date for these opportunities is: 28/02/2026

We'll invite you for a friendly chat to get to know you better and see how your skills and passion align with working with young people.

We're keen to hear from you if you'd like to share your experiences as a blind and partially sighted person and help build a world which understands the impact of living with sight loss.

In this role, you will be:

• Delivering talks to groups of sighted people about your lived experience of sight loss to challenge their perceptions and behaviours. Audiences will vary but may include local businesses, community, faith and voluntary groups.

• Making links with your own existing groups and networks in your local community that may want to be involved in reducing barriers to blind and partially sighted people.
• Building relationships with people or local businesses you know.
• Taking part in and sharing information about specific campaigns and initiatives to help remove barriers to blind and partially sighted people.
• Delivering talks on behalf of RNIB’s Social Action Team.

What you'll gain from the role:
• A chance to make a difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people with a sense of achievement.
• A chance to be part of a team of like-minded people.
• To make an impact by speaking to groups of people.
• An opportunity to develop your role into delivering talks independently as your confidence and skills grow.
• An opportunity to improve public understanding, helping change perceptions and behaviours, building a world which understands sight loss.
• An opportunity to explore different volunteer roles within our organisation and have access to internal employment opportunities.

In return for donating your time we will provide:
• Induction to the role and organisation.
• Training in public speaking and telling your story.
• A supportive volunteer manager.
• Regular catch-ups.
• Expenses.
• An opportunity to connect with other volunteers.

Volunteer Role: Volunteer Programme Officer

Join a movement built on care, dignity, and community.

Unlock YOUR Potential is launching in Newham and Tower Hamlets — and we’re looking for an organised, supportive, people‑centred Volunteer Programme Officer to help keep our programmes running smoothly and ensure every volunteer feels welcomed, informed, and valued.

We are a 100% volunteer‑led organisation supporting adults aged 18–67 who face barriers to employment, education, confidence, and wellbeing. Our programmes are trauma‑informed, community‑based, and rooted in human connection.

If you believe people deserve to be seen, heard, and supported — this role is for you.

What You’ll Do

As our Volunteer Programme Officer, you will:

• Support the coordination of volunteers across employability, wellbeing, digital skills, mentoring, and life‑skills programmes

• Manage volunteer communications, updates, and reminders to keep everyone connected and informed

• Help maintain rotas, schedules, and attendance records

• Assist with volunteer onboarding, inductions, and check‑ins

• Provide day‑to‑day support to volunteers delivering sessions and activities

• Gather feedback from volunteers and participants to help improve our programmes

• Work closely with the Volunteer Programme Manager and wider leadership team to ensure smooth, safe, trauma‑informed delivery

This is a hands‑on, people‑focused role where your work will directly support the rhythm, reliability, and heart of our movement.

What We’re Looking For

You’ll thrive in this role if you are:

• Warm, organised, and values‑driven

• Comfortable coordinating people, schedules, and information

• Skilled at communication and building supportive relationships

• Passionate about trauma‑informed, person‑centred practice

• Confident using basic digital tools (email, spreadsheets, messaging platforms)

• Ready to help build something meaningful from the ground up

Experience in volunteer coordination, community work, or programme support is helpful — but heart, care, and reliability matter most.

Why Join Us

• Be part of a new, community‑powered movement

• Support volunteers who are changing lives across East London

• Work alongside people with lived experience, empathy, and heart

• Gain programme coordination experience in a growing charity

• Make a real difference to adults who feel unseen and unsupported

Time Commitment

• 3–6 hours per week, flexible
• Based in London (with hybrid options)

We Welcome You

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, especially those with lived experience of the barriers our participants face.

Our shops help raise vital funds, and volunteering with us is a great way to make a difference, meet new people, and join a fantastic team. Volunteering in our shops offers a variety of exciting tasks. From sorting, steaming, and pricing donations to spotting hidden gems, you'll roll up your sleeves in the backroom and assist on the shop floor. Engaging with customers is key, whether you're serving with a smile, working the till or helping donors complete Gift Aid forms.

Creating a warm, friendly and inviting space is just as important. You'll help design eye-catching window displays, keep the space tidy, and use your creativity to ensure everything looks its best, encouraging customers to return.

No special skills are needed as we’ll show you what to do, and we provide all the training you’ll need.

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

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 volunteers use their passion for cats and people to raise the vital funds needed to help more cats and kittens in need. As a fundraising volunteer we want to support you to fundraise in whatever way suits you best, whether that’s organising a fundraising event, fundraising online, promoting fundraising activities on social media, completing administration or supporting the development of new fundraising ideas! Whatever your skill set, this could be the role for you! 

What 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

From stunning boutiques full of designer gems to discount stores where you can grab a bargain, our charity shops are much-loved across Scotland.

We are looking for friendly volunteers to help our shop management team assist customers and donors, and ensure the shop is tidy and well stocked. Whether you have a passion for fashion and love chatting to customers, or you would prefer to be behind the scenes in our stockroom, your help could make a difference in your local community.

Our Retail Volunteer Anne shares why she loves volunteering, “I wanted to learn new skills as well as get to know more people locally, so volunteering in the shop was ideal. I enjoy being part of the team! It’s good to feel useful and part of the successful running of the shop.”

We believe everyone has the right to live life to the full following the diagnosis of a chest or heart condition, stroke, or Long Covid. Our shops are vital in helping us raise the funds needed to provide services such as community support services, specialist nurses, advice and information, education, and peer support.

Join our fabulous team of Retail Volunteers and learn new skills, make great friends, and make a real difference to people in Scotland who are isolated, scared, or anxious about their condition.

Why we want you

We are looking for someone to help our shop management team assist customers and donors and ensure the shop is tidy and well stocked.

What you will be doing

• Welcoming and assisting customers and donors
• Customer care
• Stock control
• Sorting donations
• Hanging and ticketing stock
• Helping to keep shop clean and tidy

The skills you need

• Effective communication and customer care skills
• A willingness to volunteer in a team environment, and with the public
• A willingness to undertake all training required for role

What's in it for you

• Meet new people
• Use your skills and learn new ones
• Make a real difference to people with our conditions

Disclaimer

Expenses Reasonable out-of-pocket expenses will be reimbursed. These should be discussed with your Line Manager prior to outlay and must be submitted within the prescribed guidelines as detailed in the CHSS Volunteer Expenses Policy. Safeguarding In line with our commitment to safeguarding, this role is subject to a basic disclosure check. Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland are committed to equality of opportunity, and we aim to ensure no volunteer is unfairly treated on the grounds of an offending background.

About the Role 

We are Buttons & Bubbles C.I.C. We aim to increase inclusion and representation for disabled families across society. We have several different services including bespoke characters, workshops, free resources, events, sensory trails and more. 

As we continue to grow, we are on a mission to make finding and accessing information around everything to do with disability easier. Hence, we're putting together a brand-new team of volunteers who are passionate about content and using the power of social media for good

Who Are We Looking For?

·Someone who is passionate about our mission of inclusion, representation, and belonging.

·Having social media skills is helpful, but enthusiasm for creating and editing content, building online communities, and supporting our digital presence is essential.

·You should enjoy research, taking on challenges, and bringing a creative mindset to your work.

·Be willing to learn or have knowledge of editing and posting videos.

·Be able to support our online initiatives while collaborating with our team.

What Do We Expect?

·Must be willing to undertake our training programme, which will be completed virtually at a time that suits you.

·Have a DBS check (preferably be on the update service) or be willing to complete one with us.

·Sign our volunteer contract. (If you disagree with anything in it, please discuss it with us; we’re happy to make small changes where appropriate.)

·Have a positive attitude toward disability and illness.

Benefits of Volunteering with Buttons & Bubbles C.I.C 

·Make a difference in your community. 

·Have a positive impact on people’s lives. 

· Develop your current skills and gain new ones. 

· Demonstrate your commitment and reliability to future employers. 

· Show your ability to balance and manage your time effectively. 

· Build your confidence. 

· Explore new areas of interest by taking on additional tasks if you wish.