Community building facilities assistant volunteer roles

Housekeeping and hospitality assistant (with on-site accommodation)

The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay

Abingdon, Oxfordshire (On-site)

Unpaid role, expenses paid

Voluntary

Community Development

Using Anonymous Recruitment

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Job description

Help our registered charity with retreats or community events!

We are a registered charity, housed in a beautiful English medieval manor with an ancient courtyard and a magnificent timbered Great Hall, dating from the 13th century. It is situated in extensive grounds where deer roam freely and where squirrels run up and down trees.

We are recruiting volunteers to join and to help us run activities. In exchange of your work, we offer free board, including 3 meals a day. We hold retreats, workshops, and run a weekly community cafe intended to create an exchange between the Abbey charity and the local community.
As a volunteer, you will play a crucial role in creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for our guests and visitors and you will greatly benefit from the interactions with our retreat visitors who come from all ways of life.

You will have your own unique room in this ancient building BUT DEPENDING ON THE ACTIVITIES (usually during a retreat) YOU CAN BE ASKED TO SHARE A ROOM WITH ANOTHER VOLUNTEER — always around the same age and gender, and usually for no more than 3 or 4 nights. The rooms are not en-suite but there are showers and toilets nearby. The food provided is vegetarian.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR STAY IS SUBJECT TO A ONE WEEK TRIAL. It is something to keep in mind before applying. This rule applies to us as well as to you: the first week is an opportunity for both sides to make sure that the arrangement is a good fit.

For UK nationals or people with the settled status, you can stay at the Abbey for up to 3 months.

We expect volunteers to help 25 hours per week. You must be able to help flexibly, both independently and as part of a group, and without us having to chase you. Please note that we are expecting from our volunteers to help with whatever is needed rather than what they want to do. We expect volunteers to be responsible, proactive, mature and respectful.

Most of the help is very straight forward and does not require special skills: we mainly need help to keep the place clean and tidy and to welcome guests and visitors. We are particularly interested in volunteers with housekeeping and hospitality experience, customer service skills, or volunteers able to help for different tasks as gardening, cooking, cleaning, DIY and so on. If you have a prior interest in mindfulness and/or meditation, we would be very interested if you would like to share your practice.

Your days off may not be the same from one week to another and you don't necessarily have consecutive days off. You will always work on Saturdays as we are running our weekly cafe and you may also sometimes work on Sundays depending on our activities, but you will have time off each week. The Abbey Manager and the Housekeeping & Volunteers Coordinator are very cautious about providing the best balance possible between your work and your free time. Each Monday, you will have your weekly schedule.

After induction and training we like to get our volunteers straight into action. After training you would typically be expected to:
- Assist with cleaning, ironing and preparing the Abbey for our guests
- Give a hand in the kitchen and serve food to our guests and clients
- Welcome guests and visitors.

Please note that you will be sharing a house with a small group of people (usually between 5 and 6), mainly international volunteers, and we expect you to be part of the Abbey life (e.g. you don't take your meals on your own in your room). You will be living, eating and working among other people with different temperaments, cultures and personalities. The Abbey is not the place for you if you don’t enjoy socializing and if you don't wish to be part of a group. Of course, you will have plenty of time for quiet and solitude each day and there will be time for your own work, besides the Abbey tasks, if you are a digital nomad. And on your days off, you do your own things and live your life :)

Our house is a quiet and peaceful place, well suited for rest, reflection and respectful communication. It isn't a place for late night parties, illegal drugs and a city lifestyle — but if you like being surrounded by nature and meeting new people from different cultures as well as living and working together in a friendly and beautiful environment, then this is the place to be. You will have a lot of freedom, autonomy and time for yourself as long as the work is done and the house rules are respected.

Organisation

The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay View profile

Registered Charity

1 - 5

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Refreshed on: 13 September 2026

Closing date: 30 September 2026 at 12:55

Job ref: We will need at least two references.

Tags: Customer support, Facilities

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Shopmobility Assistant

Equal Lives

Norwich, Norfolk (On-site)

Unpaid role, expenses paid

Voluntary

Charity Support ∙ Disability ∙ Diversity and Inclusion ∙ Health ∙ Social Welfare

Actively Interviewing

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Job description

Based right in the heart of the city, Shopmobility is a vital and much loved service for all of our customers. A place where they know they will be listened to, treated with dignity and provided with the best assistance we can offer them, to live their lives independently.

Equal Lives is a user led Disabled People's Organisation and we're really proud of Shopmobility! It's the part of our organisation which is people facing, the part where our staff and volunteers get to represent us and interact with our customers on a daily basis. So, it's vital that we have the right people on hand and that's where you come in!

If you've got a passion to help the Disabled community by empowering them to live the life they deserve, then you're our kind of person. We're looking for those compassionate individuals who want to help others, who are happy to give a few minutes to listen to someone's story, to ask how their day was and to support them in working out the best solutions to suit their needs.

Shopmobility is a scheme that supports people to hire mobility aids during their visit to the city. We're based in Chantry Place (previously Chapelfield Shopping Centre) and we are looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of the day-to-day running of the shop.This is a great opportunity to volunteer, build your skills and meet new people!

Role overview:

As is typical of working with the community, no one day is the same. As such, the role may include, but is not limited to:

Opening the site ready for business and helping to prepare the shop
Closing the shop at the end of the day
Greeting customers and acting as a friendly, supportive and welcoming face
Supporting customers to work out what they need, and to hire the equipmen
Keeping the site looking presentable and welcoming
Handling cash and taking card payments
Supporting people to sign up as Shopmobility members and to join Equal Lives as members
Responding to queries on social media, email and telephone
Taking future bookings for the equipment
Cleaning and maintenance of vehicles when they’re returned
Marketing and promoting the shop
Some other occasional ad hoc tasks as required such as signposting to our other services or other organisations

We’ll give you:

Comprehensive training, including Customer Service, GDPR, Safeguarding and Data Protection
The opportunity to choose your days and hours (within our opening times of Tuesday to Friday)
An accessible city centre location
A variety of activities to challenge you and develop your skills
The opportunity to take on additional responsibilities as you gain experience
Specific tasks focusing on the skills you want to gain
A friendly and supportive team of staff and volunteers
A mapped out plan of personal development to help you evidence your professional progression

You will be doing really important work with this role, supporting those with mobility issues access the City to lead more independent lives. This opportunity gives you a fantastic chance to learn and develop great transferable skills.

If you are looking for a volunteer role which gives you the chance to make a real difference to people's lives, this role could be for you.

Volunteering Arrangements

The site will follow the COVID19 safety guidelines and volunteers will be reimbursed reasonable expenses incurred whilst supporting us.

All volunteers are required to undertake our core training programme. This covers basic safeguarding and other key features, such as data protection.

New volunteers will have an opportunity to ‘shadow’ experienced volunteers and members of staff

Potentially, depending on the candidate, there may be additional opportunities to participate in a variety of accredited training courses. Please ask a manager for further details.

Volunteers are required to adhere to the organisation’s policies and practice guidelines.

Reasonable expenses, including travel whilst undertaking this role will be reimbursed. This includes mileage (currently £0.45 p/mile) and parking costs.

Person specification

Honesty
An ability to be empathic, whilst maintaining professional boundaries
Reliability, and only committing to a level of volunteering which is realistic
Good interpersonal skills
The ability to be non-judgemental
Good verbal and written communication skills
Excellent listening skills
Commitment to attend training courses and team meetings
Ability to follow organisational policies and procedures including safeguarding, data protection and health and safety
Dedicated to the empowerment of Disabled people

Organisation

Equal Lives View profile

Registered Charity

21 - 50

We strive to remove disabling barriers, empowering Disabled people to have choice and control in their lives.

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Refreshed on: 22 August 2026

Closing date: 06 October 2026 at 08:56

Tags: Campaigns, IT, Advocacy, Retail / Sales, Customer Service, Operations, Autism, Blind, Customer support, Data Entry, Database Management, Deaf, Dementia, Employment, Engagement / Outreach, Facilities, Health / Medical, Health and Safety, Learning Disability, Mental Health

The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.

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Flyer Distributor

Age UK Enfield

Enfield, Greater London (On-site)

Unpaid role, expenses paid

Voluntary

Elderly

Actively Interviewing

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Job description

The Role

As a Flyer Distributor you will play a crucial role in helping to raise awareness about our services and events within the Enfield community. You will be responsible for disseminating promotional materials such as flyers, brochures, and event announcements to various locations within the Enfield area.

Distribute promotional materials provided by Age UK Enfield to designated locations across the Enfield area. This may include community centers, libraries, local businesses, healthcare facilities, and other relevant locations.
Engage with members of the public in a friendly and courteous manner while distributing flyers. Answer any questions they may have about Age UK Enfield's services and provide basic information about upcoming events or initiatives.
Keep accurate records of the locations visited and the quantity of promotional materials distributed. Report back to the supervisor on to provide updates on distribution progress.
Act as an ambassador for Age UK Enfield by promoting the organisation's mission, values, and services to the community. Help to increase brand recognition and visibility within the local area.

General Key Skills:

Ability to work independently without constant supervision.
Comfortable with walking and standing for long periods in various weather conditions.
Maintaining professionalism and addressing public inquiries effectively.
Reliable attendance and punctuality, with a strong sense of responsibility.

Time Commitment

2-4 hours Between 10 am - 2 pm (there are other volunteer opportunities available)

Requirements

A DBS Enhanced check will be required. Training to be provided around safeguarding.

Other Information

Please note: It is a unpaid position however travel costs and other volunteering expenses will be covered.

Organisation