Volunteer roles for the Research sector

Across the UK, our volunteer groups play a vital part in supporting people affected by MS, bringing people together and connecting our local MS communities.

As a Communications Volunteer you’ll play a key role in promoting your group to people in your area affected by MS, and helping them feel connected. You could be editing newsletters, responding to information requests, or developing engaging content for social media — depending on what the group needs.

In this role you’ll develop your writing skills, and gain experience of communicating across a range of digital channels.

Most importantly you’ll be helping us engage with lots of people and get the word out to people with MS about support to help them live their lives to the full.

Why we want you

As one of our wonderful volunteers, you can get involved in:

• providing support and services to the MS community
• increasing awareness of, and delivering resources to, people affected by MS
• raising vital funds to help stop MS
• boosting our community voice by advocating for MS research and policy.

What you will be doing

• Creating content for, promoting and moderating group social media channels
• Writing and editing newsletters and promotional materials in line with brand guidelines
• Updating group information resources
• Supporting the group’s shared responsibility for designing and delivering services and activities

The skills you need

• Skills and/or experience in what you'll be doing
• Commitment to MS Society policies and procedures
• Confidence in using Microsoft Office, the internet and email will be required for some volunteer roles
• Compassion and sensitivity
• Ability to maintain confidentiality when required
• A willingness to support the work of MS Society and be a positive representative for the MS community

What's in it for you:

• You’ll be part of our amazing volunteer network
• You’ll develop new skills, which can improve your CV and employability
• You'll be making a real difference to people's lives
• You’ll get a say in influencing our work
• You’ll receive a Volunteer Welcome Pack
• You’ll have an induction to your role
• You’ll get support from your Volunteer Manager
• You’ll gain access to Learning and Development opportunities
• You’ll be reimbursed for any expenses while carrying out your role

Across the UK, our volunteer groups play a vital part in supporting people affected by MS, bringing people together and connecting our local MS communities.

As a Fundraising Volunteer, you’ll provide much-needed help looking after fundraising relationships, and with fundraising activities and events. You’ll help us look after the supporters who are fundraising for us — to make sure they’re happy and feel part of what we do. You’ll also support us with planning and running events, including preparation and making sure everything runs smoothly on the day.

In this role you’ll develop your organisation, communication and team working skills.

Why we want you

As one of our wonderful volunteers, you can get involved in:

• providing support and services to the MS community
• increasing awareness of, and delivering resources to, people affected by MS
• raising vital funds to help stop MS
• boosting our community voice by advocating for MS research and policy.

What you will be doing

• Raising vital funds as part of a team or fundraising group
• Assisting at fundraising events
• Promoting the group’s Enthuse fundraising page
• Contacting our fundraising supporters to keep them updated and involved
• Identifying and participating in local fundraising opportunities
• Following our health and safety guidance
• Coordinating and supporting other volunteers involved in fundraising
• Supporting the group’s shared responsibility for designing and delivering services and activities.

The skills you need

• Skills and/or experience in what you'll be doing
• Commitment to MS Society policies and procedures
• Confidence in using Microsoft Office, the internet and email will be required for some volunteer roles
• Compassion and sensitivity
• Ability to maintain confidentiality when required
• A willingness to support the work of MS Society and be a positive representative for the MS community.

What's in it for you:

• You’ll be part of our amazing volunteer network
• You’ll develop new skills, which can improve your CV and employability
• You'll be making a real difference to people's lives
• You’ll get a say in influencing our work
• You’ll receive a Volunteer Welcome Pack
• You’ll have an induction to your role
• You’ll get support from your Volunteer Manager
• You’ll gain access to Learning and Development opportunities
• You’ll be reimbursed for any related expenses while carrying out your role

We are looking to appoint a Chief Operating Officer who can provide leadership to operational departments and maintain consistent effectiveness across the organization. 

About YAUK

Youth Advantage UK is a charitable organization that uses a research-led approach to inform policy work and projects that aim to promote and further the human rights of young people aged 11 to 25 across the United Kingdom.

Please note that this is a remote VOLUNTEER role.

We won't accept applications from individuals residing outside of the UK as we operate on the principle of bettering the lives of young people in the UK. Therefore, we require our volunteers to have an understanding of what it is like to live in the UK.

Key responsibilities 

• Oversee the operations of the organization ensuring of efficiency

• Translate strategy into actionable plans

• To provide leadership to departmental heads in departments such as Communications and IT (this may extend to other departmental heads as required)

• Work with the CEO to develop strategy

• Lead the creation of policy and guidance

Requirements

• Proven leadership experience

• Understanding of key business functions

• Excellent decision-making skills

• Ability to problem solve effectively

• Great at multitasking

• Competence in strategic planning

• Integrity

• Ability to use remote tools and IT systems

• Good people and communication skills

• Right to volunteer in the UK

Benefits

• This is a UK-based, 100% fully remote and flexible role.

• Supportive team and management to enhance your skills and build on your experience.

• Your work will help transform and empower many young people’s lives, rights, and interests and assist in promoting equality for all young people.

Why Volunteer with Us?

We are a supportive and friendly organization that takes pride in developing and nurturing our volunteers and providing them with excellent opportunities to thrive and further encourage their career growth and future aspirations.

We offer a fully remote working environment and a flexible and adaptable working schedule. This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing organization, enhance your skills, and gain valuable experience. If this sounds like you and you are interested in applying for this position, please submit your CV.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Volunteers are integral to the running of our reserves and without their help we wouldn’t be able to maintain this amazing wetland of national importance. WWT Slimbridge consists of over 325 acres of stunning habitat, providing refuge for a huge diversity of animals and plants. The reserve and its wetlands have international protection, including a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Ramsar site, and a Special Protection Area.

Managing a large wetland nature reserve requires a lot of practical, hands-on, physical tasks. With training and guidance, you will become part of our friendly and hard-working reserves volunteer team. Your role will be to provide regular support for all practical reserves management, including maintaining and restoring various habitats to attract migratory birds and help improve species biodiversity on site. You will ensure that our reserve grounds are maintained to the highest standard for wildlife and that they look their best for visitors, encouraging their engagement and support for our vital work!

This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved in practical nature conservation, meet new like-minded people and become part of a dedicated team, and make a difference by helping to maintain our important wetlands.

Volunteers are an essential part of the WWT team, and we wouldn’t be able to maintain our internationally important wetland sites without their help. You will receive a very warm welcome, full induction & training, and be provided with any necessary equipment, uniforms, and anything else needed to thrive in your role.

At WWT, we believe that the best way for people to understand and connect to wetlands is to experience them first hand, so we bring awe-inspiring nature up close. We create unforgettable experiences for young people through our warm welcome, positive interactions, and fun engaging activities.

We are looking for keen and enthusiastic volunteers to help run our weekly Wednesday term-time toddler group called “The Gosling Gang”! You will be working with other volunteers and staff to ensure families and young children visiting our centre feel part of something amazing.

Volunteers are an essential part of the WWT team, and we wouldn’t be able to maintain our internationally important wetland sites without their help. You will receive a very warm welcome, full induction & training, and be provided with any necessary equipment, uniforms, and anything else needed to thrive in your role.

We are looking for volunteers to act as Sighted Guides at our Annual Conference on the 19th September at Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre. Sighted Guiding is a simple and effective way of supporting blind and partially sighted attendees to move safely and confidently throughout the day.

As a Sighted Guide, you may be asked to:

• Meet and welcome attendees on arrival.
• Guide attendees between the train station and the conference venue.
• Guide individuals between conference rooms, refreshment areas, lunch areas, and other facilities.
• Assist attendees with fetching food and drinks during breaks and lunch.
• Provide information about the venue layout and surroundings.
• Support attendees to ensure they have a positive, inclusive, and accessible conference experience.

No previous experience is required, and guidance will be provided before the event. By volunteering, you will play an important role in helping all delegates participate fully and enjoy the conference.

Please note: Lunch will be provided for all volunteers and reasonable travel expenses will be covered.

The Africa Health Organisation (AHO) seeks to engage in bidding and tendering to deliver health and social care services effectively.  Our goal is to ensure sustainability and positively impact the lives of more people.  We want assistance in developing an ambitious strategy.

What will you be doing?

We are excited to announce an incredible opportunity for a talented Bid Manager to join our passionate team at the Africa Health Organisation (AHO)!  Since 1999, we've been dedicated to delivering health and social care to millions across Africa and the Diaspora, and now we're ready to further elevate our impact.

This year, we're embarking on a mission to broaden our funding strategy by incorporating bid and tender opportunities.  Our goal is to engage with governments in Africa and the UK, the public sector, and the public, providing essential, practical, and emotional support to those facing chronic conditions.  We need a visionary like you to help us achieve our goals.

We're seeking a dynamic, experienced Bid Manager to develop and execute a winning strategy to secure the necessary financial backing.  There are numerous exciting possibilities ahead, including central government tenders, local and statutory opportunities.  We're eager to explore them all.

In this pivotal role, you'll plan and execute our bids and tender writing efforts, ensuring that our bid proposals not only shine but also come to life in meaningful ways.  If you're a bid writer who thrives on creativity and collaboration, we want to hear from you!  Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to inspire and mentor volunteers within our bid and tender team, making a positive impact together.  Join us on this exciting journey!

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The Role Description:

Bid Management: Lead and manage the entire bid and tender process, ensuring submissions meet deadlines and align with client requirements across the UK & Ireland.

Proposal Development: Collaborate with internal stakeholders to develop tailored, high-quality, and persuasive proposals that align with our value proposition.

Stakeholder Engagement: Work closely with sales, operations, legal, and clinical teams to gather critical input and ensure accurate, compliant, and compelling submissions.

Market Analysis: Stay informed on market trends, tender opportunities, and competitor activity to identify and secure strategic opportunities.

Compliance: Ensure all submissions adhere to company standards, client specifications, and relevant regulatory requirements.

Process Improvement: Continuously refine bid processes, content libraries, templates, and tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Post-Submission Activities: Manage debrief processes and gather feedback to inform future submissions.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead AHO bids: Manage the whole bid process with a hands-on approach.
• Create strong responses: Tailor solutions that clearly show our value.
• Support growth: Work with Business Development and Marketing to boost propositions.
• Drive best practice: Lead bid qualification, governance, and reviews.
• User-focused: Understand needs and clearly present our solutions.
• Know the landscape: Medical, research industries, and opportunities.
• Know our strengths: Stay sharp on our services and competitors.
• Seal the deal: Coordinate smooth contract closures.
• Stay tidy: Keep the bid library updated and accessible.
• Keep comms clear: Align stakeholders throughout the process.
• Stay compliant: Follow governance and secure approvals.
• Push for quality: Lead reviews to ensure high-standard submissions.
• Maintain the opportunity pipeline: utilising CRM and creating reports for management.
• Taking the lead on other business development activities, such as award submissions, whitepapers, and sales collateral.
• Supporting every stage of the sales funnel: by working closely with marketing, sales, implementation, and operations teams.

What are we looking for?

Person Specification: What You'll Bring:

• At least two years of proven experience in bid and tender management, preferably within the healthcare (NHS & private), medical, or technology sectors.
• End-to-end bid management experience: A minimum of 4 years' experience leading the whole bid process.
• Preferred qualifications include a degree in Business, Communication, Marketing, Creative Writing, English or equivalent.
• APMP Certification is also desirable.
• Sector versatility: Experience with both public- and private-sector bids in the medical, biotech, biomed, health, and social sectors is preferred.
• Industry knowledge: Understanding of contact centres and/or customer experience is essential.
• Commercial acumen: Strong business sense, negotiation skills, and a hands-on approach.
• Resilience under pressure: Able to thrive in a fast-paced environment and meet tight deadlines.
• Detail orientation: High attention to detail to ensure quality and accuracy.
• Growth mindset: Self-motivated, proactive, and focused on continuous improvement.
• Strong communicator: Confident and articulate, with the ability to build trusted relationships across stakeholders.
• Time management: Skilled at prioritising tasks and managing competing deadlines.

What difference will you make?

In this exciting role, you will lead the strategic process for winning new business through competitive bids, tenders, and proposals, ultimately elevating AHO's success. Your specialised knowledge will enhance our win rates and maximise revenue by bringing clarity, quality, and coordination to what can be a complex and high-stakes journey. impact

Your primary mission is to boost AHO's tender win rates and strengthen our strategic advantage.  By diligently overseeing each step of the bidding process—from initial evaluation to final submission—you will significantly improve the quality and persuasion of our proposals, directly increasing our chances of securing valuable contracts.

You'll provide key insights to help AHO target the most promising opportunities by implementing a thoughtful "bid/no-bid" process.  This approach will ensure we focus only on lucrative and winnable contracts that closely align with our strategic goals, ultimately saving time and resources and allowing us to prioritise high-potential projects.

In this role, you will orchestrate a well-coordinated process that drives operational efficiency.  As the central point of contact, you will gather input from diverse internal teams—sales, finance, legal, and technical—ensuring everyone collaborates smoothly to meet critical deadlines.

As a leader, you'll elevate the quality of our bid content.  By overseeing the creation of compelling, polished materials, you'll ensure our final submissions are professional, cohesive, and error-free. You will utilise a centralised content library containing valuable resources, such as case studies and CVs, to streamline efforts and enhance our proposals.

You will keep projects on track by developing detailed project plans and timelines, ensuring all tasks are completed on time—especially critical in the fast-paced environment of tender submissions.  Your effective management will ease colleagues' workloads, allowing the entire team to shine.

To foster long-term business growth, you'll create a wealth of knowledge around our tenders and bids. By conducting insightful post-submission debriefs and analysing feedback, you will capture invaluable lessons from both successes and setbacks.  This ongoing improvement process will enhance our bidding capabilities for future opportunities.

You also have the opportunity to enhance AHO's brand reputation by submitting well-organised, accurate, and compliant bids.  By doing so, you'll showcase our professionalism and reliability to clients, building trust and solidifying our credible standing in the market.

Strategic alignment is vital for sustaining consistent, stable business growth.  Together, we can make a remarkable impact on development.

Join us at Sefton Park on Saturday 24th October for our Spooky Welly Walk!! 

Help bring this fun filled family event to life by supporting participants, cheering on little monsters, superheroes and ghosts, and creating a fantastic day for everyone. Whether you can volunteer for the whole day or just a few hours, we'd love to have you on the team. Last year over 5000 people came together for a day of Halloween fun, and this year we're aiming to make it even bigger and better.We're looking for enthusiatic volunteers to help us create a safe, exciting and memorable experience for thousands of families and supporters. 

It's a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, gain valuable event experience, build your CV and make a real difference while supporting people affected by lung cancer. 

Whether you're welcoming participants, helping our spooky activity stalls, stewarding around the park, or simply bringing plenty of enthusiasm and smiles, you'll play a vital role in making the day unforgettable. 

What could you be doing

There are lots of fun roles available, including:

Helping children get creative in our Creepy Crafts area

Supporting our Monster Market stalls

Welcoming families and helping at our Mobile Farm

Bringing stories to life at our Spooky Storytelling area

Encouraging little monsters in the Zombie Fitness Zone

Helping at our Terrifying Tattoos stall

Assisting in the Bugfest Beauty Parlour 

Handing out snacks and treats to our visitors or supporting participants and stewarding around the event. No previous experience is needed-just enthusiasm and a friendly smile. 

The event opens to the public at 10.45am. Volunteers are kindly asked to arrive at 9.00am to help with set up, meet the team and take part in a full briefing. 

Join us and help create an unforgettable day for thousands of families- we can't wait to welcome you to our spooktacular volunteer team! 

Our charity funds around £100 million of research each year into all heart and circulatory diseases and the things that cause them. Heart diseases. Stroke. Vascular dementia. Diabetes. They're all connected, and they're all under our microscope.  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. 

Could you be the friendly face of your local British Heart Foundation shop? With support around you and full training provided, you will be processing sales through the till as a volunteer cashier, talking to customers and thanking every donor - helping us continue to fund life saving research. This is a customer focussed role where you will meet and interact with a wide range of people.  

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:

• Engaging with customers and serving them in a helpful and friendly way
• Answering questions from customer, donors and supporters
• Communicating with fellow volunteers about what has sold and needs re-stocking
• Honing your retail and cashier skills behind the till and taking payments
• Helping with administration and reception duties around the till area
• Promoting Gift Aid and sales campaigns

Volunteering with 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 

Our charity funds around £100 million of research each year into all heart and circulatory diseases and the things that cause them. Heart diseases. Stroke. Vascular dementia. Diabetes. They're all connected, and they're all under our microscope.  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. 

Our Sales Floor Volunteers are the first point of contact for customers when they enter our charity shop. You will be greeting customers, helping them find the items they’re looking for and answering their questions, with help on hand from the shop team. You will provide invaluable help in the running of the shop, keeping it stocked and attractively displayed. 

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: 

• Helping customers on the shop floor & providing good all-round customer service 
• Promoting our campaigns and any instore sales to customers 
• Working on window and shop displays to make them look their best
• Keeping the shop tidy, clean and well organised – some light housekeeping 
• Helping your fellow volunteers and staff with customer queries 

Volunteering with 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 

The Africa Health Organisation (AHO) seeks to engage in bidding and tendering to deliver health and social care services effectively.  Our goal is to ensure sustainability and positively impact the lives of more people.  We want assistance in developing an ambitious strategy.

What will you be doing?

We are excited to announce an incredible opportunity for a talented Head of Bids and tenders to join our passionate team at the Africa Health Organisation (AHO)!  Since 1999, we've been dedicated to delivering health and social care to millions across Africa and the Diaspora, and now we're ready to further elevate our impact.

This year, we're embarking on a mission to broaden our funding strategy by incorporating bid and tender submissions.  Our goal is to engage with governments in Africa and the UK, the public sector, and the public, providing essential, practical, and emotional support to those facing chronic conditions.  We need a visionary like you to help us achieve our goals.

We're seeking a dynamic, experienced Head of Bids to develop and execute a winning strategy to secure the necessary financial backing.  There are numerous exciting possibilities ahead, including central government tenders, local and statutory opportunities.  We're eager to explore them all.

In this pivotal role, you'll plan and execute our bids and tender writing efforts, ensuring that our bid proposals not only shine but also come to life in meaningful ways.  If you're a bid writer who thrives on creativity and collaboration, we want to hear from you!  Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to inspire and mentor volunteers within our bid and tender team, making a positive impact together.  Join us on this exciting journey!

Key Duties and Responsibilities will include:

• Overall responsibility for delivering high-quality, accurate, compliant and commercially sound proposals on time, to budget, with inputs from key stakeholders.
• Responsible for the coordination and management of all Bid activities, for ensuring that Bid Plans are put in place and that all internal inputs are received promptly to meet Bid submission timescales.
• Responsible for the receipt, management, control and coordination of all external and internal information and documentation with respect to the enquiry and for the team acting as custodian for Bid documents, including all approved internal documentation signed by the Organisation.
• Responsible for compliance with all internal Bid policies and procedures and for passing internal and external audits.
• Contribute to the overall Bid strategy alongside other stakeholders.
• Responsible for the overall leadership of the team and ensuring that individuals within the team are given appropriate opportunities to grow and develop, and that the team maximises performance by creating and fostering a positive, can-do attitude and outlook on an ongoing basis.
• Responsibility to ensure that improvements are identified and those agreed upon are implemented continuously to support the growth and development of the team and those within it.
• There is a need to keep good records and to create and measure metrics on bidding performance to both review performance and drive continuous improvement in a key area of the business.
• Responsible for mentoring and training Bid Managers and Bid Writers to ensure they are up to date with bid requirements and improve their competence.

What are we looking for?

Education, Skills and Experience: Requirements

Essential:

• At least three years of experience in successfully leading teams within a bid environment.
• Proven track record of improvement and achievement - processes and people
• Keen understanding of numbers, spreadsheets, VOP/invoices, rates, cash flow, milestones, negotiations, and pricing audits.
• Ability to write strong proposals and experience as an estimator
• Excellent communicator (written and verbal) with local and international customers, and with an appreciation of cultural differences
• Ability to persuade and influence others
• Ability to lead team by example, with the ability to foster and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Strong business/commercial acumen
• Keen attention to detail
• Commercially sound judgement
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Strong financial skills

Desirable:

• Leadership qualification (CMI or ILM)
• Experience with an integrated project management / ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning)
• Experience in bidding roles in the Medical, Biochemistry, Biomedical, Public Services, Global Health, Humanitarian, NGOs, Public Health and Social Care industry
• MBA, Professional Qualification or formal leadership Qualification (CMI, ILM)

What difference will you make?

In this exciting role, you will lead the strategic process for winning new business through competitive bids, tenders, and proposals, ultimately elevating AHO's success. Your specialised knowledge of bids will enhance our win rates and maximise revenue by bringing clarity, quality, and coordination to what can be a complex, high-stakes journey.

Your primary mission is to boost AHO's tender win rates and strengthen our strategic advantage.  By diligently overseeing each step of the bidding process—from initial evaluation to final submission—you will significantly improve the quality and persuasion of our proposals, directly increasing our chances of securing valuable contracts.

You'll provide key insights to help AHO target the most promising opportunities by implementing a thoughtful "bid/no-bid" process.  This approach will ensure we focus only on lucrative and winnable contracts that closely align with our strategic goals, ultimately saving time and resources and allowing us to prioritise high-potential projects.

In this role, you will orchestrate a well-coordinated process that drives operational efficiency.  As the central point of contact, you will gather input from diverse internal teams—sales, finance, legal, and technical—ensuring everyone collaborates smoothly to meet critical deadlines.

As a leader, you'll elevate the quality of our bid content.  By overseeing the creation of compelling, polished materials, you'll ensure our final submissions are professional, cohesive, and error-free.  You will utilise a centralised content library containing valuable resources, such as case studies and CVs, to streamline efforts and enhance our proposals.

You will keep projects on track by developing detailed project plans and timelines, ensuring all tasks are completed on time—especially critical in the fast-paced environment of tender submissions.  Your effective management will ease colleagues' workloads, allowing the entire team to shine.

To foster long-term business growth, you'll create a wealth of knowledge around our tenders and bids. By conducting insightful post-submission debriefs and analysing feedback, you will capture invaluable lessons from both successes and setbacks.  This ongoing improvement process will enhance our bidding capabilities for future opportunities.

You also have the opportunity to enhance AHO's brand reputation by submitting well-organised, accurate, and compliant bids.  By doing so, you'll showcase our professionalism and reliability to clients, building trust and solidifying our credible standing in the market.

Strategic alignment is vital for sustaining consistent, stable business growth.  Together, we can make a remarkable impact on development.

About Healthwatch Barnet

Healthwatch Barnet is the local independent champion for people who use health and social care services. We exist to find out what matters to people and to help make sure their views shape the services they use.

Role:

Are you keen to give something back to the community and make a real difference to local people? Are you looking to develop new skills and close any gaps in your CV, or to build on existing experience and knowledge?

By volunteering with us, you could:

• Help ensure that people using services are listened to, involved, and empowered to influence local services
• Make a positive difference within your community
• Feel valued as part of a team
• Meet new people and make new friends
• Build your health and social care skills and knowledge
• Gain valuable experience within the non-profit sector
• Improve your health, well-being and quality of life

Role Description: 

We regularly run stalls at local events in Barnet. We are seeking volunteers who are passionate about tackling health inequalities, to support our team with delivering events and recording people’s feedback. Our events take place in a wide range of settings, including food banks, community centres and with faith groups. Our volunteers help to document resident feedback, and this directly supports our work to change and improve health and social care in Barnet.

Key tasks:

• Assisting with setting up information stalls at local events 
• Supporting event attendees to complete surveys, gathering their feedback
• Encouraging residents to use Healthwatch Barnet’s service as their independent health and social care champion 
• Attending training and volunteer meetings as needed 

In addition to the roles set out above, from time to time we recruit volunteers to support specific projects. Project groups are led by a member of the Healthwatch Barnet staff team. They are time-limited and come to an end when a piece of work is completed.

Note: All events take place in Barnet, during the weekday, between 9-5.

Volunteer as a courtwatcher and become the eyes and ears of your community in your local magistrates’ court.

CourtWatch is a mass court observation project, where citizen volunteers observe the daily hearings in court and write down what they see. The real-time data and stories volunteers collect will shine a spotlight on what really happens in our local courts, expose shortfalls and highlight systemic injustices. The CourtWatch project is run by Transform Justice, a charity that works for a fairer, more compassionate criminal justice system. 

Volunteer responsibilities:

• visit your local magistrates’ court for half a day (or a day) at a time, on any weekday. Ideally volunteers will courtwatch for a minimum of two days (or four half days)

• observe criminal hearings happening in the court and write down what happens in the hearings you observe, using a form provided by the CourtWatch team 

• write up your notes into an online form after your visit (if you don’t have easy access to a computer, we can work around this) 

Benefits of being a courtwatcher:

• learn about what happens in the magistrates’ courts 

• develop new skills including research, attention to detail, observation, insight

• help build a picture of what’s happening in your local magistrates’ court, expose systemic injustices and help make courts fairer and more compassionate 

• be part of community of people who share a passion for justice 

Skills and experience:

Anyone can courtwatch! You do not need any knowledge or expertise in law or criminal justice to be a courtwatcher.  You just need to be passionate about justice and equality, and keen to create positive change in your community. 

We will provide you with all the training you need on what happens at court, what to look out for and how to document what happens. Training will be online and likely take place over two sessions. There will also be regular check-ins and debriefs where you can talk with the CourtWatch team and other volunteers about what you saw and heard.

Other information:

Criminal hearings take place on weekdays between 10am and 5pm, with a break for lunch 1-2pm, and Saturday mornings 10am - 1pm. 

Within the times above, and once you’ve completed the training, you can go to court when it is most convenient to you. You might want to buddy up with another volunteer for your first visit while you learn the ropes; we can help arrange this. 

You can courtwatch any time from when you’ve completed your training to 30 November 2026 – we hope you’ll become a regular! – after which we will use data you have collected to produce a report.  We may also use some of the stories and data you collect to communicate about what’s happening in courts while courtwatching is still underway.

Transform Justice will cover reasonable expenses that you incur while courtwatching, for example for travel and lunch, upon production of valid receipts and in line with our expenses policy. 

Transform Justice will make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities who would like to volunteer. Please get in touch and we will discuss with you how to achieve this.

Before you begin courtwatching we will ask you to complete our volunteer training and a pre-courtwatching survey, and sign our volunteer agreement. 

About The Role

Volunteers are integral for the running of Caerlaverock reserve, without their help we wouldn't be able to maintain this vast 1,400-acre wetland of international importance. You will join a small, friendly and motivated team and will benefit from volunteering by gaining experience, meeting like-minded people and making a difference by helping to maintain our important wetland. 

Managing a large wetland nature reserve requires a lot of practical, hands-on, physical tasks. With training and guidance, you will become part of our friendly dedicated reserve team. Your role will help support in all areas of practical reserve management - including maintaining habitats, biological monitoring, increasing species biodiversity, and ensuring the reserve and grounds look their best. 

Volunteers are an essential part of the WWT team, and we wouldn’t be able to maintain our internationally important wetland sites without their help. You will receive a very warm welcome, full induction & training, and be provided with any necessary equipment, uniforms, and anything else needed to thrive in your role.

Main Tasks

• Maintenance of visitor facilities including paths, hides, benches
• Assisting with practical reserve management including scrub clearance, pruning, pollarding and fencing
• Ensuring reserve water bodies are maintained and managed appropriately 
• Assisting in wildlife monitoring
• Operating machinery and hand tools safely and correctly to carry out habitat management
• Observing health & safety regulations at all times to ensure the safety, welfare, and enjoyment of everyone on site
• General visitor engagement
• Occasional assisting with management of livestock or visitor centre work