Volunteer roles

Do you want to be inspired by the impact of education? Schools across Blackburn 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.

Community Engagement volunteers help to raise awareness of the support available for deaf children and their families through engagement with community and voluntary groups, and/or faith-based groups and/or other support organisations. This role will help us to better support communities, in order to build trust and ensure that any barriers to support are understood and overcome.

About you 

• Confident, friendly, and empathetic   

• Are committed to the vision and ambition of the National Deaf Children’s Society  

• Want to make a difference to deaf children and their families 

• Have knowledge of (or willingness to learn about) deafness and local services for deaf children 

• We particularly welcome applications from people who have lived experience of a particular community, in this case East European communities in Kent, and an understanding of the potential barriers faced by those communities 

• Knowledge of a prominent language used in the community beyond English, such as Polish or Romanian would be an advantage but is not essential 

When and where 

• Flexible depending on your availability  

• At different locations within your local community in the Kent area. Thanet and Margate in paricular

What you will do 

Tasks will be varied depending on the needs of the community. As examples, they could involve:   

• Engaging with community groups, faith-based groups and/or other support organisations 

• Providing information to families about deafness and signposting them to appropriate support  

• Supporting with the planning of events and activities aimed at bringing families together  

• Supporting us to understand the needs of deaf children and their families in your community  

We also ask that you:

• Understand the boundaries of the role and ask for support where appropriate

• Provide evidence to demonstrate the impact you make in your community through volunteering

What will you gain from the role? 

Other volunteers have told us that training and volunteering has given them:  

• Increased confidence and new skills   

• A broader understanding of childhood deafness and the issues faced by families  

• A sense of achievement by making a positive difference 

Support and training 

You will be provided with: 

• Training to support you in your role, including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, safeguarding, informed choice, and deaf awareness   

• Feedback on the support you contribute and the resulting outcomes  

• A named point of contact at the National Deaf Children’s Society & on your assignment  

• Reimbursement of agreed expenses such as travel costs  

• Clear information about what to do and who to contact if you are worried about something  

• The opportunity to feedback how the role works to improve it for the future  

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of families, children and young people. You will be asked to return a self-disclosure form, complete an Enhanced DBS Check, provide references, and complete our essential training.

Family Friends carefully recruits, trains, and matches volunteers with families in Central-West London. Our befriending volunteers offer long-term practical and emotional support based on each family's unique needs and potential. We offer two befriending volunteer opportunities with us-, Big Buddies and Parent Buddies.

Our Big Buddies support young people, aged 10-18, for a few hours each week over a period of up to 12 months. With encouragement and support, volunteers will aim to help young people to discover their strengths and build confidence.

Support may look like:

• Helping to strengthen family relationships.
• Providing a listening ear 
• Taking young person to the cinema, museums, libraries - broadening their horizons!

Essential Criteria:

• Can commit to the Big Buddies programme for a minimum of 6 months
• 18+
• Must have lived in the UK for the last 2 years

What we provide in return:

• Full induction training and ongoing training
• Full DBS check
• Support and supervision
• The chance to learn new skills
• References provided after 6 months' commitment
• Reimbursement of travel and session expenses

We are an equal opportunities charity and we value the principles of diversity and inclusion, which is central in providing successful support to our families. We welcome and would like to encourage applications from people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, including people from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, people who identify as LGBTQI+ and individuals from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds.

In the first instance, please register your interest in becoming a volunteer with us by contacting us here for an online application form.

Once we've reviewed your application, a member of our team will be in touch with next steps.

Family Friends carefully recruit, train, and match volunteers with families in Central-West London. Our volunteer befrienders offer practical and emotional support based on each family's unique needs and potential. We offer two volunteer opportunities - Big Buddies and Parent Buddies.

Volunteers will aim to help parents to discover their strengths, build confidence, and resolve difficulties. Volunteers meet with their match weekly for a period of up to 12 months.

Activities might include:

• Supporting a parent to take their children on days out.
• Helping to strengthen family relationships.
• Providing a listening ear.
• Helping parents to build confidence in themselves.

Essential Criteria:

• You must be able to commit to the Parent Buddy programme for a minimum of 6 months.
• 18+
• Must have lived in the UK for the last 2 years

What we provide in return:

• Full induction training and ongoing training
• DBS check
• Weekly supervision and support
• The chance to learn new skills
• References provided after 6 months' commitment
• Reimbursement of travel and session expenses

We are an equal opportunities charity and value the principles of diversity and inclusion, which is central in providing successful support to our families. We welcome and encourage applications from people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, including people from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, people who identify as LGBTQI+ and individuals from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds.

In the first instance, please register your interest in becoming a volunteer with us - you can do that by contacting us here to receive the application form.

Once we've reviewed your application, a member of our team will be in touch with next steps.

We’re looking for a patient and kind volunteer to support an active and energetic man in Streatham. He’ll take some time to get to know you, so you’re first few visits will likely be spent going for walks around the local area with a member of his support team. This gentleman is non-verbal and will communicate with you through sounds, gestures and movements.

He takes a little while to warm up to new people, so you will need to be patient while he takes his time becoming comfortable with you. It would be great if his new volunteer had some experience with people with learning disabilities, though this isn’t at all necessary as long as you have a positive attitude. It’s important to know that his care team would always be on hand, and that his not-so-secret kryptonite is chocolate!

We offer a lifelong befriending service for adults with learning disabilities. Matching the skills and interests of passionate visitors with the specific hobbies and interests of the people we visit. Visitors visit six times a year to create a 1-2-1 connection, offer companionship, encourage people to do the things they enjoy and check-in on their wellbeing. In many cases, the visitor is the only person in someone’s life who isn’t paid to be there for them.

This is a Stop and Stay visit role, meaning that the person you’ll be visiting might have some verbal communication skills or they use sounds and/or facial/body expressions to communicate with you. The person you visit might choose to take part in simple activities or watch you doing the activities. Your volunteer manager will be happy to help you with ideas and suggestions for things you can do. Visits will vary in length but tend to be around half an hour to an hour long.

In this role you will spend quality time with the person you visit and could do a range of different activities like:

• Sitting and having a chat
• Checking in on their well- being
• A craft activity at home
• Reading a book/magazine together

As a Mencap volunteer visitor you will be:

• Friendly and approachable
• Accepting of others who might be different to yourself
• Reliable and patient
• Passionate about supporting people with a with a learning disability.

As a Mencap visitor you will:

• Have the opportunity to help make a difference to the life of the person you visit
• Receive a personalised volunteer induction and training
• Have agreed out of pocket expenses reimbursed
• Meet new people
• Get on-going support, and feel appreciated and valued

About Mencap Mencap is the leading learning disability charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We work with people with a learning disability and their families to challenge prejudice and change laws, and we directly support thousands of people to live their lives as they choose. We have an ambitious vision for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

Volunteering with us is YOUR opportunity to help us achieve this, whilst having the chance to develop your skills, meet new people and join a passionate and dedicated team.

We are looking for a friendly, patient befriending volunteer to visit a lovely gentleman in New Southgate. He is keen to find an attentive listener who will show an interest in hearing his imaginative stories and will giggle at his jokes. He would love for someone to accompany him to McDonalds for a treat, to join him in a bit of music trivia, or sometimes for just a cup of tea and a chit chat.

We offer a lifelong befriending service for adults with learning disabilities. Matching the skills and interests of passionate visitors with the specific hobbies and interests of the people we visit. Visitors visit six times a year to create a 1-2-1 connection, offer companionship, encourage people to do the things they enjoy and check-in on their wellbeing. In many cases, the visitor is the only person in someone’s life who isn’t paid to be there for them.

This is an Out and about visit role which means your visits are likely to be longer, very active and the person you visit will often take an active part in planning your outings and activities in the community. Your volunteer manager will be happy to help you with ideas and suggestions for things you can do. Visits will vary in length but tends to be around a couple of hours, sometimes shorter or longer, depending on what you plan to do.

In this role you will spend quality time with the person you visit and could do a range of different activities like:

- Sitting and having a chat

- Checking in on their well- being

- Going out to a local café/pub for a meal/drink

- Take part on community activities like visiting a place of interest, go shopping etc.

- Enjoying a walk

- A craft activity at home

As a Mencap volunteer visitor you will be:

- Friendly and approachable

- Accepting of others who might be different to yourself

- Reliable and patient

- Passionate about supporting people with a with a learning disability.

As a Mencap visitor you will:

- Have the opportunity to help make a difference to the life of the person you visit

- Receive a personalised volunteer induction and training

- Have agreed out of pocket expenses reimbursed

- Meet new people

- Get on-going support, and feel appreciated and valued

About Mencap

Mencap is the leading learning disability charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We work with people with a learning disability and their families to challenge prejudice and change laws, and we directly support thousands of people to live their lives as they choose. We have an ambitious vision for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

Volunteering with us is YOUR opportunity to help us achieve this, whilst having the chance to develop your skills, meet new people and join a passionate and dedicated team.

If you have questions about volunteering with Mencap, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We are looking for a friendly, patient, female volunteer to befriend a lovely lady in Maidenhead. On cosy days in, she loves to have a chat, listen to music, paint her nails or a do a jigsaw puzzle. When feeling up to it, she would love to be taken in her wheelchair to her favourite treat, McDonalds.

She takes a little while to warm up to new people, so can sometimes display behaviours which may come across as challenging, such as making short, sharp noises. It would be great if her new volunteer has some experience with this or is someone who isn’t fazed easily. It’s important to know that her care team would always be a helping hand away, and that her not-so-secret kryptonite is chocolate!

Please note this person’s residence have a pet cat.

We offer a lifelong befriending service for adults with learning disabilities. Matching the skills and interests of passionate visitors with the specific hobbies and interests of the people we visit. Visitors visit six times a year to create a 1-2-1 connection, offer companionship, encourage people to do the things they enjoy and check-in on their wellbeing. In many cases, the visitor is the only person in someone’s life who isn’t paid to be there for them.

This is a Stop and stay, let’s get busy visitor role which means the person you will be visiting can communicate actively with you and take part in choosing or planning activities.  As you get to know each our you may choose to ‘go out’ either with or without support from the staff that supports the person you visit.  Your volunteer manager will be happy to help you with ideas and suggestions for things you can do. Visits will vary in length but tends to be around an hour or longer, depending on what you do.

In this role you will spend quality time with the person you visit and could do a range of different activities like:

• Sitting and having a chat

• Checking in on their well- being

• Going out to a local café/pub for a meal/drink

• Enjoying a walk

• A craft activity at home

• Reading a book/magazine together

As a Mencap volunteer visitor you will be:

- Friendly and approachable

- Accepting of others who might be different to yourself

- Reliable and patient

- Passionate about supporting people with a with a learning disability.

As a Mencap visitor you will:

- Have the opportunity to help make a difference to the life of the person you visit

- Receive a personalised volunteer induction and training

- Have agreed out of pocket expenses reimbursed

- Meet new people

- Get on-going support, and feel appreciated and valued

About Mencap

Mencap is the leading learning disability charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We work with people with a learning disability and their families to challenge prejudice and change laws, and we directly support thousands of people to live their lives as they choose. We have an ambitious vision for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

Volunteering with us is YOUR opportunity to help us achieve this, whilst having the chance to develop your skills, meet new people and join a passionate and dedicated team.

Become an Independent Visitor to be matched one to one with a young person in care. You will meet once or twice a month to take them out to do fun activities together. This is an opportunity for our young people to develop a healthy relationship with a trusted adult, have fun and share their worries and feelings if they are ready to do so.

We'll provide full training, all your expenses and ongoing support from dedicated staff. 

This is an opportunity for you to build skills and knowledge within social care and test yourself with real life experience of a young person in care.

We're looking for enthusiastic, committed people to bring their experience, skills and positivity to the lives of young people who have been through tough times. We will be providing training on the following subjects.

Session 1 Introduction to IV and the Care system
Session 2 Trauma, Attachment and Growth
Session 3 Safeguarding
Session 4 Communications and Boundaries
Session 5 The Role Of The IV

 Role summary

To work as part of a team and assist the manager/assistant manager to maximise income from the sale of cold food and beverages. 

Main duties of the role

• Customer service

• Operating till & cash handling

• Preparing beverages for sale

• Ensuring recyclable goods are put in appropriate place

• Pricing as outlined by the café manager/supervisor

• Light cleaning duties of the café serving and seating areas

• Operating coffee machine

• Ensure food hygiene, health and safety and fire regulations are always adhered to

Training & supervision

All required training, including till operation will be provided. Online health and safety training is mandatory and includes food hygiene level 2 for Café volunteering (renewed annually) 

Volunteer & Fundraise with Becky’s Child Foundation
Are you passionate about making a real difference in the world? Join Becky’s Child Foundation and become part of a growing community dedicated to transforming lives in underserved communities in Uganda.
We are inviting individuals, teams, and corporate partners to volunteer and fundraise in support of our impactful programs. Whether you are experienced in fundraising or simply have the heart to help, there is a place for you.
What We Do
At Becky’s Child Foundation, we focus on:

Kidney Medical Camps – Providing life-saving screening, treatment, and awareness in hard-to-reach communities

Education Support – Equipping children with scholastic materials and opportunities for a brighter future

Fighting Hunger – Delivering food aid to vulnerable families and children

Empowering Persons with Disabilities – Promoting inclusion, dignity, and access to opportunities

Your Role as a Volunteer Fundraiser
We believe everyone has unique strengths. As a volunteer, you can choose the area that best matches your passion and expertise:

Organize fundraising events

Run online or workplace campaigns

Advocate for a specific cause (health, education, disability, or hunger relief)

Partner with your company or community to raise awareness and funds

Why Join Us?

Make a tangible impact in real communities

Use your skills for a meaningful cause

Be part of a mission that brings hope, dignity, and opportunity to those in need

Our Vision
We envision a world where no child or elder suffers from poverty, hopelessness, or lack of opportunity. Through compassion, education, and empowerment, we strive to create a future filled with dignity, love, and hope for all.
Get Involved Today
Choose your cause. Use your voice. Change lives.
Join us in bringing light where it is needed most.

Volunteer Photographer – London Marathon (Sense Charity)

Are you passionate about photography and capturing inspiring moments? Join Sense, a leading disability charity, as a Volunteer Photographer at the Manchester Marathon on Sunday, 26th April 2026!

You’ll play a key role in celebrating our amazing Sense runners — snapping action shots, cheering them on, and helping us tell the story of connection, determination and inclusion. Your images will not only give our runners lasting memories but may also feature on our website and social media to inspire future supporters.

What you’ll do:

• Capture photos of Sense runners throughout the marathon
• Edit and share a selection of your best shots for use across our channels
• Cheer on our participants and bring positive energy to the day
• Help promote Sense’s work by capturing powerful, joyful moments

You’ll love this role if you:

• Have your own professional-standard camera (DSLR or mirrorless)
• Are studying or passionate about photography (professionals welcome too!)
• Enjoy being outdoors, staying active, and working independently
• Have editing software and an eye for great storytelling through images
• Are based in Manchester and love supporting a good cause

What you’ll get:

• A free Sense hoodie to wear proudly on the day
• Travel costs reimbursed
• A professional reference for your portfolio or future roles
• The chance to use your skills to make a real difference for people with complex disabilities

At Sense, we believe in including everyone, finding a way no matter the barriers, and celebrating every connection. Come and be part of that story — one frame at a time.

What can Sense offer me as a volunteer?

• Full training with ongoing support and guidance from your team.
• A chance to meet new people.
• A great way to develop new skills and share your existing skills.
• The feeling you get knowing you’re making a difference to the lives of disabled people with complex needs.
• A reference to support future applications for paid or voluntary roles.
• Support from our Mental Health First Aiders, should you need it. 

About Sense

For everyone living with complex disabilities. For everyone who is deafblind. Sense is here to offer personalised support to help people communicate and experience the world. We believe that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. Our experts offer support that’s tailored to the individual needs of each person, whether that’s at our centres, through our holidays and short breaks, or in people’s own homes. In addition to practical support, we also provide information to families, and campaign for the rights of people with complex disabilities to take part in life.

Volunteers add real value to Sense, bringing their passion, enthusiasm and fresh perspectives to the work that we do. We believe that volunteers enable us to bring people together, and provide opportunities for people with complex disabilities to communicate and experience the world.

We include. We collaborate. We find a way. We challenge. We celebrate.

Apply now to volunteer as our Manchester Marathon Photographer and help us capture the spirit of inclusion in action!

Calling all creatives! If you are great with words, images and ideas, and want to find a flexible, regular, voluntary opportunity with a great small charity - we'd love to hear from you!

Criminal justice charity Belong: Making Justice Happen is looking for a Communications and Influencing Volunteer to join our friendly team and play their part in helping to make our vision of a society where there is hope, rehabilitation and recovery for victims and perpetrators of crime, a reality. This role is vital in ensuring we are telling our story and sharing the impact of our work with the world. It will assist Belong in working towards our goal of helping to develop a fairer, more effective, and more humane criminal justice system.

Supported by Belong’s Operational and Senior Leadership Team, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop creative content that highlight Belong’s key messages and promote change across our three policy objectives whereby we seek to promote:

1. Increased, higher quality support in communities engaging people who have offended, been victims of crime or who are at risk of offending or victimisation.
2. Fairer sentencing with equal, non-discriminatory application.
3. Reduced trauma and harm in prisons enabling greater productivity and rehabilitation amongst people serving prison sentences.

Place of work: Home-based

Hours of work: Flexible, depending on availability, between 2 – 4 hours per week. 

Supported By: Belong’s Operations and Finance Administrator, Head of Programmes and the CEO

Tasks

• Creating high quality, engaging content, such as graphics, written pieces, audio and video, for use in press releases, as well as across Belong’s website and social media platforms.
• Keeping up to date with social media posts and news pieces relevant to Belong’s work in the criminal justice sector, to help generate ideas for use towards press releases, and in social media and website content.
• Using ideas and information from Belong’s operational, front-line team to help generate ideas for social media and website content.
• Using Canva and any other relevant design tools to design graphics.
• Using our social media scheduling software Loomly to plan the week’s content across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin.
• Taking part in fortnightly to monthly meetings to help plan and develop the effective and creative communication of Belong’s charitable work and policy messaging.
• Helping us keep in the loop with our industry by engaging with partners and peers online.
• Supporting on developing specialist campaigns.

 What support will you be offered?

As part of your role we will provide you with full training, support and supervision. You will have the opportunity to meet and to work with other likeminded people who share Belong’s values of restoration, respect, inspiration, perseverance and empowerment. Belong’s administrator will be on-hand to assist with planning and sign off over email, as well as via catch ups over video call. Belong’s administrator and senior management will take part alongside you in monthly meetings to plan and develop Belong’s communications and policy influencing work.

What difference will you make?

Volunteering with Belong will give you the opportunity to use and develop your skills and make a real difference to building safer communities. You will be contributing to our growth and development, which in turn will enable us to reach a greater number of individuals, and change futures for the better, by:

• Raising awareness of Belong and our policy objectives via digital platforms. This will be measured via our annual report and monthly communications and policy influencing meetings.
• Improving press and media engagement with Belong’s work and policy objectives
• Building networks/relationships with other relevant organisations, including professionals/funders/corporates.
• Increasing followers across all platforms, with the aim of increasing the general support for Belong and engagement with our policy objectives.
• Increasing donations in accordance with priorities set out in Belong’s funding strategy, e.g. individual giving and will legacies via traffic from our social media.

If you’re seeking experience in this field or want to put your existing skills to a good cause, we’d love to hear from you. Please send us a CV and cover letter outlining a bit about why you are interested in the role and what you could do to take Belong’s communications and influencing work to the next level.  

Deadline: 24 April 2026

Interviews: 6 May 2026

Post to start: ASAP

Volunteer Opportunity: Say Aphasia Bromsgrove Support Group!

Help us make a difference in Bromsgrove for people living with aphasia.

Say Aphasia is launching a brand new support group in Bromsgrove and we are looking for enthusiastic, compassionate volunteers to help run it.

About the Group

Aphasia is a communication disability, usually caused by a stroke or brain injury, that affects a person's ability to speak, read, write, and understand language.

The Say Aphasia Bromsgrove Group provides a safe, welcoming, and relaxed environment where people with aphasia can meet others, practise their communication skills, rebuild confidence, and reduce the isolation that can often accompany aphasia. It is a vital lifeline for our members.

Group Details

• Location: Bromsgrove, Worcs, B61 0EP (Exact venue details available upon application)
• Time: 9:30 am - 11:30 am
• When: The 1st and 3rd Friday of the month
• Starting Date: Friday, 16th January 2026

What We Need from You

We are seeking reliable and friendly individuals who are:

• Excellent Listeners: Patient, supportive, and keen to facilitate communication with individuals who have aphasia.
• Sociable and Enthusiastic: Ready to engage with group members and help foster a positive atmosphere.
• Committed: Able to commit to attending the group sessions regularly (1st and 3rd Friday mornings).
• No prior experience with aphasia is necessary—full training and ongoing support will be provided by Say Aphasia!

❓ Interested in Volunteering? Click to apply

Do you want to join an organisation committed to addressing low literacy and numeracy?

Volunteers are essential to Shannon Trust and bring their energy, ideas and skills to train mentors in prisons, support learners in the community and enhance our business support team.

We are looking for volunteers to provide training and support to our mentors in prison. There may be some additional preparation and/ or administrative tasks in between volunteering days at the prison.

Our prison volunteers nurture the growth of the Shannon Trust in their prison. They help unlock the power of reading by delivering training sessions for prison mentors and offering ongoing advice, guidance and support through mentor meetings.

Volunteer recruitment dates

The closing date for applications to attend our next round of training is 26 April 2026. In some circumstances, volunteer vacancies may close early. Successful applicants will be sent interview questions in advance with notice to prepare. We will respond to all applications. Successful applicants will be invited to an interview between 27 April and 8 May 2026. This is an opportunity for you to meet our regional team, to find out more about you and for us to share more information about the volunteering role.

Training:

You'll be given high quality training to prepare you for volunteering with Shannon Trust. This takes place over 4 training sessions and via our online training portal. We ask that volunteers aim to complete the training in one course as this means that you will be ready to start actively volunteering. The next training sessions for volunteering for people applying to be a prison based volunteer will take place as follows.

Please check that you can attend all of the training the dates prior to applying:

• 27 May 2026, 10am – 1pm (via Zoom)

• 3 June 2026, 10am – 1pm (via Zoom)

• 10 June 2026, 10am – 1pm (via Zoom)

• 1 July 2026, 10am-4pm (in person session, London)

You’ll also receive the opportunity to attend ongoing training sessions and peer support meetings during your time as a volunteer to build your skills and experience.

Why we want you

Shannon Trust’s vision is of a future where everyone can experience the positive impact of learning. As a prison volunteer your role will be at the heart of our organisation as you support our mentors in prisons. This will include delivering training to new mentors and supporting existing mentors to develop and deliver our Turning Pages and Count Me In programmes. You will be volunteering alongside Shannon Trust facilitators and / or frontline prison staff to empower mentors and ensure no one is left out of learning.

What you will be doing

• Delivering initial, and ongoing, training to mentors in prisons
• Supporting and encouraging the Shannon Trust facilitator and mentors to attract new learners and expand the reach of the Shannon Trust programme
• Arranging and leading mentor meetings to develop mentors’ skills, share good practice and to provide support to mentors to find solutions to concerns
• Supporting facilitators to engage prison staff and people in prison to set-up, maintain and develop the Shannon Trust reading and numeracy programmes across the whole prison, and contributing to progress planning for how to progress and achieve this
• Using your skills to build positive relationships with frontline prison staff, people in prison and other organisations
• Training and supporting mentors to collect and submit data and learner feedback
• Supporting with the planning of, and attendance at, celebration events
• Collecting and sharing good news stories and feedback
• Attending area meetings and sharing good practice with other volunteers
• Engaging with quarterly reviews to receive support and discuss progress
• Acting as an ambassador for Shannon Trust in all that you do, sharing the vision and values of the charity throughout your volunteering

The skills you need

• A commitment to providing non-judgemental support to people in prison
• Able to give a regular, reliable commitment for ideally two years and have flexibility to visit the prison at times required
• Strong communication skills and are able to use these to inspire others
• Able to deliver engaging training and identify training and support needs for mentors
• Able to manage own time and prioritise
• Able to keep up to date with Shannon Trust news and communications and share relevant information with the wider prison team
• Able to use IT

What's in it for you

• Developing and growing your understanding of the HMPPS structure and prison system
• Reasonable, out of pocket, volunteering expenses are
• You will receive induction training and ongoing training to support and develop you in your role
• All volunteers receive ongoing support and quarterly reviews to enable you to gain the most from your volunteering experience
• We recognise and are grateful for the added value that volunteers bring to our organisation
• We provide flexible volunteering opportunities, subject to the requirements of your role

Disclaimer

In some circumstances, volunteer vacancies may close early.