Volunteer lead volunteer roles in lechlade, gloucestershire

Job Title: Volunteer Finance Lead
Reporting to: Operational Director
Hours: 10 to 15 hours per month (we can be flexible and work with your schedule)

Willowbrook Farm Charity

Willowbrook Farm Charity exists to create nurturing educational and cultural spaces in the Oxfordshire countryside that are welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to communities who have been historically underrepresented in rural environments — including people from racialised backgrounds, neurodivergent individuals, and young people with diverse learning needs.

In partnership with Willowbrook Farm (www  willowbrookfarm  co  uk), where we host our activities, we aim to build a nationally recognised centre of excellence that supports personal growth, wellbeing, and connection with nature. Through hands-on learning, community building, and cultural exchange, we empower individuals and groups to explore sustainable living, ethical land stewardship, and the transformative potential of nature-based education.

Our Values

Community
We foster a culture of care, connection, and belonging. We create space for people to come together in joy, learning, and mutual support, building relationships rooted in respect and shared purpose.

Stewardship
We honour the land as a living system and recognise that the wellbeing of people and nature are deeply interconnected. We are committed to nurturing the next generation of ethical and responsible stewards — who care for the earth, each other, and future generations.

Equity & Inclusion
We are dedicated to removing barriers so that people of all identities, backgrounds, and abilities can access and participate fully in experiences of farming, countryside living, and sustainability. We celebrate diversity and work to create welcoming spaces where everyone can thrive.

Connection with Nature
We centre our actions on a deep respect for the natural world. We believe in restoring and nurturing the bond between humans and nature, creating a place where both can flourish in harmony.
 

Job description

We are thrilled to welcome a Finance Lead to support our Operational Director and Fundraising Team at a pivotal time for our charity.

After a challenging period of inactivity due to the impacts of Covid, we are excited to embark on a new chapter, as we are ready to restart our activities in 2025 and to develop our projects and create a positive impact in our community.

This is a unique opportunity for those eager to be part of a project evolving from its early stages to the launching of new initiatives. The volunteer will have ample opportunity to learn about charity structure, develop skills within the third sector and grow with the charity.

We are looking for a passionate and articulate person to fill this role.
 

What this position entails

We are looking for a dedicated volunteer who can provide long-term support to our charity as we prepare to relaunch our activities after a period of inactivity post-Covid.

The Volunteer Finance Lead will assist the Fundraising team and the Operational Director in creating budgets, clarifying budget limitations, preparing cash flow forecasts, and ensuring the charity has a comprehensive understanding of operational and project costs to help us secure necessary funding.

Ideal candidates should be genuinely passionate about our mission and values, work well in a team, and be able to communicate financial information clearly to those who may not have a finance background.

As a Finance Lead, your main responsibilities will include:

• Give general financial advice for projects, events and activities strategy.
• Take leadership in preparing cash flow forecasts.
• Clarifying budget limitations.
• Take leadership on producing projected budgets, outlining expected income and expenses for specific periods of the charity lifecycle, helping our charity plan our finances and allocate resources.
• Taking on leadership for producing all events/activities/projects budgets and keeping accurate reporting of post-projects income/expenses records and producing reports to the board of trustees.
• Monitoring the financial health of all our projects.
• Produce general quarterly financial reporting to management and the board of trustees, highlighting points of concern.
• Contributing to decisions regarding financial strategy for our projects.
• Understanding and reporting costs for specific areas: internal staff, delivery staff, running activities etc.
• Able to recommend improvements and implement changes on financial processes and procedures, supporting the operational team to have clarity on our financial health.

What do you need to become our Finance Lead?

Essential:

• 3+ plus experience with accounts/finance
• Fully qualified Accountant or relevant financial qualification.
• Highly experienced with budgets and cost management of projects.
• Numerate, accurate individual with strong Excel, Word, and presentation skills
• Professional approach.
• Experience of working with small teams and communicating financial information clearly to those who may not have a finance background.
• Able to work on own initiative with a conscientious approach, always looking to continuously improve processes and be dedicated to the improvement of our charity's financial processes and procedures.

As a volunteer-led charity, it’s essential for us to find someone who understands the importance of being part of our team and engaging in the growth of the charity. Therefore, we will prioritise applications from volunteers who are committed to a long-term partnership and want to be an integral member of our team.

By getting involved you will gain:

• A chance to expand your skills in charity strategic operations and fundraising.
• This is an excellent opportunity for professionals eager to utilise their talents to address community needs and contribute to reducing inequality.
• Additionally, this is an excellent starting point for those wanting to work in the third sector but lacking the experience.

Location: Fully Remote. But we welcome those who wish to come and visit the farm at least once to understand more about us.

Commitment:

We estimate that you'll need to commit around 10 to 15 hours each month. However, depending on the specific projects/events running, there may be times when you need to invest more time, while other months might require less support. We're looking for a volunteer who is excited to build a long-term partnership with us and can adapt their schedule as needed.

We can be flexible and work with you to find hours that fit ours and your schedule, working out of office hours or weekends - all help is much appreciated!

As a volunteer-led charity, we prioritise volunteers who want to become part of our team of volunteers rather than those looking for a temporary assignment. Therefore, we won’t accept applications from volunteers who cannot commit to at least 5-6 months with us.

How to apply:

Candidates must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application.

Please send your CV and cover letter demonstrating your relevant experience and why you would like to get involved with our charity. 

We will be holding interviews starting on the 15th May.

If we find some great candidates, we may close the vacancy earlier than the application deadline mentioned. So don't delay - apply today!

Job Notes:

The volunteer acknowledges their responsibility to perform their tasks diligently and to promptly inform their line manager of any concerns that may arise during their volunteering period. Given the time commitment required for this position, we regret to inform that we cannot provide references for volunteers who serve less than three months with us.

We appreciate any volunteering help that you can offer YBTC and want to make sure that our

volunteers have a positive experience with us. We pledge to support you as much as we can.

We want to ensure that volunteering with us does not feel too daunting, so the exact tasks might

vary depending on your circumstances. However, some typical tasks may include:

· Helping with event preparation

· Manning checkpoints

· Walking support

· First-aid support

· Marshals

· Support drivers

· Helping with community stalls

We are looking for people who are:

· Warm and non-judgemental

· Willing to learn about the work of YBTC

· Able to communicate with a range of different groups

· Good team players, able to work with other staff/volunteers

· Reliable and able to commit to agreed requirements

We can offer you the following:

· Induction and ongoing training

· Ongoing support and supervision in your role

· The opportunity to learn new skills

· YBTC commitment to health and safety

About Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity

Background

Founded in 2003 and originally named Andrea’s Gift and later Brain Tumour Research and Support

Across Yorkshire, Yorkshire’s Brain Tumour Charity (YBTC) is Yorkshire and Humber’s leading

brain tumour charity. Offering practical, financial and emotional support to both adult and child

brain tumour patients, together with their families.

We fund brain tumour research in Yorkshire; we hope this research, dedicated to identifying new

approaches to the discovery and treatment of brain tumours, will improve outcomes for patients.

At YBTC we are a small team who are growing to meet the needs of those affected by a brain

tumour in Yorkshire. Around 15 new cases of primary brain tumour are diagnosed in the region

every week.

Our charity values are:

Integrity, Compassion, Community & Ambition.

Our Vision/Mission

To improve the lives of people impacted by a brain tumour in Yorkshire, through local support and research.

Do you have a few hours a week/fortnight to spare?

We are looking for friendly, enthusiastic volunteers to help facilitate our weekly groups. These include parent and toddler stay and play groups, alongside two new groups – a baby book club and Daisies, our new SEN group.

This is a great opportunity to spend a few hours a week (or every other week) working as part of our friendly team to create a safe space for families to attend and enjoy.

Can you help?

In particular we are looking for volunteers at the following groups:

-MONDAYS: Puddle Jumpers Stay & Play Group 9.15-10.45am (Location: Ceewood Hall, Witney, OX28)

-WEDNESDAYS: Daisies (SEN stay & play group), 1-2.15pm (Location: Witney Methodist Church, Witney, OX28)

-THURSDAYS: Growing Minds Stay & Play Group 10-11.30am (Location: Littlemore Village Hall, OX4)

-FRIDAYS: Baby Book Club 11am-12pm (Location: Littlemore Hub, JHN Academy, OX4) and Rose Buds Stay & Play 10-11.30am (Location: Rose Hill Community Centre, OX4)

We are looking for up to ten UK university students to join our volunteer Student Ambassadors team and help Ygam achieve its social purpose by reaching out to students at university. This will be achieved by advising Ygam on the needs of students, supporting with content development, organising activities at your campus, and join us at events to raise awareness of gaming and gambling harms.

We are seeking individuals who are outgoing, with a confident personality. You will enjoy engaging with other students and be able to advise us on the experiences of students with regards to gaming and gambling.We’d love to hear from students with an interest in mental health, psychology, content development, and gaming. 

Fine Cell Work (FCW) is a UK-based rehabilitation charity and social enterprise. We are supported by an incredible team of prison volunteers who are the link between the charity and the stitchers we work with in prison. Our volunteers run fortnightly stitching groups in the prisons we work with to facilitate our stitchers’ production of high-quality needlework.

Our prison volunteers work in small teams to teach our stitchers’ embroidery and needlepoint, organise their group sessions, and liaise with the prison and FCW office.

What you will do as a prison volunteer:

• Teach people in prison how to stitch and support the completion of our premade kits in our cell groups, which consist of around 10-15 stitchers.
• Communicate with staff at our hub in Battersea to receive kits and supplies for your group and send back completed work for your stitchers to be paid.
• Encourage and help stitchers to complete our Open College Network certifications in creative needlework.
• Develop stitchers’ skills and confidence by encouraging them to take responsibility as peer mentors.
• Act as an ambassador for the charity and sharing our vision and values throughout your volunteering.

Who we are looking for:

• Skills in embroidery and/or needlepoint or a willingness to learn to stitch is essential for this role.
• Ideally some teaching experience or experience working with socially-excluded groups.
• Someone with a non-judgemental attitude and commitment to rehabilitation.
• Someone who is an excellent team worker.
• Someone who is good at observing personal boundaries.

Commitment: our stitching groups run for 2 hours every fortnight, so with travel time and some admin work after groups we ask prison volunteers to set aside a morning or afternoon every 2 weeks.

You must be over 18 for this role with the ability to travel to the prison. Travel expenses will be reimbursed by the charity.

Please take some time to read the role description to find out more details about the role and what we offer to our prison volunteers. 

At Fine Cell Work, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented amongst FCW’s prison volunteers. This includes applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, and male identifying applicants.

Volunteer Helpline Advisor – Role Description 

Purpose of role:

As a Volunteer Helpline Advisor, responding to Helpline enquiries from parents and carers, you will be playing a part in helping ERIC to achieve its key goal of reaching even more families.

You will work remotely, with equipment and training provided.

If you are passionate about helping to improve the lives of families whose children are affected by continence issues, and can commit your time on a regular basis, we’d love to hear from you.

Terms:

Due to the nature of the work, our helpline volunteers are continence nurses or qualified healthcare professsionals.Volunteer sessions are a full day of 5 hours, on the same day each week, please note that currently we need more volunteers on Mondays & Tuesdays only. We ask volunteers to commit to this regular weekly pattern, ideally for a period of one year or more. This helps to maintain consistency and a high standard of professional practice. 

Expenses may be paid, subject to agreement in advance . 

Tasks could include:  

· Answering calls on the Helpline

· Signposting to information on our website

· Responding to & following up enquiries by email  

· Entering information onto our IT system

Skills and qualities:

· Professional qualification and/or clinical experience

· Enjoy working as part of a team

· Friendly and positive with a can-do attitude

· Well organised with good time management skills

· Empathetic and non-judgmental

· Able to use standard IT packages including Microsoft Office (Excel, Word and Outlook)

· Able to follow ERIC’s policies, including safeguarding and confidentiality 

· Willing to continuously develop professional practice.

The Great Autistic CIC is Newly-Founded and exists to tackle rising mental health concerns, hypermobility, inadequate support systems, limited awareness and inclusion, educational barriers and community disconnection faced by neurodiverse individuals, particularly those with autism and learning difficulties. 

“

We believe that every neurodiverse brain has its own superpowers. Our organisation turns challenges into opportunities by offering tailored educational support, creative social activities like art clubs and nature walks, and strong advocacy that gives voice to those with autism. We’re a community built on lived experience and on a mission to help every unique individual shine.  

”

Are you a creative whiz with a knack for web design? Do you want to make a real difference in your community?

The Great Autistic CIC is looking for a passionate and talented Volunteer Web Designer to join our team! We're a friendly bunch dedicated to supporting the autistic community, and we need your help to make our online presence shine.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Help us create a beautiful and user-friendly website: We want our website to be a welcoming and informative space for everyone.
• Work on exciting projects: You'll get to use your design skills on real projects that make a difference.
• Learn and grow: We're a supportive team, and you'll have the chance to develop your skills and learn new things.

What We're Looking For:

• Someone with a passion for web design: Whether you're a beginner or a pro, we'd love to hear from you!
• A friendly and reliable person: We're looking for someone who's easy to work with and committed to helping out.
• Someone who's kind, honest, and understanding: We value these qualities in all our volunteers.

What You'll Get:

• The chance to build your portfolio: Showcase your skills and experience with real-world projects.
• Connect with a wonderful community: Meet new people and make a difference.
• Feel good about giving back: Your work will help us support autistic individuals and their families.

Interested: please email us!!

and tell us a bit about yourself and why you'd like to volunteer with us!

Background to the role:

Keep Active is a volunteer-delivered project at The Creighton Centre, which aims to provide support to older people (60+) who have had a fall, stroke or other illness.  We work in partnership with the NHS Community Rehabilitation Service across Hammersmith & Fulham. As a Keep Active Volunteer you would visit an older person (the average age is 84) once a week for up to nine weeks to help them with improving mobility indoors with exercises, or outdoors with walks in their community. This project aims to empower people to get back to independence, access community once more and reduce risks of future falls and hospital re-admittance.

Availability/commitment:

· To live in or near Hammersmith and Fulham, or travel regularly through

· To be able to spare 1-2 hours a week, preferably during working hours

Role of the Keep Active Volunteer:

· To attend an initial one-off training session [with Volunteer Coordinator and therapists from NHS rehabilitation teams].

· To visit an older person’s home once a week for up to 9 weeks to supervise and motivate them to continue practicing their exercise and walking goals, as prescribed by NHS rehabilitation teams.

· Support might include:

- A walk around their local community possibly going to the park or visiting shops.

- Encouraging them to complete a prescribed gentle exercise program.

- Keeping an older and sometimes isolated person company.

- Visiting someone in their homes to help them reach their exercise goals.

NB: Please note that this is a volunteer role and you will not be expected to provide any physical support. This is a motivational role only.

We will provide:

· Induction training and NHS Community Rehabilitation led training (weekday training).

· Regular contact and support from the project staff.

· Occasional social events for volunteers

· Occasional training opportunities for volunteers

· A reference after 3-6 months of volunteering with us

· An enhanced DBS check

· Reimbursement of travel expenses incurred during your volunteering

Skills needed:

· Good listening and communication skills and a good level of spoken English.

· Empathy and a kind and patience approach.

· Enthusiasm and commitment.

· A friendly personality.

· The desire to make a positive difference to someone’s health and wellbeing

· Ability to cope with clients who are unwell.

· A positive attitude towards empowering and improving the lives of older people

· An understanding of and commitment to our policies (including: Confidentiality, Safeguarding and Equal Opportunities)

Accountable to:

Keep Active Coordinator

East London Waterworks Park is looking for volunteer managers to develop and manage meaningful and sustainable volunteer experiences.

East London Waterworks Park is a volunteer-led charity that has won a 2024 New London Architecture award and raised £2m towards buying land from the Department for Education to transform the 14-acre Thames Water Depot on Lea Bridge Road on the border of Waltham Forest and Hackney, into a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces. 

We are looking for volunteer managers to contribute to our community-led working group who are developing and managing meaningful and sustainable volunteer experiences within East London Waterworks Park. 

There is opportunity to lead on projects in communications and governance, and facilitate the direction of the working group.

The Comms Circle currently meets fortnightly on a Tuesday evening on Google Meet and spends voluntary time outside of the meeting completing agreed tasks remotely.

You should be experienced in developing and managing meaningful and sustainable volunteer experiences with a range of different roles. Strong organisational and interpersonal skills are essential. We also value your ability to think strategically and build relationships within the community. Experience in managing and motivating volunteer teams is important and a strong understanding of volunteer engagement and the ability to create a positive and inclusive environment will be invaluable. You should be comfortable with community-led processes. Our roles are quite flexible. We hope that people bring radical imagination, peace with nature, and courageous inclusiveness to the role. 

Contribute to the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds. Your leadership and organisational skills will be instrumental in coordinating the efforts of our diverse team of volunteers, including architects, ecologists, teachers, community researchers, and communications strategists. By effectively managing and motivating our volunteer base, you'll ensure that their contributions are aligned with the park's goals and maximise their impact on our community and the environment.

Sustainability Research Volunteer
People & Planet is looking for volunteers to assist with compiling its 2025/26 People & Planet
University League; the only higher education ranking that classifies based on ethics and climate
justice criteria.
Universities impart skills and knowledge, form life-long beliefs and behaviours, act as centres of
communities, employ, house and feed large numbers of people and promote the creation and
sharing of knowledge. We believe this makes them uniquely placed to lead on environmental and
ethical issues. For this reason the People & Planet University League has been running since 2007
and has been published by high-profile media partners such as The Guardian (2021, 2022. 2023,
2024) and whose data is used in the Sunday Time Good University Guide.
Volunteers will research publicly available university documents and assess universities against
our marking criteria, which cover a wide range of climate and social justice issues including
decarbonisation, fossil fuel divestment, ethical banking, workers’ rights and environmental
management among others. This work will help to incentivise the university sector towards taking
immediate and appropriate action on the climate crisis and upholding the rights and wellbeing of all
people internationally.

The role will develop and improve the following areas:
●​ Qualitative research skills
●​ Attention to detail
●​ Use of data collection software
●​ Time management and keeping to deadlines
●​ Working independently and remotely
●​ Communication skills
●​ Knowledge of environmental management processes and sustainability reporting.

Training is provided for the role. We believe the skills and experience gained could be valuable for
a number of career paths, including working in NGOs, corporate sustainability, estates
management, higher education policy making, research and campaigning among many others.
People & Planet would like to support volunteers in their future careers, so will give all volunteers
an official reference letter on successful completion of their placement and will act as a referee for
future positions for which you may apply. From last year’s cohort, 100% said they would
recommend this position to someone who wanted to add experience to their CV.

Feedback from previous volunteers
‘I think as someone looking for relevant experience to bolster a CV, this is a helpful and
not-too-time-consuming position. It had exactly the kind of flexibility that I required at this point in time.’
‘It's a really great opportunity to hone one's research skills, learn more about what our universities can do to
improve their impact on the planet, and make a small but real difference.’

Person Specification -the following are essential:

• Access to a computer or laptop and internet connection.
• Familiarity with desk-based research.
• Ability to work accurately and efficiently to agreed standards.
• Reliability and commitment to completing work to deadlines.Sustainability Research Volunteer
• Able to communicate needs with staff at People & Planet and if needed, ask for appropriate
• support to complete tasks in time.
• Ability to search policy documents for specific information in English.
• Ability to assess information against standardised frameworks.
• Ability to work remotely and independently

The following are desirable:

●​ Awareness of current issues in sustainability and ethics.
●​ Experience of research and data collection.
●​ An interest in higher education policy.
You will need to commit to
●​ Two 25 hour weeks of remote work in July and August.
●​ 5 hours work per day for the two week period. Volunteers can manage their own time
flexibly and will receive support from People & Planet, but must meet task deadlines on a
weekly basis and attend a short daily meeting.
●​ One half day of remote training and induction the week prior to your 2 week engagement.
●​ Attending a brief meeting in the morning or afternoon each day and one individual check-in
meeting in week 1.

Summer timetable
June 30th-July 11th Ethical Investment and Banking, Ethical Careers and Recruitment,
Education for Sustainable Development. Training and induction w/c 23rd June
July 21st-1st August Sustainable Food, Staff & HR, Environmental Policy and Strategy
Training and induction w/c 14th July
August 11th-August 22nd Managing Carbon, Workers’ Rights, Staff and Student
Engagement, Environmental Management and Auditing. Training and induction w/c August
4th

Application

Applications will be processed on a rolling basis until positions are filled, so please apply early to
avoid disappointment. The deadline for applications is Friday June the 6th 2025
Candidates will need to attend a non-competitive group recruitment session and complete an
online self-access task before being invited to volunteer with us.
Please let us know if you have specific access needs and what we can do to make the interview,
training and volunteer experience more accessible to you, including organising a one-on-one
interview. We welcome people with hearing loss, deaf and or disabled people to apply for thisSustainability Research Volunteer volunteer opportunity -unfortunately we don't use BSL so would need to make alternative support provisions for the training, unless a BSL interpreter can join you. If you have specific needs where
we might support you by making this volunteering opportunity more accessible, please let us know via email
People & Planet welcome applications from BAME folks and people of colour, from disabled people, from LGBTQI*people, from people who speak English as a second language, from people who identify as non-binary gender, from women, from people of different ages, from people with caring responsibilities and from people with irregular migration status, people seeking asylum in the UK or with a migrant background, folks with a working class background, and everyone else.

We know that thousands of people in need of bereavement support are waiting to access ongoing bereavement support. We are now recruiting for additional volunteers, if you would like to know more about volunteering for this popular service, we would love to see you at our UYBO Open Day.

What will you be doing:

• Presenting and facilitating one off online group sessions for bereaved people with fellow volunteers
• Creating a safe, confidential, non-judgemental space to deliver practical bereavement information and guidance
•  Facilitating peer engagement in small discussion groups
• Delivering clear messaging for onward signposting

Skills and experience you’ll need:

• Effective listening and communication skills
• Good IT literacy or an ability to learn (training will be provided)
• Access to a computer
• Comfortable talking about grief and death
• Empathetic and warm
• Confident facilitating discussion in a group setting

Want to find out more? 

Join us for an Open Day on Wednesday 28th May 2025 (2:00pm to 3:30pm or 6:00pm to 7:30pm) to learn more, talk to current UYBO volunteers and find out about our training programme and the support we offer volunteers.

Please note that should you wish to become a UYBO Volunteer after attending the open day, we will be holding informal interviews from Monday 2nd June.

Various locations (Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland)

SUMMARY

Prison volunteers are the backbone of Fine Cell Work. Supported by the Fine Cell Work programmes team and by other staff at the FCW office, they teach and administer FCW stitching groups in prisons.

Our prison volunteers work in teams to organise classes and teach our stitchers, as well as to provide information to the prison and to the FCW office. The precise mix of skills and tasks will vary slightly from prison to prison.

Volunteering in prison for Fine Cell Work ideally requires not only a good level of needlework skill but also some teaching experience and/or experience of working with socially-excluded groups. Volunteers must be patient and non-judgemental in order to work effectively.

This document describes the role of prison volunteering teams as a whole. Individuals who do not have all the skills described below may find a role alongside other volunteers who do.

PURPOSE

• Developing stitchers’ skills and confidence
• Acting as FCW ambassadors in the prison
• Building effective working relationships with prison staff, stitchers, and other volunteers
• Providing information to the FCW office for administrative and evaluative purposes

ACTIVITIES

Teaching and support

• Teaching prisoners to stitch FCW products using our premade kits
• Encouraging and supporting stitchers to take on responsibility as class coordinators and peer mentors
• Encouraging and helping prisoners who wish to undertake our accredited training courses with the Open College Network

Admin and liaison

• Ensuring a supply of kits and training materials appropriate to stitchers’ individual skill levels and learning needs
• Returning completed kits to the FCW office with invoices
• Regularly communicating with the Fine Cell Work programmes team

Monitoring and information-gathering

• Ensuring accurate record keeping of stitchers' pay, productivity and progress 
• Occasionally gathering other information requested by the office

Meetings/training

• Participating in occasional volunteer meetings
• Participating in training and workshops as requested by FCW or the prison

SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS, AND EXPERIENCE NEEDED

Essential

• Support for FCW’s ethos
• Ability to observe boundaries in personal behaviour
• Teamwork
• Experience of tapestry and/or embroidery techniques
• Reliability, patience and flexibility
• Accurate record-keeping
• Access to the internet
• Able to use email and word processors to a basic level
• Ability to travel to prison

Desirable

• Teaching experience and/or experience of working with vulnerable and socially excluded groups
• Able to use spreadsheets to a basic level
• Access to a car

You must be over 18 to carry out this role.

COMMITMENT REQUIRED

Prison volunteers generally run classes for two hours every 2 weeks.

With travel time and some admin work after groups we ask prison volunteers to set 
 aside a morning or afternoon every 2 weeks.

We hope that most prison-based volunteers will be able to commit themselves to working with us for at least a year or two as this allows time for group participants to complete qualifications and develop their skills to a high standard.

LOCATION

Volunteers work in prisons around the UK dependant on where groups are based.

SUPERVISION AND COMMUNICATION

Each group has a lead volunteer who reports to the Volunteer & Programmes Manager at the Fine Cell Work office however we do encourage regular communication between the programmes team and all volunteers.

We also have regular reflective practice sessions for prison volunteers which take place on Zoom every other month.

BENEFITS

Fine Cell Work will cover your travel costs and out-of-pocket expenses related to posting kits to the office. We can also pay out-of-pocket expenses for purchasing materials and other items, but you must agree this in advance with the Production team at Head Office.

We provide induction training before you start volunteering in prison, and training thereafter at intervals throughout the year.

This role is advertised as part of TPP's Free Giving Back Services. This volunteer advertisement copy has been supplied to TPP and applicants apply direct to the organisation. Please contact the organisation directly if you have any questions about this volunteer role.

 About the opportunity

This role involves supporting with events in your local area throughout the year.

There is no minimum commitment for the role. Times will vary depending on the requirements of the event. You will be provided with an event brief beforehand to ensure you are happy with the requirements for that activity.

By volunteering you will:

• Be a valued member of the Charity
• Can work with dogs without lifelong commitment or costs associated with dog ownership
• Be able to meet like-minded people
• Gain practical experience in the field of canine care and welfare.
• Have fun by joining a friendly, enthusiastic, and supportive team of volunteers.

‘With out the continued hard work and support from our volunteers, we would not be able to provide our clients with our life changing dogs’​

What is involved

• Raising awareness of Canine Partners and what we do by speaking to event attendees
• Promoting fundraising activities at the event (selling raffle tickets etc)
• Handing out leaflets, taking donations
• Set up and pack away on event day
• Passing on any leads to the Community Fundraising team

What we require from you

• Age 18 or over
• Access to your own transport with flexibility to visit various locations
• Polite, confident, and personable manner
• Excellent customer service skills
• Most opportunities require standing for the duration of the session and/or being in a busy environment. Please advise us if you have any concerns about this, and we will do our best to support you.

Support and Training

• Payment of expenditure such as mileage to and from an event.
• Dedicated point of contact in the fundraising team
• Pre-event briefings outlining the requirements of the event
• Volunteer clothing and ID badge
• Access to our volunteer portal with many resources for your use.
• Invitation to join our Official Canine Partners Community Facebook Group

As a Group Leader, you’ll play a key role in delivering our life-changing therapeutic services by co-facilitating weekly self-help groups. Using a proven model rooted in Exposure-Response Therapy and CBT, you'll help guide members through understanding their conditions and moving toward recovery.

We’ll train you to confidently co-lead sessions with another volunteer. All you need is empathy, warmth, and a genuine desire to support others. Lived experience of anxiety, OCD, or phobias is a bonus, not a must. We ask for a commitment of just 2 hours a week for at least 12 months.

You’ll be part of something truly meaningful—helping others while growing personally and professionally.

What will you be doing?

Therapeutic Responsibilities

• Co-facilitate therapeutic guided self-help groups every week.
• Interact with relevant service users to arrange their initial attendance at therapeutic groups.
• Consistently work within the scope of your training and recognise the limits of your practice.
• Liaise closely with the organisation's Clinical Director to discuss challenging cases and clinical concerns.
• Inform the Clinical Director of any expected instances of absence two weeks before the event. 
• Administrative Responsibilities
• Record service users' attendance every week.
• Maintain service user attendance databases to the highest possible standards of accuracy and detail.
• Disseminate psychometric measures to service users by the organisation's evaluation strategy
• Promote a culture of evaluation amongst service users attending your groups to enhance the amount of individualised feedback available to them.
• Respond to service user enquiries, and organisational communications, in an appropriately timely manner.
• Actively engage in the initial training workshops that are provided by the organisation.
• Maintain a commitment to continual personal development and engage in additional training opportunities when provided.
• Actively engage in organised peer reflective practices
• Make use of the organisation-wide digital communication channels to share and learn therapeutic practices. 

• Safeguarding - It is every volunteer's responsibility to safeguard and protect adults and children from abuse, regardless of the setting in which your care takes place. It is the volunteer's responsibility to be aware of the charity's policies and procedures and proactively maintain safeguarding procedural knowledge.

Additional Responsibilities

• Adhere to all organisational policies and procedures.
• Support the organisation's promotion of a positive approach to diversity and inclusion, treating others with dignity and respect.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with colleagues, taking account of their age, religion or belief, ethnicity, sex, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or maternity status and any disability.
• Maintain an approachable nature, ensuring that your conduct towards colleagues is open and honest, dealing with differences in opinion in ways which avoid offence.