The winter season is a traditional time of goodwill and good cheer. If you would like to spend some time volunteering this Christmas, check out our list of ideas.
1. Contact your local Volunteer Centre and ask if any local organisations need help for a one-off event or on an on-going basis.
2. Look at local noticeboards in your local library, place of worship or community centre to see if you can help with Christmas festivities
3. Sell Christmas cards for good causes, either in a charity shop or within your local area
4. Organise a fundraising event or local collection
- Some groups, like the homelessness charity Shelter, can give you free resources to help
5. Wrap and despatch presents for children
- Contribute to Operation Christmas Child and send shoeboxes of presents to children in Eastern and Central Europe.
Volunteer roles include helping in the warehouse, money counting, shoe box checking and making handcrafts or knitted toys from home. Churches and community centres can also get involved by acting as a drop-off point for presents. Visit the website for more information
6. Help to staff a helpline
Although you need training to answer calls as a volunteer counsellor, there might be other useful roles you can do. Alternatively, sign up for training now so you can staff the helpline next Christmas.
7. Volunteer to help the homeless at a hostel or shelter. Some run year-round and some are set up especially for the Christmas season.
8. Volunteer to spread some good cheer and sing in a choir
- Local churches are usually looking for new choir members, so pop in and ask.
- Local choirs sometimes team up with charities to hold fundraising events, so if you can't sing you can tag along and shake a tin!
9. Checkout TimeBank's Christmas Volunteering page for more detailed information on opportunties available over the festive period.
10. Plan ahead and make a New Year's Resolution to start volunteering in 2010. Remember, it can be just as useful and rewarding to give your time at any point throughout the year.
- Contact your nearest Volunteer Centre to find out about local opportunities in your area.
- Search the do-it national volunteering database. If you enter your postcode and preferred activities, you can find local volunteering opportunities from your computer. Visit www.do-it.org.uk
