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. Spend some time bookwrapping
- Volunteer in one of Blackwell’s bookshops and funds raised through gift wrapping books will be donated to the National Literacy Trust. For more information, call Blackwell's on 01865 333278 or visit the Literacy Trust website
- Alternatively, approach a local bookshop and ask if you can wrap books to fundraise for a local charity
8. Volunteer to help the homeless at a hostel or shelter. Some run year-round and some are set up especially for the Christmas season.
9. 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!
10. Plan ahead and make a New Year's Resolution to start volunteering in 2007. 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
