What activities can I do?
If you're interested in volunteering in a particular type of activity or setting, then you may find the following information useful.
- NEW Micro volunteering
- Animal Welfare
- Arts and Heritage
- Criminal Justice System
- Environment and Conservation
- Health and Social Care
- Sport
Micro volunteering
Micro volunteering is about doing small, short-term voluntary actions that benefit a good cause, usually in less than 30 minutes.
Help from Home provides information on over 500 micro volunteering actions / initiatives that can all be done in a short period of time from your own home.
Web: http://www.helpfromhome.org
Orange has launched a micro volunteering initiative called Do Some Good. It’s an app that lets people do bite-size actions on their mobile in five minutes or less, making micro volunteering easy. There are 12 charitable actions – from completing a charity survey to taking wildlife photos.
Web: www.orange.co.uk/dosomegood
In the following video, Andrea Rannard from Volunteering England highlights who could benefit from your help and how you can get involved, while Helen Davies from Orange explains how technology can help to make volunteering easier.
Animal Welfare
PDSA is Britain's leading veterinary charity - for pets in need of vets. There are a wide range of volunteering opportunities throughout the country, where you can have fun whilst helping PDSA to help sick and injured animals.
Telephone: 0800 854 194
Email:
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Web: www.pdsa.org.uk
RSPB involves thousands of volunteers, bringing their skills and interests from all walks of life: from computing to project management; from administrative support to language interpretation.
Telephone: 01767 680551
Web: www.rspb.org.uk
The Wild Trout Trust is a charitable organisation dedicated to the conservation of wild trout in Britain and Ireland through the protection and restoration of their habitats.
Telephone: 023 9257 0985
Email:
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Web: www.wildtrout.org
Arts and Heritage
The Voluntary Arts Network (VAN) can provide you with the contact details of the national body dealing with the area of the arts in which you are interested. Most arts groups are run by volunteers, with roles ranging from administration to fundraising to performing and directing.
Telephone: 02920 395395
Email:
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Web: www.voluntaryarts.org
The National Trust works to preserve and protect the coastline, countryside and buildings of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. You can search for volunteering opportunities on the National Trust website.
Telephone: 01793 817632
Email:
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Web: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/volunteering
If you are interested in volunteering in a museum look in the phone book or library for local museums that interest you. For general information contact The Museum Association.
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Criminal Justice System
There are many opportunities for people wanting to volunteer in the Criminal Justice System, ranging from Police Support Volunteers, prisons and probation services, magistracy and youth justice.
Environment and Conservation
BTCV is the UK’s largest practical conservation charity, annually involving 130,000 volunteers in projects to protect and enhance the environment.
Telephone: 01302 388883
Email:
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Web: www.btcv.org
Friends of the Earth campaigns for the protection of the environment and proposes alternatives to environmentally damaging policies and practices. As well as a National Office, it has regional offices and a network of over 250 local groups, all of which rely on volunteer help.
Telephone: 020 7490 1555
Web: www.foe.co.uk
Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens
City Farms and Community Gardens are locally based projects working with people, animals and plants. Many City Farms and Community Gardens are dependent on volunteers for their survival and development, as they often only have a few, if any, paid staff.
For a list of local city farms check the website or call the number below.
Telephone: 0117 923 1800
Email:
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Web: www.farmgarden.org.uk
Health and Social Care
Most NHS hospitals have their own Voluntary Services Manager, who will be responsible for recruiting, training, supervising and supporting the volunteers in the hospital. To find out more contact your local hospital.
The British Red Cross gives skilled and impartial care to people in need and crisis - in their homes and in the community, at home and abroad, in peace and war. In the UK the British Red Cross' primary purpose is to support statutory services, by providing care in crisis situations.
Telephone: 020 7201 5164 (The Volunteering Department )
Email:
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Web: www.redcross.org.uk/
Home-Start is a national charity that recruits and trains volunteers who support families with children under five by visiting them in their own homes.
Telephone: 0800 068 63 68
Email:
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Web: www.home-start.org.uk/
St John Ambulance teaches people first aid so they can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. Many of these become St John Ambulance volunteers, providing first aid at events, acting as first responders to NHS emergency calls in their community, or supporting their local ambulance service.
As well as first aiders, the organisation has support roles in areas such as fundraising, PR, volunteer support and logistics.
Telephone: 08700 10 49 50
Email:
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Web: www.sja.org.uk
Sport
Sports clubs provide the best opportunities to offer volunteer help to your favourite sport. Volunteer roles include coaching, administration, refereeing, driving and management.
Sport England has a Sports Gateways online database of local and national sporting contacts.
Telephone: 08458 508508
Email:
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Web: www.sportengland.org
English Federation of Disability Sport works to increase and improve opportunities for disabled people in sport. It has a range of volunteering opportunities through its regional and event networks.
Telephone: 01509 227750
Email:
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Web: www.efds.co.uk
