Volunteering: Giving back to the community

Volunteering with Ramblers to support walking in Britain

As Britain’s walking charity, Ramblers is working to protect and expand the places people love to walk and promote walking for health and pleasure. Volunteering with Ramblers is a great way to give something back to our natural landscapes and offers the opportunity to meet new, like-minded people, learn new skills and further your walking knowledge. We have lots of different volunteering opportunities to cater for a wide range of walking interests, from becoming a walk leader to helping run the charity behind the scenes in the office, or you can even help to look after the paths themselves. 

Become a Grandmentor and support a young person towards independence

For a few hours a week you can mentor a young person and make a huge difference in their life. This could be by helping them to search and apply for jobs, create a UCAS statement for university, or look for voluntary work or apprenticeships. You could also help them to build their confidence, find both their strengths and areas for improvement, and guide them to increase their employability. Grandmentors provide training, ongoing support and expenses for all their volunteers. No special skills or qualifications are needed for this role either, just your own life experience and a willingness to support someone who needs a bit of encouragement.

Volunteering to help preserve Grade I and II listed churches

The Churches Conservation Trust is the national charity protecting churches at risk. There are many ways to get involved such as managing or maintaining the churches themselves, fund-raising, running events, conducting research or joining a committee. You will work alongside other volunteers and staff to help them care for the wonderful churches in our communities. Their aim is to create a professional and friendly environment for visitors and to find new uses for churches that benefit the local community. All volunteers will be given training provided by The Churches Conservation Trust and you do not need special skills or qualifications for this role, just a passion for the protection of these sites and a desire to restore the role they play within our communities. 

Become a Microvolunteer for the RSPCA

Microvolunteering is perfect for busy people who’d like to get involved and help the RSPCA, but don’t have much time to give. You’ll be helping them by carrying out quick activities (whenever you have a few moments to spare) that will make a big difference to animal welfare. Their volunteer support team will invite you to help when new activities arise so that you can choose whether you want to get involved in each occasion. You’ll receive three or four microvolunteering activities a month and tasks generally won’t take more than five minutes to complete. You’ll also have access to their online volunteering Community Assembly where you can keep up to date with news about the RSPCA and get involved in other local or national volunteering opportunities. Some of the tasks you could help with include: sharing the RSPCA campaigns on social media, research, signing petitions and writing to MPs. 

Put your skills to work in a paid opportunity in the social sector

The Encore Fellowship programme gives retiring people a chance to use the skills they have accumulated over the years and apply them to an area that connects to a personal passion. The Encore Fellowship is an energising way to learn something new and contribute to a project with a positive social impact.

Not yet a member but would like to access these fantastic offers? Join The Joy Club today!