volunteering
Positive stories, useful developments and people making a difference in volunteering.

Dunstable tenant turns surplus supermarket food into a lifeline for neighbours
For five years, Harmony has collected surplus supermarket food three times a week and shared it with people in her Dunstable neighbourhood, turning help she once received into practical support for others.
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Free training programme gives Lisburn and Castlereagh community groups practical skills through to March
Volunteers and staff can book free sessions covering funding applications, first aid, safeguarding, governance, data protection, food hygiene, diversity and event marshalling.

Eight volunteering festivals will help East Hampshire residents find ways to get involved
Community events across East Hampshire are bringing volunteering opportunities into towns and villages so residents can meet organisations face to face.

Shrewsbury turns disused town-centre plot into a community garden
Volunteers are being invited to help transform an unused Abbey Foregate site into a pocket park and shared community garden.

Meet the volunteers helping stranded hikers in the Scottish Highlands
Tower Ridge from the summit of Britain's tallest mountain, Ben Nevis, in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, Scotland (PA) Mountain rescue callouts across the UK are rising significantly, ...

The volunteers providing meals and help to wildfire crews
Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The charity, which relies on donations, is supporting fire crews with hot food and drinks on the ground [Rapid Relief Team] "We ...

Maritime volunteers join River Tyne clean-up
Maritime volunteers have taken to the River Tyne as part of a multi-agency operation to clean up thousands of small… | North East | Environment | Environment | Community | ...

Cambridgeshire residents lead effort to tackle speeding
Residents are taking the lead in making their roads safer by tackling speeding head-on. In Cambridgeshire, more than 1,000 volunteers are involved in the Community Speedwatch scheme, which aims to ...

Age UK calls for bucket collection volunteers in Redditch and Bromsgrove
Age UK North Worcestershire is appealing for volunteers to help with supermarket bucket collections across the district between September and December.

‘I came to the Highlands to give something back to the hills’: a volunteering trip in Scotland
I found two days of hard graft – repairing hiking paths with a conservation trust in stunningly remote Wester Ross – a surprisingly rewarding experience ...

Volunteers praised as Callander Primary School nears completion
Volunteers and Kier Construction praised for community work during Callander Primary School build, supporting local charities. Stirling ...

I fix cars for a living and put out fires in my spare time
By day, 20-year-old Tyrell Cambridge spends his hours fixing vehicles, but when the tools are down, he swaps the workshop for the fire station. Volunteering as a firefighter for the Peterborough ...

Cromer RNLI is encouraging volunteers to get involved
A volunteer is encouraging others to get involved after taking on five different roles at her lifeboat station.

Free fitness sessions for over-60s earn gym owner community sports award
Kirkintilloch gym owner Barry Peacock has been recognised for giving his time freely to help older residents stay active and young footballers build healthy habits.

Former volunteer takes on family support role in Glasgow
Eloise McCormack has transitioned from a parent volunteer to a professional family support worker within Glasgow.

Glasgow volunteer celebrates half-century with SSAFA
A Pollokshields man has been recognised for his 50 years of dedicated service to the Armed Forces charity.

Cats Protection seeks helpers across North Wales
The national animal welfare charity is looking for recruits in North Wales to assist with its administrative and promotional efforts.

Design firm staff join forces for local conservation
Employees from ArchitecturePLB have rolled up their sleeves to help protect native habitats in Hampshire.

Swindon man finds new path through volunteering
A Wiltshire resident has credited volunteer work with helping him turn his life around after a long struggle with addiction.

Berkshire Search and Rescue hosts MP for training visit
Clive Jones MP met with volunteers in Berkshire to see first-hand how the search and rescue team prepares for emergencies.

Teesside tribute honours volunteers who fought in Spain
The North East Volunteers for Liberty is highlighting the legacy of local fighters who defended the Spanish Republic.

Search and rescue team bolsters medical capabilities
Volunteer responders in Worcestershire have upgraded their life-saving equipment and expanded their ranks to strengthen emergency support.

West Mercia Police calls for volunteer cadet leaders
The force is expanding its youth engagement efforts by seeking new volunteer leaders for its Police Cadets scheme.

Annual meeting examines the impact of volunteering in the Vale of Glamorgan
Dinas Powys Voluntary Concern hosted its annual gathering to discuss the vital role of local volunteers.

Northern Trust seeks volunteers for bereavement support line
The Northern Health and Social Care Trust is recruiting listeners to provide comfort to grieving families across regional hospitals.

Consett charity receives King's Award for voluntary service
Foundation For Good has been honoured with the prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service for its work in County Durham.

St Davids RNLI rescue featured on national television
The bravery of the St Davids RNLI crew was highlighted in a recent episode of the BBC programme Saving Lives at Sea.

Volunteers rally to spruce up Haverfordwest Tennis Club
Haverfordwest Tennis Club received a groundskeeping boost as part of this year's Sport Pembrokeshire Task Force Day.

New befriending initiative launches in Northumberland
Age UK Northumberland has introduced the Enabling Connections programme to provide vital face-to-face support for elderly residents.

Oxfordshire volunteer marks four decades of service
Mavis Shortman was honoured with a surprise 80th birthday party to celebrate her long-standing commitment to Christian Aid.

Llanelli community kitchen serves more than 1,040 meals in its first six months
Cegin Llanelli has served more than 1,040 free or pay-what-you-can two-course meals, while 15 volunteers have contributed over 690 hours and rescued food from waste.

Age UK asks North Worcestershire residents for just a few hours to support older people and young fundraisers
Age UK North Worcestershire is recruiting volunteer mentors and collection helpers, with roles requiring as little as two hours or three hours a month.

Rutland opens another round of small grants for projects tackling rural isolation
Grassroots groups in Rutland can apply for £500 to £2,000 for projects supporting volunteers, wellbeing, vulnerable residents and stronger rural communities.

East Dunbartonshire groups can apply for up to £4,000 to tackle isolation and bring people together
A new local fund offers community organisations grants of up to £4,000 for projects supporting wellbeing, families, inclusion and social connection.

£1.1m fund has backed 211 community projects across the UK in six months
A social-value fund linked to social-housing contracts has supported 211 projects including defibrillators, school visits, financial literacy and small repairs for vulnerable residents.

Twenty Newcastle community organisations share £400,000 for spaces, services and accessibility
Twenty Newcastle voluntary organisations have received grants between £10,700 and £30,000 for community buildings, youth work, health, arts and sport.

Volunteers spend their Highland holiday repairing one of Scotland’s busiest mountain paths
Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland volunteers are helping repair eroded mountain paths in Wester Ross while learning practical conservation skills.

Around 1,250 people have already volunteered to welcome the Tour de France to Wales
Around 1,250 people have registered interest in volunteering for the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ in Wales, with more places still open.

Petersfield Repair Café has already helped more than 200 people keep broken things in use
A £10,000 climate grant helped launch Petersfield Repair Café, where volunteers have already assessed or repaired more than 150 items brought in by over 200 people.

Birmingham Airport passes £200,000 raised for children’s hospital charity
Airport staff, passengers and businesses have raised more than £200,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity in 18 months, already closing in on a three-year £250,000 target.

West Mercia Police is recruiting volunteers to help young cadets grow in confidence
Volunteer Cadet Programme Leaders are being recruited across Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Telford to support teenagers with teamwork, leadership and community activities.

Hampshire architects swap desks for waders to help clear invasive plants from the River Test
Staff from ArchitecturePLB spent a volunteer day in Whitchurch removing Himalayan balsam and monkey flower from a chalk stream habitat in the Upper Test Valley.

Two years sober, Swindon volunteer helps turn surplus food into free community meals
Daniel Norrish says volunteering with FoodCycle Swindon has helped him rebuild his life after alcohol addiction, while his time now helps provide free meals for others.

Essex volunteer prepares another aid run to Ukraine and says donations still make a real difference
Kelvedon businessman Phil Billingham is preparing to drive another donated vehicle to Ukraine with Drive 2 Save Lives after seeing first-hand how aid reaches communities.

Brighton RNLI is looking for eight new volunteers to help save lives at sea
Brighton RNLI is recruiting six volunteer lifeboat crew members and two launch authorities as its station continues responding around the clock to incidents off the Sussex coast.

Age UK North Worcestershire asks for just a few hours a month to help older people locally
Age UK North Worcestershire is recruiting volunteer mentors and fundraisers, with some roles requiring as little as two or three hours a month.

Volunteers help Derbyshire homelessness project grow its garden and support space
A team from Places for People’s Thrive training centre has spent a day improving Derventio Housing Trust’s Growing Lives project in Ilkeston.

Cromer RNLI volunteer shows there is more than one way to help save lives at sea
Kate Roberts now holds five volunteer roles at Cromer RNLI and is encouraging people with different skills and interests to find a place in the station team.

Belfast makers create ‘quilted hugs’ for young people leaving care
A collaboration between Belfast School of Art and Quilts for Care Leavers Northern Ireland is creating handmade quilts for young people moving into independent living.