Volunteering

Joining an organised activity

Joining in with someone else’s activity can be a worthwhile and fun way of helping others and meeting new people.

To start with, think about what you are good at and what’s going to interest you. Perhaps you have an unusual hobby or interest you would like to share with others or a valuable skill to teach people.

To help you choose the right activity for you, you might want to consider:

• What type of activity would be best for me?
• Where is the activity taking place? Is it a local/national/international activity?
• When is it taking place? Is it in the school holidays?
• Can my family and friends also join in?
• How much time can I spare?
• How much time will it take? Is it a one-off activity or an on-going activity?
• Who will I be working with?
• Who do I want to help?
• Do I want to work indoors or outdoors?
• If it’s a fundraising activity, what charity is it supporting?

Check out the activities calendar for details of what activities are taking place, when and where they are and how to join in!

For further ideas of how to get involved, keep your eyes open in your local area. The following are good places to look:

• charity shops
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• community notice-boards
• council offices
• hospices
• hospitals
• information centres
• internet/local websites
• libraries
• newspapers
• places of worship
• playgroups
• schools

Audrey Fretten from Oakhurst Grange care home, Crawley, became chef for the residents on Comic Relief day, raising £336 from sponsorship.

Remember that it doesn’t have to be practical hands-on work – you could have a really big influence by becoming a local: school governor member of a hospital league of friends local councillor Timebank Click here for some tips on how to make the best use of your time with Timebank.