Hands up who would like to Volunteer?

26/06/2013

Volunteering is good for the mind, body and soul. Reasons for volunteering vary: you might want to learn new skills, improve your CV, meet new people, make new experiences or put something back into the local community. You don’t need huge amounts of spare time. For as little as an hour or two a month to a day a week you could get involved. There are also lots of one-off opportunities to get involved in. Not only will you be benefiting yourself by volunteering but also you will be helping a good cause.

Every local community will have a wide range of Volunteering opportunities available. For example in my catchment area, to name just a few, there are :- the Stover Canal Society (preservation and restoration of the Stover Canal), Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust (managing farmland, woodland, country parks and gardens), Citizens Advice Bureaux (see below), my Village Shop, The National Trust (helping out at one of their local properties, such as Greenway (beloved holiday home of the famous and much-loved author Agatha Christie and her family).

A good website to visit is “Do-it - Volunteering Made Easy” at http://www.do-it.org.uk/ where you can enter your post code and see what opportunities are available in your area. Alternatively your local Library should have details of organisations seeking volunteers and in some areas your local Council may too.
An organisation that is close to my heart is The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). Volunteering with a CAB is a great way to pick up skills, make friends and feel part of an enthusiastic team. And it’s not just worthwhile; volunteering can also be fantastic fun and hugely rewarding. They are the UK’s largest advice charity. Of the 28,500 people who work for the CAB service, 21,500 of them are volunteers. They take on a range of roles from giving advice to fundraising, admin, campaigning and trusteeship.

If you are interested in volunteering with the CAB then why not call into your local branch or visit http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/join-us.htm If you are interested in volunteer work abroad then visit http://www.vso.org.uk/