Browse Community Volunteering Opportunities

Children from lower-income families are less likely to achieve academically than their better-off peers. Action Tutoring is a charity that works to level the playing field.

We are looking for volunteers to support pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in maths or English. As a volunteer, you’ll:

• Work with 1-3 pupils to improve their English or maths, either in-person or online
• Commit to a 10-20 week programme, for just one hour a week
• Support either primary or secondary school-aged pupils
• Use our tutor workbooks to shape your weekly sessions

Sessions are in person or online depending on your location in relation to our partner schools.

Good grades improve future prospects, opening the door to a wider range of opportunities. If you enjoy working with children and are passionate about social equality, you can make a tangible difference by volunteering for an hour a week. We also offer Placement opportunities of varying lengths. Please check our website for more, or get in touch at volunteer@actiontutoring.org.uk

What support will I get?

• Training (a two-hour induction session)
• In-session support from your Programme Coordinator
• Tutor workbooks with session plans
• Travel expenses up to £5 per session
• A free DBS check

Skills

We look for volunteers who:

• Have (or are studying for) a degree (in any subject)
• Have a B grade (or above) at A Level (or equivalent) in the subject they wish to tutor, or a similar subject

If your qualifications do not match these requirements, we still encourage you to apply. We take all previous experience into consideration and your motivations for volunteering with us, so please include anything you think might be relevant. Enthusiasm for working with children or young people and fluency in English are important.

Gained skills

Through tutoring with us our volunteers develop a wealth of transferable skills including, communication, organisation, planning, initiative, facilitation, emotional intelligence, resilience and, of course, working with children.

We have volunteers aged 18 to 81 from a wide range of backgrounds; retired professionals, unemployed people looking for experience and training, prospective teachers or teaching assistants, stay at home parents and undergraduates. We have tutor socials and encourage interaction, teamwork and friendship. We're as open and inclusive as possible! 

At Age UK Herefordshire and Worcestershire, our vision is to make the two counties a great place to grow older. We want to make a positive difference to the lives of older people by promoting connections, enabling seamless access to advice support and services through awareness raising and advocacy. Our services are built on a strong ethos of volunteering and engagement with local communities. We have worked with older people, their friends, families, carers, other statutory and voluntary sector organisations to identify the changing needs of older people.

As people get older some essential tasks can become more challenging and life at home can become less safe and manageable alone. We provide a variety of services that support people to maintain their independence living within their community for as long as possible, including help around the home, support after a stay in hospital, information & advice around available support, footcare & podiatry services and more. 

We support people living with dementia and their loved ones with a variety of services such as Dementia Meeting Centres, Dementia Cafés,  Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (MCST), Post Diagnostic Dementia Support Service and our Young Onset Dementia Service Promoting opportunities for those who want to be physically and socially active.

Staying physically and socially active is very important for older people and helps them remain independent and healthy for longer. Our activities include a variety of experiences to suit everyone, including walking sports & groups, community allotments, companionship, support for Armed Forces Veterans, Gay Women’s Group, computer cafés and our creative arts social group 

Our values, which have been developed by our staff, volunteers and Trustees, define who we are, what we stand for and how we behave.  We are friendly; we work together; we make a difference; we are always learning; we are flexible. These values and our Equality and Diversity policy guide everything that we do and are the building blocks of our culture. We live our values in our work with clients and volunteers, our interactions with each other and our engagement with partners and stakeholders. They influence the services we deliver and hold us accountable. Helping us to deliver our best, every day.

Our service users are all experiencing either physical, mental or chronic health problems and as a result, they are either in and out of school on a parttime basis, or they are out of school completely. As you can imagine, this has a significant impact on their learning their development of social skills.

CORE is a wellbeing project for men and male identifying individuals operating across Worcestershire. Its main aims are to find and create opportunities for men to engage, learn and connect with others, but it also aims to provide information, advice and guidance on a range of topics including wellbeing, hobbies, learning etc.

CORE collaborates with local organizations to direct men to existing groups, workshops, and advice centers. Simultaneously, it will establish ongoing support and organize regular activities within the project to fill gaps in local provision. CORE will create its own groups and workshops, actively engaging volunteers or collaborating with staff from other settings/organizations.

Clients are welcome to regularly and actively engage with CORE to explore new activities, have access to information and advice, or receive guidance to potentially create new groups of their own. This communication ideally goes both ways, with CORE providing information about new groups and workshops linked to client’s interests as they arise.

If already active external groups are looking for new members, or support organisations are looking for opportunities to further support male clients, CORE is open to and seeking referrals. The project aims to support men across the Worcestershire area and are actively building a base of clients. The more clients that enrol onto CORE, the more likely it will be that regular groups and workshops are created and run by the CORE project.

Crimestoppers and it's Youth brand, Fearless.org is an independent Charity which provides information of crime types and an opportunity to report crime totally anonymously via a phone number 0800 555 111 or an encrypted online form at https://crimestoppers-uk.org and fearless.org.  We undertake Campaigns which have included Domestic Abuse, CSE, Modern Day Slavery, County Lines, Organised Crime, FGM, Rural Crime and many more. Our local West Mercia Crimestoppers Committee meets in Worcester. We attended the Students Fair in September 2019 where we launched our "Safer Festivals" Campaign plus information and freebies.

FoodCycle currently runs 94 projects across England and Wales, with our Worcester project due to launch in October 2024!

Our projects utilise semi-commercial kitchens in which our volunteers cook tasty, vegetarian 3-course meals using surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. Our communal dining model also aims to bring communities together, and our friendly volunteers create a warm and welcoming atmosphere so that people can share good conversation over a tasty meal – food for the body and the mind! 

Green & Away is an educational charity providing an outdoor events space for people to come together and learn something new. We provide meaningful volunteering opportunities and host sustainable events with social impact. Established in 1990, we aim to inspire and encourage environmental and social change.

Over the years we’ve developed a wide range of services with and without dogs to support people living with a vision impairment. Children and adults. Friends and family. Whoever you are, our expert staff, dedicated volunteers and life-changing dogs are here to help you live actively, independently, and well.

We’re a charity, almost entirely funded by donations, and we are the world’s largest assistance dog organisation. As world leaders in puppy socialisation and dog training, we’re the only organisation to breed and train guide dogs in the UK. We’re also the largest employer of specialists dedicated to helping children and young people overcome the challenges of sight loss.

Hanbury Hall is a 18th Century beroque styled property with George London inspired gardens. This summer we are holding a large 'Summer of Play' event where we will be providing games and activities for all visitors. We are looking for volunteers interested in helping out with running a range of activies outdoors over the summer holidays. 

Head Up! is all about making higher education more accessible for disabled and disadvantaged students through online advice, resources, Q&As, and, significantly, through our mentoring programme. We match disabled students and graduates with GCSE and A Level students who are often isolated in school in order to share the support and solidarity from which we feel we have benefitted from at university. We're looking to recruit mentors who are university students or graduates who have a disability, physical and/or mental health conditions, specific learning difficulties or are neurodivergent (can self-ID!). We ask mentors to offer just an hour of their time per month - through our virtual mentoring sessions, our incredible mentors support young people navigating disability and education, giving them advice, confidence and solidarity.

It's a Penalty works collaboratively to end human trafficking, exploitation and abuse. We run local and global education and awareness campaigns highlighting penalties for offenders, the signs to look out for, and how to make a report.

Our Student Ambassador Programme educates and empowers UK university students to prevent human trafficking, the world's fastest growing crime.

It's a Penalty run global campaigns during major sporting events such as the Olympic & Paralympic Games and the NFL Super Bowls, working in partnership with the sports, travel and tourism industry, NGO's, law enforcers and top athletes. We also advocate for legal reform to improve protection from sexual exploitation and abuse for children through our CommonProtect programme.

Onside volunteers provided 1:1 support for our service users and also work with the organisation to help us provide those services.  These roles include:

Advocacy, Mentoring, Receptionist, Publicity & Promotion and helping at our Community Cafe - the Mix

RaG (Raise and Give) is a committee at the Worcester Students' Union, whose aim is to raise and give money to various local and national charities. The fundraising will take place through different events throughout the year. Apart from one-off fundraising, all money raised throughout the academic year is split between the SU nominated charities

Scouting doesn’t work without our volunteer leaders. 

Volunteering with us is easy, fun and flexible – how much time you give is completely up to you. Whether you help out every week, once a month, once a term or just at special events or camps, there is bound to be a role you can play, and no matter how you get involved, we’ll make sure you’re properly trained and supported.

If you’re over 18, you can volunteer in many ways and there is no upper age limit for adult volunteers.

Volunteers add real value to Sense, bringing their passion, enthusiasm and fresh perspectives to the work that we do. We believe that volunteers enable us to bring people together, and provide opportunities for people with complex disabilities to communicate and experience the world.

Our amazing team of volunteers help us run over 100 shops across England and Wales. Every donated item that you sort, prepare and sell helps to raise vital funds to support us in our mission to make sure no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, is isolated, left out, or unable to fulfil their potential. Our shops are at the heart of local communities – sharing the work of Sense, and helping to secure support for our life changing work.

St Richard's Hospice is an independent charity caring for over 2,600 patients, their loved ones and carers each year in Worcestershire

Our vision
That every young person regardless of background can make the most of education, unlocking their potential and creating a fairer society.

Our mission

We support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access top universities, through a unique combination of tuition and in-school mentoring. We work with them to make good applications, get the grades and transition to university.

Through our term-long, after-school programme, we develop the literacy, confidence and perseverance of children aged 9-13 who are falling behind in school and have fewer opportunities in their personal lives, so that they can succeed at school and beyond. 

Children join us on our Virtual Ship once a week to practise their reading and writing. By welcoming them into our joyful spaces, publishing their work in the real world, and celebrating everything they do, we develop their literacy, confidence and perseverance. 

We're working tirelessly to make veganism an easily-adopted and widely-recognised approach to reducing animal suffering and environmental damage. We do so through peaceful and factual dialogue with individuals, organisations and businesses.

We achieve this vision and mission by providing information, supporting and advising individuals and health professionals, caterers, manufacturers, and influencing policy makers. We also fund vegan initiatives set up by members and supporters, and work with volunteers and partners towards making our vision a reality. We work with the media to help reinforce a positive view of veganism and to help a larger audience see that veganism is a rewarding, enjoyable and viable lifestyle.

Travelteer brings an innovative concept at the forefront of responsible travel and ethical volunteerism. We believe our philosophy to blend awe-inspiring adventure with high impact volunteering while maintaining a safe, social environment creates the ultimate experience. Our programmes in Sri Lanka and Nepal: • England Development • Sports Development • Textiles & Design • Marine & Wildlife Conservation • Community Development • Medical and Nursing Elective Find out more and inquire today at www.travelteer.co.uk

Organisation in Worcester that seeks volunteers and promotes volunteering opportunities from other organisations 

Worcester Competitive Arts Festival (WCAF) takes place at various venues in Worcester over several weekends in March, but the preparation takes place throughout the year. WCAF is run entirely by volunteers and we are always in need of extra pairs of hands.

WCAF aims to give amateur performers, writers and composers the opportunity to perform in a friendly and supportive environment. The festival is open to everyone, with competitive and non-competitive opportunities to perform for all ages, abilities and experience in music, drama, prose, poetry, writing and composition. Medals and trophies are awarded and winners may also be invited to perform at the festival concert.

We need volunteers to help run the festival on festival days and to help plan for it throughout the year. Even if it is just for a few hours throughout the year or for some of the days of the festival, we would welcome any support you can give. In return you will get to experience some of the fantastic talent from Worcester and beyond!

Opportunities for volunteering on festival days include:

’Front of house’ volunteers: Including welcoming competitors and spectators, selling programmes and merchandise, helping with car parking and refreshments, showing people where to go and helping ensure they are safe. 

Stewards: Roles in each performance venue, assisting the professional adjudicators and helping with trophies, medals and certificates throughout the day.

’Backstage’ volunteers: Helping to get the venues ready and set up the performance rooms in advance, putting out signs, tidying away once finished, helping with sound and tech support where needed.

Opportunities for volunteering throughout the year include:

Individuals with an interest in any kind of music, drama, poetry, prose or writing: to help devise the syllabus and to contact and link with local teachers, schools & performers to encourage people to enter. 

Publicity: Helping to prepare press releases, liaise with the media, support social media and update the WCAF website.

Advertising and sponsorship: Helping to sell a few adverts for the festival and apply for grants to provide us with much-needed revenue.

General Admin: Managing trophies and prizes, managing and updating the online entry system, liaising with entrants and teachers.

The Students’ Union is an independent charity, devoted to the educational interests and welfare of all students studying at the University of Worcester.

We are looking for dedicated people to volunteer on a range of projects that include supporting individuals within the criminal justice system. This might include; supporting children in police custody, supporting 16-24 year- olds to access resources in the community or, mentoring adults on their release from prison. Our roles are designed to give our volunteers the most worthwhile experience and encourage personal development.