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Purpose and Aims of the role: We are looking for befrienders to befriend a child of primary school age 5-12 for our new primary years outreach service. As a volunteer befriender you would be matched with a child, who you would spend regular time with on a 1:1 basis, building a trusting relationship and having fun. You would take part in activities that a child enjoys such as playing football/going to the park or to introduce them to new activities or hobbies that they may not have the opportunity to take part in normally. Befriender’s can be male or female, from various backgrounds and anyone aged 18 and over – there is no upper age limit to become a befriender! what will I be doing? Volunteers will be able to make a difference to a child’s life by: •Spending regular time 1:1 to build a trusted relationship •Sharing in an activity or hobby to develop interests and have fun •Encouraging child to take part in group activities to build confidence •Giving child someone to talk to develop communication skills •Being a consistent figure in the child’s life to support with life transitions What qualities do I need? •Ability to encourage and motivate others to participate in activities •To have a positive and encouraging approach to children and young people. •To have a non-judgmental approach to people, have empathy •Be enthusiastic, motivated, flexible, and committed •Reliable and approachable •Patience and understanding •Commitment to treat all information in a confidential manner •To have a good value base, be open minded and level headed When will I be needed? Befrienders will spend 2-4 hours either weekly or fortnightly with a child. As our children will be at school, outings will generally take place after school hours or weekends. A minimum of 6 months commitment is required for this role. What will I gain from the role? By volunteering with Aberlour, you can gain: •Excellent training •Make new friends and meet new people •Get out and about •Have FUN! •Attend social events. •A sense of satisfaction in helping children, young people and families build their confidence and self-esteem to achieve their full potential •Experience of supporting young people to flourish. •Practical experience of working with children, young people, and families What support will I be given? Aberlour aims to ensure volunteering is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Volunteers will receive: •Induction and child protection training •Specific befriending training relevant to the role •Ongoing support and supervision •Travel expenses and activity expenses •Named contact support Additional Information Due to Health and Safety requirements, you must be at least 18 years of age to undertake this volunteering role. For all roles involving regulated work with children and/or protected adults, Aberlour will require the applicant to submit a PVG Scheme Record or a PVG Scheme Record Update application. This opportunity is subject to the completion of satisfactory references and successful registration on the PVG Scheme.

The RAF Association is a member-led, welfare charity that exists to ensure that all members of the RAF community are supported, when they require it. Our Connections for Life service entails friendship telephone calls from volunteers to beneficiaries within the RAF community who maybe experiencing loneliness, adapting to life after service or just looking for a general chat. We will provide you with all the necessary training so you can rest assured that you will have all the skills you need. As a Connections Volunteer, you will have the support of a dedicated coordinator as your point of contact. A RAF or forces background is not essential, and we welcome applications from all areas of the community. A fantastic opportunity to help and make a real difference. All help is greatly appreciated. For further details please contact Craig Anderson, RAF Association Connections Administrator at email: volunteers@rafa.org.uk or telephone: 0800 018 2361.

Searchlight Scotland organises a Coffee Morning every Friday from 10am-12pm at the Junction Café (5 Bon-Accord Terrace, Aberdeen AB11 6DP), in collaboration with The Junction Church. Our community café is open to everyone, especially vulnerable people and parents with children. People can relax, have a coffee and a chat with our case workers. Our main aim is to provide to the community a free space where everyone can feel comfortable and have a first contact with us if they need our support. We have great opportunities for people to help volunteering at the Coffee Mornings and provide a smile to our customers. Main duties are: • Welcome and chat with customers. • Help serve drinks and cakes. • Create a relaxing environment. • Assist with activities. • Help tidy up the Cafe' after closing. A fantastic opportunity to assist in a Community Café that provides an important and welcoming place where people can come together. All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. If you wish to volunteer or for any further details please contact Eva D’ Amico, Volunteer Coordinator at email: eva.d'amico@searchlightscotland.org or telephone.: 07927371717. More details are also available at our website: https://www.searchlightscotland.org/volunteer

At Macmillan we give people with cancer everything we’ve got. Are you a good listener and clear communicator? Then we would love you to join our team as a Macmillan Community Buddy and help Macmillan support people living with cancer. *Why we want you: Bring your listening and communication skills to support people living with cancer to feel less isolated and lonely and to help with practical tasks that they are temporarily having trouble with. By joining us you’ll be doing something amazing for people, so they can continue to feel connected to the world outside and helping them find their best way through. Together, we can be right there for people with cancer. *What you will be doing • Providing face-to-face support in the community or in people’s homes to alleviate loneliness and help with simple practical tasks • Adopting a non-judgemental and supportive approach to understand the needs and concerns of people living with cancer • Supporting 1-3 people living with cancer every week for up to 12 visits • Completing post call ‘records of activity’ reports and using all required systems • Joining group catch up calls every 4-6 weeks to get key updates and/or share good practice • Volunteering within agreed hours and following all best practice guidelines • Signposting to additional support if required and raising any further concerns with the Macmillan team *The skills you need • Good listener and clear communicator • Patient, flexible and reliable • Ability to respect others’ differences and choices • Ability to demonstrate empathy and understanding while maintaining boundaries • Ability to recognise when to ask for support • Ability to work independently with guidance and support • Understand the need to maintain confidentiality • Ability and willingness to travel in your local area • Good IT skills in order to access required systems and resources • Ability to commit to 4 hours of online training *What's in it for you • Meet new people as part of a friendly team that makes a difference • Use and develop your communication and people skills • Have a rewarding experience making a difference to people living with cancer who are especially isolated • Receive an induction, relevant training, the support you need to carry out your role, and agreed out-of-pocket expenses (reimbursed within our guidelines) By sharing your skills and time, you’ll have the opportunity to utilise and develop your skills and will make a difference to people’s lives. Together, we can be right there for people with cancer. If you would like to join our team, please apply to volunteer today! For further details/to apply please visit: https://volunteering.macmillan.org.uk/opportunities/193-macmillan-community-buddy-scotland-2022-09-27 or contact us at email: vsscotnir@macmillan.org.uk or telephone: 020 7091 2165 / 07458135292.

Volunteering Matters Overview At Volunteering Matters we believe everyone in the UK should have the opportunity to thrive, so we bring people together to overcome some of society’s most complex issues through the power of volunteering. We partner with communities to overcome adversity, tackling social isolation and loneliness, improving health, developing skills and opportunities. And because we’re a national charity, we do this at scale, sharing our expertise and building partnerships to make an even bigger impact. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all. Project Overview Our Family Supporters in Edinburgh project offers practical and emotional support to families across the city of Edinburgh, empowering them to face a range of life challenges. We recruit, train and match dedicated, local volunteers to help families every step of the way, spending 1-1 time together on a personalised set of goals chosen by the family, for the family. We can help in many ways, such as improved living standards, budgeting, healthier eating, better school life and behaviour, access to health and wellbeing aid, as well as introducing parents to community resources, to name a few. So far, thousands of families across the UK have benefitted from our service and we are now delighted to extend the programmes reach to families in Edinburgh. Who can volunteer with us? Our volunteers are locally based people with an understanding of the challenges that families are facing. Aged 18+, each volunteer brings different life experiences and skills that they can use to help the family they are matched to, offering support on a weekly basis for an hour or so each week, usually for 6-9 months at a time that suits everyone. They build a strong relationship based on trust and mutual respect, acting as a friendly face who listens and cares about the family. All volunteers are interviewed, trained to the highest standards and undergo disclosure checks before being matched with a family. We also encourage and welcome volunteers who have the ability to speak multiple languages join our team! What can we offer volunteers? As well as the sense of achievement that comes through supporting a family, our volunteers will have the opportunity to learn and develop new skills, attend social events with other volunteers and enhance their employability. Certificates are provided upon completion of induction training and at the end of the commitment, with project staff happy to provide references for future studies or employment.

Become a Volunteer Befriender Want to make a difference to the lives of disabled people in your community? Discover new interests? Meet new people? Look no further than our fantastic volunteer befriending opportunity! Equal Futures creates connections for people with a learning disability or Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and their family carers through Circles of Support, befriending and social events. By joining our caring and knowledgeable team you will support someone to build their confidence and access opportunities they might previously have been isolated from. You will benefit from training and on-going skills development. You will also receive friendly and professional support from our Project Coordinators. Our Befrienders play a crucial role within society. They can improve the self-esteem of someone with a learning disability who is lonely and isolated within their community. Befrienders also take the burden off other community services by simply providing someone with a friend to connect with. What will you do as a Volunteer Befriender? As part of the Circle of Support, Befrienders help a person we support build their confidence and participate in social activities within their community. This may include going for walks, participating in clubs or classes together, or attending Equal Future’s social events. Befrienders meet one-on-one with the person we support weekly or fortnightly. As a volunteer you may sometimes also offer kind and friendly support to not only the individual, but their family as well, depending on the circumstance. An Equal Futures Project Co-ordinator will be there for you throughout your entire volunteering experience. You’ll enjoy lots of benefits being a Volunteer Befriender, such as: • Learning from an experienced and knowledgeable team • Meeting new people and sharing insights • Volunteering on a flexible basis that fits in with your life • Access to free training and regular support • Social opportunities with other volunteers • Improved self-esteem and confidence • Improved communication skills • Advantageous for relevant careers • Reduced loneliness and better mental health • Feeling valued in our friendly team • Seeing the difference that you’re making We welcome applicants from all sections of the community. We will work flexibly with you to ensure your volunteering journey is a positive and satisfying experience. To apply, please contact: Donna.McCallum@equalfutures.org.uk | 0792 139 7615

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease where exercise has been shown to be effective at slowing the rate of progress of the condition. Currently we have exercise groups in Rutherglen on Tuesday at 1.30 and in East Kilbride on Thursday at 1.30 We are looking for volunteers who would be willing to help at these sessions. This may involve moving/setting up tables and chairs, preparing teas/coffees with cake/biscuits, working with carers, collecting contributions, clearing up and putting away, and closing the building. Our group is mostly retired people. A knowledge of or connection with someone who has Parkinson's would be an advantage, but not essential.

Our Connections for Life service entails friendship telephone calls from volunteers to beneficiaries within the RAF community who maybe experiencing loneliness, adapting to life after service or just looking for a general chat. We will provide you with all the necessary training so you can rest assured that you will have all the skills you need. As a Connections Volunteer, you will have the support of a dedicated coordinator as your point of contact. A RAF or forces background is not essential, and we welcome applications from all areas of the community. Requirements A short completed application form Proof of ID References Informal interview On-line training course

The Trust provides free holidays with one-to-one care for over 140 children aged 4-16 every summer in various locations around the United Kingdom. The holidays are provided at no cost to the children’s families. Due to the high level of skilled care they require or financial circumstances, the children selected for these breaks would not otherwise receive a holiday. The holidays provide a range of fun activities in a safe and supported environment and use a care ratio of one helper to one child at all times. Each holiday includes at least one fully qualified nurse whose sole task is to take care of the children’s medical needs. The Trust is an entirely voluntary organisation and owes its success to over 200 people who dedicate their free time to helping these children. This voluntary structure ensures that every penny raised goes directly towards a child’s holiday. Being a volunteer helper on a Newman Trust holiday is a wonderfully rewarding experience. You will enable deserving children to have a holiday of a lifetime and contribute to a unique experience for all involved. The holidays are FUN, FULFILLING and strangely ADDICTIVE! That said, the holidays are tiring and sometimes emotionally demanding. Real commitment is required before the holiday and on the week. All new helpers are required to attend a recruitment session to meet a representative from the holiday so we can complete background checks. On the holiday itself it can be tough work looking after someone with additional needs and you'll need to put every effort into helping your child and working within the group. However, there's a lot of support, it’s great fun, and incredibly rewarding. No prior training is needed - just a strong will to help others, lots of energy, and a sense of humour. There is also a very supportive and friendly environment with the more experienced helpers actively helping those newer to the role.

Meet, Move & Learn is a community action project which seeks to improve the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of special population groups across South Lanarkshire. To achieve this, MorphFit will provide a hub for socialising, learning and activity. Through this fully funded drop-in service, attendees will have the opportunity to build friendships, take part in fun and creative activities, learn about meal planning on a budget and the importance of nutrition. We also include exercise and mindfulness. Our goal is to ensure that a healthy life is attainable for all even in the challenging circumstances of the current climate. Purpose of the Role - To assist our Activities Coordinator throughout Meet, Move & Learn sessions. - To provide company, support and encouragement to people accessing the service. - Complement the services of the MorphFit Gentle Movement Project.