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Could you give a bike a tune-up? Know your way 'round the basics of repairing and maintaining the systems of a bike? If so, the Dufftown & District Community Association would love to hear from you! With a variety of 24 eBikes, trikes and kids bikes, DDCA provides online hires through their website. They also deliver cycling events in collaboration with Outfit Moray and Dorenell Rangers. To ensure a high-quality service to everyone in the community, they are looking for volunteers to help with bike maintenance and rentals. Help us grow this community bicycle program! Volunteering is flexible and is done in our workshop at Tininver Park with all the tools provided. Anyone over 16 years can volunteer.

The Elgin Sports Community Trust is literally a game-changer. This volunteer led community project has broken ground to a create a new all-weather sports facility for Moray. The project, now entering a final exciting stage, is looking for outgoing volunteers with professional experience to help develop and write funding bids that will support specific elements of the build. Are you a resourceful, take-the-initiative sort of person that possesses marketing and writing skills? Could you help identify and research prospective funding sources and help to write persuasive compelling bids? Could you pen awesome case studies or reports and maybe even share some of our news on social media? The Elgin Sports Community Trust has built an accessible all-weather, full-size facility, that is being used for a multitude of sports and is inclusive for all members of the community. Your time and skill will help this facility build office space, changing facilities and viewing galleries and become a place where people can play and meet all year – even walk, train, coach, the sporting options (and the health benefits to our community) are endless! This volunteering commitment would last between 3 to 6 months or longer if you are the sort of person who would be prepared to join the board. If you would like to have a chat about the role or would like to be involved or just find out more, please drop us a hello at: esctenquiries@hotmail.com

The woodlands in and around Forres are highly valued community assets. Forres Community Woodlands Trust aims to utilise the potential of these woodlands to provide a wide range of community benefits. These include providing local people and visitors to the area with ready access to special places to enjoy peace and quiet, healthy exercise, education and recreation. Our vision, therefore, is to maintain and enhance the Trust’s woodlands as bio-diverse habitats which provide recreational and educational opportunities. Our volunteer activities take place mostly in our FCWT woods, that is either Sanquhar Wood or Muiry. On average we meet one Saturday morning each month from 10 to 12 o'clock and we carry out maintenance work, for example removing young foreign species with loppers and hand saws like rhododendron, sitka spruce or Douglas fir or we plant trees or cut back bracken. Our aim is to remove as many foreign species as possible and replace them with native trees.

From Monday – Friday our friendly and dedicated team of staff, volunteers and trainees steam, organise and label tonnes of items donated by the local community, including second-hand clothing and a range of one-off collectables. Volunteers not only help in the shop but importantly also help our trainees learn and make the most of their experience in this friendly, supportive retail environment. Volunteering is flexible, please consider joining the team!

We know representation matters, which is why we want our volunteers to reflect the diversity of the community groups we work with. We are actively encouraging applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds and other minoritised groups to apply as we are currently under-represented in this space. You will get to meet the inspirational faces of community groups across the UK and immerse yourself in their work; use your existing skills in a rewarding fashion whilst developing new ones; guide members to become more inclusive; network with other like-minded individuals helping grassroots sports groups survive; and so much more.

You will be providing a puppy with a vital foundation for its future role as a guide dog. This is a full-time volunteering opportunity as a puppy will live with you in your home for around 12-16 months. It should be noted that although it is possible for another Puppy Raiser to look after a dog on your behalf for short periods of time that this may not always be possible. Consideration should be given to your future plans such as holidays abroad. “It’s so rewarding to know that the dog will go on to help people with sight loss gain independence and freedom.” – Chris, Puppy Raiser We rely on volunteers like you to help us improve the lives of people with sight loss. In this role your support will include: • Developing, caring and providing for the needs of one of our puppies using Positive Reinforcement Techniques and following Guide Dogs Puppy Raising for Excellent Partnerships (PREP) programme • Familiarising a puppy to a wide range of environments including shops and outdoor off lead exercise areas in all climates and seasons. • Teaching a puppy it’s ok to be left alone by gradually building up from a few minutes to a maximum of 4 hours • Attending regular puppy classes • Regularly meeting with Guide Dogs representatives to discuss your pup’s development • Completing regular on-line questionnaires to help us monitor puppy progress Ideally you will: • Be able to handle large breed dogs (around 25-40kg) • Have access to a car on a weekly basis for training and vet visits • Have your own home or written permission to have a dog in the home • Have access to a secure area where the puppy could go to the toilet during the day, especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night • Be able to access online content and training materials (you will need your own email address) If you don’t feel you tick every box but are sure this role is the one for you, please drop us a message and tell us why. We’re open to suggestions and happy to chat with you to find out what’s possible! Volunteering is a two-way street, so in return for your time you will get; • A dedicated volunteer manager/key contact who will help you settle in and support you during your time with us. • The challenge and reward of seeing a puppy develop in your home. • The opportunity to learn and develop your understanding in dog body language, learning theory, the human animal bond and the life of a Guide Dog. Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any expenses related to your volunteering with us in line with our policy. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the role further before applying please email volunteer coordinator Aaron Puckrin at aaron.puckrin@guidedogs.org.uk. Thank you.

We are looking for a volunteer who would like to become our minute secretary. This involves attending once monthly meetings for about 2hrs (7-9pm) usually the third Thursday in Forfar to take minutes for the meeting, typing these up and distributing to the members. This is an excellent opportunity to get involved in your local community and might suit a volunteer hoping to further develop IT and admin skills.

We meet usually once a month for about 2 hrs (7pm- 9pm) usually the 3rd Thursday of the month. We can offer a small payment to cover expenses. Some examples of our involvement are monthly meetings involving locally elected councillors, police and guest speakers. We regularly review local planning applications, local news/ concerns and organise community events such as beach cleans, seasonal town decorations/ events such as the summer bunting and Christmas Lights display/ switch on. We also support to facilitate local projects and collaborating with organisations to distribute community funds. There is opportunity to become involved in such a wide variety of projects/ groups dependant on your availability of time.

Do you like spending time outside, and in the company of others? Do you want to make new friends, share and learn skills together? Are you interested in gardening, ecology and/or nature? If this is you, come and join us as a volunteer Garden Caretaker as part of a year-long project with Lindy Young and Deveron Projects called Caretakers’ Garden. Garden Caretakers will work together with Lindy and the team at Deveron Projects to care for two public gardens just off Huntly town square: one behind the Brander Building on McVeagh Street and the other tucked away behind Square Deal. Both gardens are overflowing with life, rich with wildlife and (hopefully) food for all to enjoy. Through regular meet ups, workshops and work parties, Caretakers will be involved in developing and caring for all areas of the gardens, from the veggie beds and greenhouse, to the new wildflower meadow, forest garden and accessible raised beds…

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.