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*Are you passionate about animal welfare? Join our growing team of volunteer Home Visitors and play a vital role in supporting owners and pets in your local area who are facing an emergency situation.* Pet Fostering Service Scotland (PFSS) provides short-term, emergency foster care for pets whose owners are facing one of the following situations: *Ill health *Temporary homelessness *Domestic abuse Every year we provide temporary foster care for around 200 pets across Scotland – but we want to be able to support even more. Our volunteer Home Visitors play a vital role in delivery of our service by visiting potential volunteer pet foster carers to assess their house, home situation and the fosterer. This opportunity is home based with travel to other local locations to carry out home visits. Travel can be by public transport or car and travel expenses will be provided. You will be contacted by PFSS when there is a need for a home visit in your area. The main tasks are: *Contact the potential fosterer and arrange a time for the home visit to take place *Carry out the home visit following the guidelines provided by PFSS. *Complete the home visit report and return a copy to the Home Visit Coordinator Full training and support is provided to all volunteers. Includes: *Handbook for the role, induction and informal training either face to face or over the phone when starting in role. *Ongoing support provided and informal update training as required. If you are an animal lover who wants to develop new skills and be part of a team making a difference to pets and owners in Aberdeen and/or Aberdeenshire then we'd love to hear from you! For more information please contact us at E Mail: volunteering@pfss.org.uk or Tel 0355 811 9909 (then choose option 8 then 1 after the welcome message).

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. -For more details and to apply to be a Guide Dogs - Puppy Raiser please visit: https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/how-you-can-help/volunteering-for-guide-dogs/ or -If you have any questions or would like to discuss the role further before applying please email Guide Dogs Volunteer Coordinator, Aaron Puckrin at aaron.puckrin@guidedogs.org.uk Thank you.

Making change for animals happens in many different ways. Protesting and public outreach is a powerful engagement tool, but sometimes we also need to combine this with talking directly to people in power - your local decision makers. As a Campaign & Lobbying Volunteer, you will combine these 2 campaigning tools to fight for legislative change. By building relationships with your local politicians, whilst also delivering outreach and awareness raising events locally, you will inspire your local MP to take action for the animals. And - you don't need to be an expert on politics. We will give you everything you need, and ultimately this about raising an issue to your MP as a concerned member of their constituency. It's their job to listen to you! If you envisage a world free from animal suffering, and you want to play your part in making history for animals, we'd love for you to join our volunteer community. As a Campaign & Lobbying Volunteer, you will take the lead on driving local action for our legislative campaigns. You will help animals in 2 key ways: 1. Lobbying your local politician(s): you will be building and maintaining a relationship with your local MP, talking to them about The Humane League UK's campaigns and encouraging them to take the steps we need to drive progress for animals. This will happen in many ways, including writing letters, sending emails, using social media, and sometimes even meeting them in person (or online) when this is strategically important. Through effective and persuasive communication, you will keep animal welfare firmly on their agendas. 2. In addition, you will have the opportunity to organise public outreach events in your area. These events will help to raise awareness of the issues facing animals in factory farms amongst other constituents in your area, helping to get the attention of your MP. These events may range from door-dropping information, delivering talks, or engaging with members of the public at street events. The more people in your area who know about the issues facing animals, the more pressure your local MP will receive to do the right thing. Your grassroots events can help us gain support of decision makers, and you can play your part in making history for animals. This role is remotely accessible and focused on local action near where you’re based. No prior experience is required, just a passion and drive to make a difference. There is no set time commitment, but roughly 4-6 hours a month is average for this role, depending on how involved you can be. A fantastic opportunity to help and make a real difference. For further details please contact Aimee May, Organising Administrator at email: amay@thehumaneleague.org.uk or tel.: 01273 569 057. If you’re interested in volunteering with The Humane League UK, but aren’t sure if the Campaign & Lobbying role is right for you, please check out our other volunteer opportunities on our website: https://thehumaneleague.org.uk/volunteer-with-us

Cats Protection is the UK’s leading feline welfare charity and our vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs. Cats are at the centre of everything we do and our objectives are: homing, neutering and educating people about cats and their care. We help thousands of cats across the UK each year thanks to our network of dedicated volunteers, staff and supporters. A bit about this role We are currently recruiting Education Speaker Volunteers all over Scotland to deliver education initiatives across the country. Our education speaker volunteers have the important and exciting role of raising awareness of Cats Protection. They deliver pre-prepared talks, help spread messages around feline welfare and act as the voice of cats in their local communities. They also deliver talks to both adults and children in a variety of settings. Interacting with children is especially important, as they are the cat owners of the future, and by building their understanding and knowledge we can make the world a better place for cats. What can you expect to be doing? Being part of a passionate team of other volunteers and employees Delivering pre-prepared talks to schools and community groups Hosting information sessions Providing feedback on talks where necessary Taking part in promotional events such as careers days at schools and colleges Delivering education craft sessions at community talks and workshops A bit more information about this role and the team At Cats Protection, we deliver a large number of talks to schools and see lower demand for talks on weekends and in the evenings. For this role, we are therefore looking for someone who has availability for talks during the day as this is when we have the highest demand for talks. There may be opportunity for occasional evening and weekend talks but the majority will take place during the day. The role will suit someone who is a confident public speaker and who is enthusiastic about animal welfare. It would also provide a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking to gain experience in a school/classroom setting. As well as photos and stories, we use an online learning website to make our sessions fun and interactive. We provide full training and support, but basic IT skills will be needed and a willingness to use technology as part of the role.

We are looking for committed, enthusiastic individuals who are interested in encouraging the next generation to explore and develop a passion for nature through the Growing up with Quarrymill Project. Quarrymill Woodland Park is located in Perth and consists of 27 acres of mature mixed evergreen and broadleaf woodland. The Annaty burn runs through the wood along with several surfaced paths making it accessible for all. It is owned and maintained by The Gannochy Trust. The Trust kindly fund the RSPB’s delivery of formal education with local nurseries, schools and organisations and our informal family engagement work in the woodland through the Growing up with Quarrymill Project. The aim of the project is to provide children and their adults with active, experiential learning opportunities where they can connect with nature in a local, natural environment. We want to show them how amazing nature is, particularly on their doorstep, and help them develop a sense of ownership for Quarrymill Woodland. This opportunity provides valuable experience of working with groups of young people from nursery age to secondary. Your enthusiasm for the natural world will inspire the children and young people we work with and you can make a real difference. You can spend the day in the relaxing environment of Quarrymill Woodland, with the opportunity to see a variety of wildlife and develop your own skills in wildlife identification and outdoor education. Following a period of shadowing experienced session leaders, you will be leading sessions with a class of children and their teacher, inspiring them to get up close to what creeps, crawls and flies in their school grounds. Alternatively, as a Session Assistant, you would help the session leader with the task, including preparing and tidying resources and providing hands-on support for the children. Full training and support will be provided but we are looking for volunteers with the following skills, experience and attributes: • A positive attitude to working with people of all ages but in particular children and young people. • An interest in wildlife and nature. (You don’t need to be an expert but, be willing to learn and have enthusiasm about nature which you can share with the children and young people!) • Being involved in helping with a range of activities and games, which require you to be out and about in the woodland environment for most of the day (in all weathers). • Help with resources and equipment. • Ability to work in a team • Previous work with children would be an advantage however, not essential. • Be proactive and willing to get hands on. • An awareness of Health and Safety. In line with our Safeguarding policy, all applicants are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (England and Wales), Access NI in Northern Ireland, or a PVG Scheme registration check from Volunteer Scotland in Scotland. References will also be taken up.

Do you love animals? Are you passionate about their welfare and wellbeing? Could you possibly spare some time to support the work of Moray Cats Protection? If so, we would love to hear from you! We are looking for someone within easy reach of the area between Glenlivet in the north and Tomintoul in the south. Within this area, there are some feral cat colonies who live happy and comfortable lives but need occasional human help too. The role would be to respond to a call from a member of the public, visit the site with a totally humane trap and deliver puss to one of the local vet practices so that the cat(s) can be neutered and then returned to their home range. In the case of kittens, if they are below a certain age; they can socialised and later placed for adoption. Your work will be invaluable to the colony as neutered cats live longer and more content lives as well as keeping the colony to healthy numbers. All neutered cats are tested for FIV/FeLV too, which ensures the health of the entire colony as well as the individual cat or kitten. You would receive plenty of hands-on training from other members of our TNR volunteer team as well as all the support you might need at any time. Cats Protection are totally committed to the care and welfare of cats and also the hundreds of volunteers who kindly give of their time. This would include mileage expenses, a uniform, plenty of information and training, a chance to develop numerous skills and also being a much-valued member of our local team. If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, then please do get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you!

Lucky Ewe is seeking more volunteers to help with their sheep and land management, as they grow this new educational charity in NE Fife. Lucky Ewe aims to give people with additional support needs of any kind, the chance to experience farming, animal husbandry and food production at a pre-entry level. The placements aim to build skills, confidence and experience to help Interns progress towards employment. We are interested in volunteers who enjoy being outside on the land and helping with all the tasks needed to care for a small flock of dairy sheep. Volunteers would help to feed the sheep, provide water, muck out, join in with fencing, move sheep when necessary and take part in the ongoing care of this calm flock of dairy sheep. Volunteers would also be part of the team working with Interns (beneficiaries) and must enjoy working with people in a flexible, relaxed and empathic manner.

Pets As Therapy Volunteers are dedicated pet owners who give up their spare time to help others. Along with their dog or cat, volunteers visit all types of establishments including residential care homes, hospitals, hospices and both special needs and main stream schools. If you would like to join Pets As Therapy with your dog or cat, please visit here for more information - https://petsastherapy.org/information/for-volunteers

WDCS Shorewatch programme is looking for dedicated volunteers to carry out 10 minute whale and dolphin monitoring surveys ('Shorewatch') from designated watching sites along the Scottish Coastline., and at points in Caithness. Volunteers will be trained to identify common whale, dolphin and porpoise species found in Scottish waters, use specialised watching equipment and record presence and absense sightings data. The programme aims to provide long term, regular and year-round monitoring at sites of particular interest. With the aim of learning more about how whales and dolphins use these areas; highlighting any changes in distribution and behaviour. By collecting information to help WDCS understand more about whales and dolphins locally, volunteers will be actively contributing to their protection. This opportunity is active all year around.

The ideal candidate would be someone who has had management and IT experience. A special person, who can work with the public and volunteers. Have experience with IT. This may suit someone who has recently retired, made redundant, or already in that position and would be able to spare a few hours a week. They could come from any part of the Caithness county. Driving licence preferable, but for the right candidate we would consider.