Volunteer Centre
Volunteering is a good use of any spare time you may have. You can help those who are in need of help and in return, you get personal satisfaction, experience and a chance to meet some wonderful people.
New Year, New Challenges
The start of a new year is often a time when we take stock of our lives and think about new resolutions. It is a time when we think of starting new hobbies, new careers or making a change in direction that can include undertaking volunteering for the first time, as a returning volunteer or by increasing the amount of volunteering that we are already doing.
Research undertaken by the Volunteer Centre in Winchester suggests that the benefits of volunteering are many fold, from increasing the ‘feel good’ factor to keeping work and social skills alive, and it seems that the sky is quite literally the limit where volunteering is concerned because the scope and variety of opportunities is so vast.
Checking the database of available opportunities at the beginning of January, Sue Heath-Caldwell (Job-share Manager at the Centre) says there are currently 400 different choices available for volunteers to consider, with roles ranging from Admin, Befriending, Caring, Driving, Finance, Fundraising, IT, Marketing, Mentoring, Shopper, Trustee/Committee work and Youth work to name but a few.
Urgent requests from local charities include:
• Support Services, fundraising and Campaign and Media volunteers for the Alzheimer’s Society
• Befrienders (particularly males) and Shoppers for the Live at Home Scheme
• A Branch Chair and Vice Chair for the Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Treasurer/Trustees with business acumen from all areas of the community including ethnic diversity for Relate
• Shop Assistants for Cancer Research, Age UK
• Club Leaders and Helpers for Brendoncare Club Hampshire
• Winchester Litter Pickers
• Social Entrepreneur Apprentice at Community Action Hampshire
For full details of all our opportunities contact the Volunteer Centre 01962 871713 or do a postcode/activity/skill search on www.do-it.org.uk
The Volunteer Centre is open Tuesday to Friday 9-3 and our volunteer advisors would be delighted to offer a one to one session (pre-booked) to offer insight and signpost to local charities.
Finally some common reactions from people who visit our Centre:
‘I never knew there was so much variety’
‘I wish I had known about the Centre previously’
‘Thank you for giving me the chance to volunteer and improve my English’
‘Thank you for all your help, I am so pleased to have found something that is so much fun and so rewarding to do with my spare time’
So, whatever your motive, we are here to help and we look forward to working with more charities and volunteers in 2012.
Happy New Year from all in the Volunteer Centre Winchester.
Keep checking this page for more volunteering options. You can also visit www.do-it.org.uk for other opportunities to volunteer in and around your area.
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To talk to the Volunteer Centre about volunteering opportunities or any issues related to volunteering then please contact us to make an appointment.
Staff:
- Sue Heath Caldwell (Job-share manager)
- David Bradshaw (Job-share manager)
- Jenny Vear (Database Administrator)
Phone: 01962 871 713 Fax: 01962 871 721
Email: volunteercentrewinchester@waca.org.uk
Website: www.volunteercentrewinchester.org.uk
Normal Opening Hours: Tuesday – Friday 9am-3pm
For the latest news and opportunities follow us on Facebook
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