Community

In six areas across South and West Wales our volunteers are helping thsoe at risk of loneliness and poor mental and physical health during COVID-19.

Our COVID-19 Response programme includes projects operating on a local and national level, with new roles to support the community during the pandemic.

Our Employee Volunteering team has over 24 years’ experience of providing tailor-made service support to employers developing their own corporate volunteering and business volunteering programmes.

Volunteer mentoring opportunities across the 'Wee County', supporting young people aged 15-18.

Empowering Young People to access and sustain education employment and training

Equip Mentoring provide support for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).

Equip Mentoring provide support for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).

Being out of work for a long time can leave people feeling isolated. Equip+ connects people with volunteer mentors from their community, who support them with goal planning and guidance.

Futures Matter trains and supports volunteer leaders to devise and run volunteering initiatives for the benefit of their local community in Ipswich.

Grandmentors: building better futures for young people leaving care in 11 areas of the UK. Volunteer Grandmentors share their skills and experience with young people leaving care to help them get on in life.

Running for one year in Warwickshire. Harnessing the power of volunteers to engage their local community in healthy living.

Empowering pupils to become better versions of themselves.

We're working with local partners to help them recruit Journey Makers, keeping people safe on the transport networks as lockdown restrictions ease.

KEO recruits and trains volunteers to empower families with young children to take more of an active role in their child’s education.

Through our fantastic volunteers, Match and Mentor provides support for individuals with learning difficulties and additional support needs to volunteer.

Milton Keynes Community Car Service provides a door-to-door service which aims to help people access key appointments

Through tailored support and advice, Newport 360 is a new partnership that supports people in Newport to overcome the challenges they may face.  

Led by volunteers aged 16-25, who have been supported and trained by our team, these young people want to play an active role in their community by championing mental health, whilst developing their own skills at the same time.

Through tailored support and advice, RCT 360 supports people in Rhondda Cynon Taff to overcome the challenges they may face.   RCT 360 is a collaboration between Artis Community Cymuned, Mental Health Wales, Sgiliau and Volunteering Matters, designed to remove barriers to opportunities and employment by offering tailored support, advice and mentoring.  By offering the support … Continued

Family support packs free Children Packs User-friendly, informative and engaging packs for primary-school aged children! Two new packs a month for families Each pack consists of 48 pages packed with fun and resilience-building activities free Adult Packs Information around COVID-19 and family activities. Adult packs come in five languages: English, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish Order your online-pack today by … Continued

For over 30 years RSVP – Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme – has been enabling people aged 50 and over to contribute their energy, enthusiasm and experience as volunteers for the benefit of their communities.

The Loop gives beneficiaries the opportunity to become volunteers. It enables participants to access the social group as and when they need support, progress onto the Goals Group when ready and take their learning further within the Projects Group.

Inspired by Ipswich-based project WASSUP, We Are Patrick is a youth social action programme delivered by young men in Ipswich.

The SAFE programme, Activ8 and Mind Matters response to COVID-19

For Volunteers' Week we asked Engagement Manager Jenna and volunteers Laura and Terry to give us some insight into how volunteering has given them opportunities that have moved them forwards in their career.

Sean told us about volunteering his time, energy and experience to produced podcasts for Mental Health Awareness Week with our team in Pontypool.

Sancia is involved with Grandmentors Brent as a young person, and she also runs a youth social action podcast about the experience of care leavers.

With the support of volunteer Grandmentor Bindi, Ruby's dreams of going to university have become a reality.

We're delighted to support the #PinYourThanks initiative. People volunteering their time to help each other has saved countless lives in the most difficult of circumstances. Buy your badge and say thanks to volunteers today.

Innovative digital volunteering roles are helping young people to respond to the pandemic safely, in a way that positively impacts their community.

With social distancing and lockdown measures, it’s easy for people become isolated and lonely, especially those who may be older and more at risk from corona virus.

All local authorities have a statutory duty to provide independent visitors to all children in care (aged 8 – 16+) who would benefit. In Hounslow, London, we’ve been providing an Independent Visitor Service – Hounslow Allies – for over 12 years. We also run Grandmentors in Hounslow. Grandmentors is an intergenerational mentoring programme that matches … Continued

'It feels to me that I have gone full circle in the volunteering world, by starting as a volunteer and being empowered by the staff there, to becoming a staff member myself and empowering the next generation of volunteers.'

'That's why, if you like to meet new people, to discover a new country and to help people while developing your skills then become a volunteer!!'

'My personal opinion about volunteering is that I am able to support and help others actively so I should make use of it.'

'The goal is to get the kids out of the house, away from their problems, and let them enjoy their time.'

'I have learnt how important is to practice active listening, and how it has enhanced my empathy for vulnerable individuals.'

'I used to think that one person couldn’t change the world, but I changed my mind... a small impact on one person that is a huge change.'

Hena found that being a part of Volunteers Supporting Families not only helped a vulnerable family but also helped her to apply for a social work degree.

The role of a Full-Time Volunteer (FTV) can be very varied, and supporting full-time carers is just one of the ways that FTVs provide incredible support to those they volunteer with. Volunteering Matters has been working with Carers’ Support Bexley for over 20 years (back when we were known as Community Service Volunteers!) and we … Continued

Clare's young person never failed to make her laugh, and even though she was apprehensive about the training, she says she couldn't thank staff enough for the support.

Following a difficult start in life, Asmita has found real purpose, positivity and friendship through volunteering with the Get Out Get Active programme.

Anna was an EVS Full-Time Volunteer with Volunteering Matters in South East Wales, where she befriended older people and people with disabilities.

This year marks our 60th birthday! Find out more about our plans and how to get involved!

The Newcastle Passport Scheme will enable the formation of a network of volunteers who are fully recruited, trained, supported and ready to respond quickly and appropriately to the needs of the local community.

The Job Bridge project has come to an end. We are glad to announce that we have been able to achieve the aspired result. Here is what we did, in a nutshell: As part of the Job Bridge project, facilitators of learning initiatives for young people participated in an extensive training course in Göttingen in February … Continued

We’re delighted to share that today Step Up To Serve have announced that Volunteering Matters and UK Youth have formed a new consortium to deliver key functions of the #iwill movement. We can’t wait to work together to keep growing the #iwill movement and ensure young people can lead change through social action. Read the … Continued

On Thursday 17th September, we are uniting with 9 other amazing charities to respond to the impact that COVID-19 is having on the charity sector by staging The Massive Get Together in a bid to raise £500,000 together! 

Reassure and support travellers, reengage with your local community following lockdown, and rebuild confidence that many previously took for granted.

Are you…. Aged between 18 and 30? Wondering what to do next after COVID-19? Wanting to help others and make a real, tangible difference to their lives? Currently based in the UK? Willing to volunteer for up to 35 hours per week? We need you! You could be supporting someone with a disability to live … Continued

Today, 23 May 2020, the Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Grant Schapps announced that national charity Volunteering Matters will coordinate a volunteer response programme – Journey Makers – to help keep people safe using transport networks as lockdown restrictions are eased. Volunteers, called Journey Makers, will be offering guidance, providing friendly advice, reminding … Continued

As part of its ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, Volunteering Matters wanted a range of different backgrounds and experiences to be part of the Council of Trustees, and these new appointments reflect the diverse range of communities the charity works with and supports through volunteering.

Here you can find a list of links to the work we are doing during the current pandemic, including personal change stories and information about the voluntary sector response.

Our Brighton-based LifeLines volunteers were joined by two very special guests from Strictly Come Dancing, and were featured in the Daily Mail and The Argus.

Our long-running Action Earth scheme is celebrating the one millionth hour of volunteering time given by volunteers on its funded projects this decade!

Volunteering Matters' award-winning Grandmentors featured in the Guardian. Honor's inspirational support of Kai demonstrated the life-changing impact Grandmentors makes.

260 Volunteers from Volunteering Matters in partnership with Southend Borough Council celebrated ten years of turning around lives of families in the area.

On Friday 28th June our Activ8 project won the Youth Work Project category at the Youth Excellence Awards 2019.

By giving something up this #GivingTuesday and donating the money that you save to Volunteering Matters you can help our young volunteers drive local change

Our volunteers and guests from projects running across Scotland were nominated to attend as a gesture of thanks for their commitment to their roles supporting vulnerable people in the community.

Written for Companies House blog to mark Volunteers' Week 2019, our Director of Strategy Paul Buddery talks employee volunteering.

Volunteering Matters North Lanarkshire Befriending Project volunteers were congratulated in a Holyrood Motion, tabled by Clare Adamson MSP, and supported by 11 MSPs. Volunteering Matters is calling for similar projects for all vulnerable young people in Scotland.

We are very proud to announce that the new Mayor of Ipswich, Jan Parry, has chosen WASSUP and We Are Patrick as her chosen projects to support through her term in office!

Sunshine Café, which acts as a social hub for the village of Leeswood celebrated its first anniversary. The morning’s filling included the usual fare of hot chocolate, teacakes and laughter.

We are excited to announce that Stockton Borough Council Public Health Team have provided Sporting Chance with a further two years of funding!

Lord Freud has been appointed the new President of Volunteering Matters. He succeeds Lord Levy, who has made an outstanding contribution in his twenty years as President.

Volunteering Matters has launched a brand new, innovative volunteering network in Newcastle for organisations assisting people in mid to late life and Dementia.

Grandmentors volunteers and young people on our award-winning Grandmentors project enjoyed a trip to Parliament for a soft matching event.

Volunteering Matter’s Grandmentors programme won a prestigious national award recognising its transformational work in mentoring young care leavers. The Grandmentors programme received the honour in the Third Sector category at the recent National Mentoring Awards, in recognition of the 1:1 support that Grandmentors provide young people leaving care. One of the key areas that impressed … Continued

We've made the final shortlist for the National Mentoring Awards 2019 with our Grandmentors programme!

We've got a new opportunity for Norwich volunteers to make a massive different to a young person's life.

Thanks to the Freemasons Grandmentors Milton Keynes will reach even more young people leaving care.

Our project WASSUP has won the Third Sector Award for Volunteer Team of the Year!

Mind Matters have been shortlisted in the Advice and Guidance category of the Children & Young People Now Awards 2018!

Staff from People’s Postcode Lottery went to visit Sporting Chance in Stockton to see first-hand the sort of projects their funding supports.

 By Aoife Murphy, Communications Manager, with Emma-Jane Hampsheir-Gill, Gracie Chick & George Fielding As part of Volunteers Week and in time for Power Of Youth Day, we want to champion the voices of the young people who launched the Vision For Volunteering and were instrumental to the inclusion of a wide range of voices and perspectives … Continued

Once you get past the initial strangeness of online video calls, the genuine interaction with others can be a game changer.

For Volunteers' Week and to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, we asked our Grandmentors Warwickshire Engagement Manager, Farzana Topia, to share one of her most treasured memories as a volunteer.

The UK’s national Volunteering Show has landed! Volunteering Matters is delighted to be involved in Volunteer Expo Live, a national event that seeks to connect volunteers, organisations and the charity sector together under one roof in order to help introduce more people to the world of volunteering. Volunteer Expo Live, which is being hosted by … Continued

At Volunteering Matters our strategy is all about being ‘place based’ and how that impacts communities. The volunteer leaders and organisers of RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Programme) have been leading the way and championing this approach for over 30 years! They do this by leading and organising local place-based social action in communities across the … Continued

James Donnelly is Project Manager of Family Supporters in Edinburgh. We asked James what it feels like to work at Volunteering Matters. Here’s what he said: My journey with Volunteering Matters started in 2015 as a volunteer with North Lanarkshire Befriending Project.  It was my first volunteering role – I was matched with someone to … Continued

Health Champion Paramveer (Paz) and friend Will Mann, founder of Spudg Studios, have developed a free well-being tracking app called Sentient. Paz is a volunteer Health Champion with our project Health Champions Warwickshire, empowering volunteers in the local community to connect  with individuals and community groups to make healthy lifestyle choices. What is Sentient?  Sentient … Continued

Today is International Women’s Day 2022 – #IWD2022 –  an opportunity to celebrate women everywhere by amplifying this year’s powerful theme;  #BreakTheBias.  As #IWD2022 highlights, whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn’t enough, action is needed to level the playing field. That’s why today … Continued

My name is Abigail and I am a student volunteer with the Mind Matters project. I identified that some of the participants struggled to understand the information and material used. As a student-volunteer, I made it my mission to ensure that accessible resources were created so that everyone, regardless of learning ability, is empowered to … Continued

My name is Ben Robinson and I am a 17 year old  volunteer at Volunteering Matters. Before I started volunteering, I was a pupil in Abersychan Comprehensive School but I did not do very much in my spare time and I procrastinated the things that I needed to do.  I found out about Volunteering Matters … Continued