Summer Volunteering Opportunities
Projects Highlighted in Red are summer specific opportunities.
How do I get involved?
If you would like more details of a particular opportunity or you would like to get in touch with an
organisations please email the volunteering team specifying the name(s) of the opportunities you
are interested in and one of our team will be in touch to support you through the process of
applying.
A – Z of opportunities
Action for Blind People - is an expert national organisation ensuring blind and partially sighted
people get practical support in all aspects of their lives. Volunteers are needed to help increase
awareness amongst Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities of eye care services and how to
access them by attending community events, health fairs and signposting to health services.
Age UK Notts - works with vulnerable adults in Nottinghamshire and looking to recruit volunteers for
their Advocacy service, which supports people who may suffer from mental health issues, learning
disabilities, sensory impairment, or physical disabilities. Volunteers provide advocacy support and
empower individuals who need information, advice and signposting to other services.
Alzheimer’s Society - Alzheimer's Society is the UK's leading support and research charity for people
with dementia, their families and carers. Volunteers can be involved in various roles, which include
befriending a person living with dementia, fundraising, telephone support and other activities which
support people living with dementia and their carers.
Arkwright Meadows Community Garden - officially began opening to the public and selling
organically grown fruit and veg. The aims of Arkwright Meadows Community Gardens are at the
HEART of the Meadows. Volunteers can be involved in community events and gardening, planting,
construction, preparation of fruit and veg in the growing season.
Belong Nottingham - Belong is a community development charity who support minority groups to
integrate with life in Britain at all levels. They act as information givers, advocates, trainers and
advisers, according to their individual needs. Volunteers support migrants looking for work,
especially with ESOL support.
British Heart Foundation - The British Heart Foundation is working towards a vision where we have
a world where people no longer die prematurely from Heart Disease. Volunteers are needed to
support the Nottingham City Centre charity shop in the areas of sales, customer service and
warehouse duties.
Broxtowe Mediation Service - Broxtowe Borough Mediation Service is a community mediation
service providing residents with an alternative way to deal with conflict with their neighbours.
Volunteers are needed to prepare, attend and facilitate mediation meetings between, or on behalf
of, neighbours until a conclusion is reached and then report to the coordinator/mediation supervisor
on the progress of cases and complete the necessary paperwork.
Carers Federation - The Carers Federation provides support for adults, children and young people
affected by a family member’s illness, disability, mental health issue, or substance misuse.
Volunteers will provide a range of practical and emotional support to enable carers, aged 15-18, to
engage with new opportunities and activities such as life-skills programmes and one-to-one
mentoring.
Caudwell Children - provide family support services, equipment, treatment and therapies for
disabled children and their families across the UK. Volunteers are needed to visit families who care
for a disabled child across Nottingham who are in need of family support.
CHICKS – Respite break volunteer role - As a Respite Break Volunteer for CHICKS you will be a
positive adult role model who will interact with the children and allow them to develop and
experience new challenges. To be a Respite Break Volunteer you will be required to join a team
from Monday through to Friday on a residential week supporting up to 16 disadvantaged children.
ChildLine - If you are a good listener, non-judgmental and have 4.5 hours a week to spare go along
to an open evening to hear more about ChildLine volunteering. ChildLine aim to answer every
contact made and to offer comfort, advice and protection and they urgently need more volunteers
in Nottingham to make that happen.
Citizens Advice Witness Service - Witness Service volunteers are court-based and offer free,
confidential, emotional and practical support to people attending court as a witness, by helping
them become familiar with the court before trial, offering support on the day of the trial, giving
information about court procedures and arranging further help after court if required.
Cycle Live Nottingham - Cycle Live Nottingham is the largest mass participation bike ride in the
Midlands and as such requires a huge number of people to make it happen. Because of this there are
a number of volunteer opportunities available at the event.
Derbyshire Districts Citizens Advice Bureau - is a generalist advice service. Using the CAB’s unique
information system we can give you free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and
information on a wide range of areas.
Dream Enterprise - is a creative 'Community Interest Company', a Social Enterprise which enables
young people (ages 5 – 25yrs) to grow in confidence, raise their hopes and aspirations, release their
talents in a positive way, gain new skills & develop in a supportive environment, become positive
leaders in their communities.
Emmanuel House - is a drop-in provision for people who are homeless or vulnerable. People come
for shelter, warmth, food, advice and acceptance. During the summer period volunteers are needed
to support activities in the centre, kitchen and charity shop.
Girlguiding UK - is the leading charity for girls and young women in the UK. Thanks to the dedication
and support of 100,000 amazing volunteers, they give girls and young women a space where they
can be themselves, have fun, build brilliant friendships, gain valuable life skills and make a positive
difference to their lives and their communities. Alongside regular unit leaders, Girlguiding UK are
also looking at the possibility of opening a ‘Holiday Rainbow’ unit in the summer holidays, and so will
be looking for volunteers willing to help with this.
Go Digit All - is an organisation which delivers services in deprived communities to engage
individuals in the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), to reduce the digital
divide. Volunteer roles include technical support, web design, administration and management,
fundraising and teaching support.
Guide Dogs - are recruiting volunteers in the Nottingham area! Do you want to make a difference in
your community? By being part of the My Guide team, volunteers are trained to guide people with
sight loss to help them get out of their homes and back into the community. The benefits of this
scheme to the visually impaired person are huge in terms of building confidence and independence.
If you can give a little time and make a difference, we would love to hear from you!
Headway Nottingham - The Headway charity's objective is to promote understanding of all aspects
of brain injury and to provide information, support and services to people with brain injury, their
families and carers in the city of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Volunteers are needed to
support staff in a variety of workshops that are run by the centre and also on trips out into the local
community.
Hope Church - Hope aims for children, families and young people to improve their quality of life in
communities in socially deprived areas of Nottingham. They offer a range of activities including a
parent and toddler group, after school clubs in both areas for varying age groups for children
between 5 and 18. Volunteers can help in supporting computer clubs, social, sporting, craft,
adventurous play, games and other activities in safe surroundings.
Improving Lives - provide free support and information for the most vulnerable adults across the city
of Nottingham. The majority of their service users have mental health issues, often undiagnosed and
come to their attention either due to repeated calls to emergency services or antisocial behaviour.
They provide person-centred support that focuses on what the person wants to change about their
life. They do things like make and attend appointments and support the person to look at issues such
as health, housing and debt.
Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance - is a rapid response emergency helicopter
covering the entire counties of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. To ensure that the air ambulance
can continue saving many lives each year they need to raise £1.8million annually. They rely heavily
on volunteer support to do this and there is a wide variety of roles to fit around your lifestyle.
Macular Society - is a national charity which supports people with macular conditions or central
vision field loss conditions. The society funds research into macular conditions and uses a network of
volunteers to deliver support services to people with the condition. Volunteers can help improve the
skills of those with macular conditions, raise awareness, and befriend their service users.
Maggie’s Nottingham - provide emotional, practical and social support to people with cancer and
their families and friends. All of their services are free and you don’t need an appointment or a
referral - you can just pop in for a cup of tea. Over the summer they have a number of different
fundraising events taking place that you can be involved in ranging from skydiving, tea evenings and
theatre performances to bike rides, summer fayres and golf days.
Malt Cross Trust - is a charity based in the centre of Nottingham, which works with young people in
the arts and music. They also run Street Pastors and Safe Space, which helps to look after people in
the city at night. Volunteers are needed for various roles including media and communications,
business and individual fundraising projects, events and heritage activities.
My Sight Nottinghamshire - promote greater independence for visually impaired people of all ages
from providing support, advice, information to adapted leisure activities. By volunteering at My Sight
Nottinghamshire you can assist local visually impaired people to realise their true potential.
New Art Exchange - is a contemporary arts space dedicated to culturally diverse, contemporary
visual arts. NAE presents a varied programme of art exhibitions, creative activities for families and
young people, film screenings, symposiums, lectures, festivals and live performances. The space
houses three gallery spaces exhibiting work by emerging local artists, as well as work by world
renowned British and international artists. Volunteers are asked to commit to a season volunteering
with NAE, this will typically last three-to-four months. Volunteer roles include Gallery Invigilation,
Family Friendly Event Support and generally assisting during events (ushering, ticketing and room
set-up).
Nottingham Alternative Film Network - are a not-for-profit organisation committed to increasing
the variety of films available in Nottingham. They offer students insights into the international film
festival circuit, and give them opportunities to engage local communities. That means they are
always seeking new people who are passionate about delivering or advertising live events in
innovative and daring ways.
Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum - Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum, or NNRF,
is an independent, voluntary organisation set up to help and support asylum seekers and refugees in
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. They are looking for General Advice and Youth Project Volunteers
to support their service users over the summer period.
Nottingham City Libraries – Summer Reading Challenge
Recruitment for 2016 volunteers will start soon.
Each summer at your local City library, volunteers are recruited to help with the Summer
Reading Challenge, a national library scheme which encourages children to read 6 books
over the summer holidays, with incentives as they go. Volunteers are needed to support
their reading.
Nottingham City Museums and Galleries - sets out to inspire and challenge the way people
experience, explore and develop their ideas about the diversity of the world through the creative
use of museum collections and cultural resources. Volunteers are needed to support various events
and exhibitions taking place at various Nottingham City Museums and Galleries.
Nottingham Credit Union - is a cooperative that provides fair and affordable financial services to
anyone who lives or works within Nottinghamshire. There is a summer project taking place that
requires the support from two helpful volunteers. They would support in researching the Credit
Union database to find all of the loan customers who are unable to pay back their amount.
Nottingham Health and Education Support (NHES) – Summer School - aims to see young people
and their families overcoming severe educational, health, language and economic barriers to achieve
their true potential. They need volunteers to help out with the activities on Saturday Mornings to
motivate, support and teach children.
Nottingham Hoods Basketball Club - is a not for profit organisation that provides a safe and secure
basketball activity for both girls and boys from the ages of 5 years old and upwards and for all
abilities. Sports Leaders and Junior Coaches support the Head Coach and the age group leaders in
the teaching, demonstrating and coaching of children from the age of 5 to 18 years of age both girls
and boys of all abilities and to support the head coach with the Under 18 and Senior men's coaching
sessions.
Nottingham News Centre CIC - is a social enterprise, which supports the community through
services in community Journalism, Copy Writing, Publishing and Training. They are seeking students
with a desire to gain work experience (mainly online) in: Community journalism, marketing and
adverting through social media, sales and graphic design. This summer they are in particular need of
journalists to work on the Nottingham Carnival Heritage (HLF) project until the end of the summer.
Nottingham University Hospitals - provide services to over 2.5 million residents of Nottingham and
its surrounding communities. We also provide specialist services for a further three to four million
people from across the region. The voluntary services department are focusing on recruitment for
Generic ward volunteers (mealtime assistants) as well as a variety of other roles that exist on the
Queens Medical Centre and City sites.
Nottinghamshire Country Parks and Green Estates Services - Comprising of Country Parks such as
Sherwood Forest and Bestwood this project offer a range of events and activities to involve the
whole community in quality experiences of an environmental nature, including 'hands on'
conservation work. You will be involved in a range of activities which usually revolve around the
management of varied wildlife habitats and may also include maintenance and tidying of the park.
Nottinghamshire Rape Crisis Centre - Nottinghamshire Rape Crisis was established 30 years ago and
provides a specialist service to support survivors of sexual assault, whether this is recent or historic.
They provide a telephone helpline, counselling, group work and independent sexual violence advice.
Volunteers work on Helplines providing support, advice and information to survivors of sexual
violence.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust - Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is the country's leading wildlife
conservation charity working to protect and enhance local wildlife and habitats, managing over 70
nature reserves. Volunteers can get involved in various wildlife and conservation projects running
within Nottingham.
Nottinghamshire YMCA – The OnSide Project - are passionate about youth development, healthy
living and social responsibility and are looking for volunteers who are too. Over summer they are
particularly interested in recruiting volunteers for their OnSide project. OnSide offers disability
sports sessions for 10 - 25 year olds in Nottingham, enabling young disabled people to access
mainstream sport, leisure and physical activity across Nottingham City.
Notts Housing Advice - is committed to providing a free, independent, confidential and accessible
high quality advice and advocacy service to meet the needs of the homeless and poorly housed
people within Nottinghamshire’s diverse communities. They operate from a base in Nottingham City
centre and have opportunities for Advice Volunteers, Admin Volunteers, Receptionist Volunteers
and Trustees.
NTU Cultural Heritage & Identity Project - We are looking for a Research Assistant interested in
cultural heritage and identity. The principal purpose of the Research Assistant role will be to
contribute to a research project which aims at identifying and opening a debate about cultural
heritage as material culture, as symbol of local identity.
NYAS - is a children’s charity and finds a befriender for children in care who don’t have regular or
any family contact. Their voluntary role, Independent visitors are asked to commit a few hours a
month for a minimum of 2 years to engage in an activity with their matched young person and to
help them gain confidence, self-esteem and to give them a friend just for them- independent of the
local authority.
Practical Conservation Volunteers - The Practical Conservation Volunteers undertakes a range of
activities on our practical conservation task days. Activities depend on the season and habitat: These
include woodlands, waterways and wetlands, footpaths, hedge laying, dry stone walling, fencing,
trees and aftercare, habitat creation and the control of invasive species. As well as our conservation
days we also run conservation holidays.
Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) - is a charitable trust which provides support, information,
advice and guidance to friends and families of prisoners. They provide meet and greet services,
telephone support and visits bookings together with provision of refreshments in the visits hall
during visits. Opportunities for students to create their own projects which support families are also
available.
Radford Care Group - Radford Care Group is a local charity that has been providing innovative and
invaluable support services to older people since 1968, working in partnership with a number of
public and private sector bodies, often as agents to deliver funded projects. Volunteers are needed
to help out in the Friendship Group and in Day Care (for older people with mental health issues or
physical disabilities) or could create and run their own activities as a one-off session or regular
activity.
Rainbow Parents Carers Forum - Rainbow PCF is a support group and independent voice for
parents/carers who have a child with a disability or additional needs in Nottinghamshire. They run
sessions on 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month which is informative for parents/carers and a play
setting for their child(ren). This summer they would like to have one or two volunteers that can help
with marketing, social media and policies and also helping to set up monitoring systems for their 5
year Big Lottery Fund Grant!
Reach UK - previously the Southwell Care Project Support adults with learning difficulties. This
summer they are running a ‘WIIC SIIC’ group of volunteers; (‘Will if I can/Say if I can’t’) helping with a
variety of events this summer. They would love some more students to be involved!
Rethink-Combat Stress Helpline - The helpline operates in conjunction with Rethink, the leading
national mental health charity, to provide a specialist mental health helpline for veterans of the
armed forces, those serving, and their families and carers. Volunteers will assist with calls made to
the Combat Stress helpline, via telephone, email or text messaging, and become familiar with call
handling procedures and signposting to other services.
Safer Living Foundation - aims are to protect society from sexual crime, prevent further victims of
sexual abuse and rehabilitate perpetrators of sexual crime. As part of these objectives, Safer Living
Foundation runs Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) for elderly (55+) and intellectually
disabled offenders. Volunteers meet on a regular basis both as a group and as individuals with a high
risk sex offender to assist in reintegrating the offender back into society while acting as a support
network and safety mechanism for the offender and the community at large.
SCOPE - Scope is a leading disability charity working with disabled people and their families at every
stage of their lives. From offering day to day support and information, to challenging assumptions
about disability and influencing decision makers - creating real and lasting change. Volunteers are
needed to help with the day service, community-based support, respite breaks and residential
services.
Small Charity Week 2016 - Small Charity Week is an annual week of initiatives to support small
charities all over the UK. You can set up your own fundraising event or take on one of many of the
other voluntary roles that are available during the week.
SOVA - Sova works across England and Wales to help people steer clear of crime. We do this by
making sure that when people find themselves in difficult situations they have someone on their
side to help them make better choices so they can stay out of trouble and build better lives.
Volunteers are needed to mentor young people, aged 8 to 18, helping them to engage in positive
activities, reduce their antisocial behaviour, increase school attendance and develop more
confidence and self-esteem.
Sneinton Festival 2016 - Sneinton Festival is a magical community celebration. A month packed with
inspiring workshops and events including musical performances from local bands, dancing, team
sports and circus skills, exotic foods and cake contests, art activities, face painting, story-telling and
games for all the family! Not fogetting the children's carnival parade on the main day! - SATURDAY
30th JULY 2016 St Anns Allotment - The St Anns Allotments, Nottingham, is a very special and unique allotment site.
It is the oldest and largest area of Victorian detached town gardens in the world and has recently
been listed with a Grade 2* by English Heritage. The site covers 75 acres and sits in the heart of the
one of the most deprived inner-city communities in the country. You can get involved in their urban
nature project, helping conserve local wildlife.
St Anns and Sneinton Foodstore - is an independent food bank which opened in December 2012.
The Food Store provides people, who have no income, with a parcel of nutritious food and currently
providing food parcels each week for families with young children, pensioners, disabled persons as
well as those who are homeless or in a period of transition in their life. Volunteers get involved in
the everyday running of the food store from taking donations, stocking shelves and creating
packages to give to the community.
Stonebridge City Farm - is a city farm for the local community, but also works with adults with
learning difficulties and other special needs and vulnerable people within the community. The aim is
to involve people with varying abilities in the day to day work of the farm. Volunteers can get
involved in various opportunities ranging from animal care, planting and outdoor activities through
to supporting activities with visitors and other business related areas within the organisation.
Tasty Tuesdays - is a weekly community meal, free to all, currently served at Thomas Helwys Baptist
Church, Lenton, every Tuesday at 6pm. A hot, hearty, meal in a relaxed, friendly, environment. All
welcome, no matter where you live or what your financial status is. Just turn up. Entirely cooked and
served by members of the community.
Tennis in Nottingham - want to get more people playing tennis, more often in Nottingham especially
people who may not have had the opportunity to play tennis before. We are hitting the streets with
our portable tennis equipment playing tennis in community centres, parks, on games areas and even
the odd car park! We need a small army of volunteers to help us run our sessions and spread the
word about the tennis opportunities in Nottingham.
The Galleries of Justice - is an independent museum that charts the history of crime and
punishment, and is now the owner of HM Prison Service Museum collection. The Galleries of Justice
provides a valuable service to the community through its dedicated educational activities and
programmes to schools and young people. The museum also has a library and archive that houses
collections on the history of crime, law, police, prisons and probation. Volunteers are needed for
events, retail and the museum store.
The National Trust Belton House - Belton House (National Trust) has an exciting new opportunity for
volunteering this summer. As a popular National Trust visitor destination we need help to provide
our visitors with the best possible experience, especially within the cafes and family activity centre.
Learning Assistants and Café Assistants are needed for this fantastic National Trust Location.
The National Trust - Calke Abbey - The Abbey is a National Trust Treasure. Based in a beautiful area
of Derbyshire you can volunteer there during the summer helping families get in touch with nature
and enjoy the gardens. The roles also extend to conservation work and looking and surveying the
land where the abbey is based. They run internship roles for interested students, a great way to
spend your summer. They are currently advertising some summer specific roles. During the school
summer holidays we are opening the “Garden of Imagination” in our large kitchen garden. It will
enable families to explore the grass labyrinth, discover a mini world of beasties and create some
natural art.
The National Trust Southwell Workhouse - The National Trust is the largest Conservation charity in
Europe and looks after a wide range of buildings, parks and gardens and landscapes. The Workhouse
is the first of it’s kind, and tells the story of poverty and welfare from 1824 to present day.
Volunteering opportunities range from the garden to Conservation, Room Guiding to Reception.
The National Videogame Arcade - There are Rolling positions throughout the summer period likely
to be available at the weekends until July 2016. Over the Nottingham City holidays the NVA will be
open every day allowing for more flexibility in volunteering. A day on the NVA galleries is fast paced
and changeable, and involves lots of public facing work. You will start the day meeting the ticket
desk team to prep opening and work directly with the NVA Crew. You will be based in the busy
galleries during opening hours, so most importantly this role also includes facilitating play with a
family audience. This role may also include supporting special events, such as corporate training,
private hires and birthday parties.
The Send Project - aims to provide enjoyable and engaging sessions to young people enabling them
to develop transferable skills, whilst exploring their creativity. This is an exciting opportunity for you
if you're interested in gaining, using or refreshing your experience of supporting young people.
Victim Support - is a national charity which helps victims of crime by providing free, confidential
support and information following crimes ranging from burglary and assault to rape and murder.
Although most victims don't suffer long term harm, both adults and children can be seriously
affected and often need help in order to recover. Volunteers support victims of crime and their
families over the telephone and in person through the visiting service.
Voluntary Arts England - There are a variety of huge arts events that happen throughout
Nottinghamshire and nationally that students can get involved in this summer. From ceramic fairs at
Rufford Abbey to Knitting at the Framework Knitters Museum in Ruddington. You can volunteer and
support these fantastic events.
Volunteering Matters Heritage Camps - Aged 18-25? Want to gain leadership skills, improve your CV
and have fun while making a difference this summer? We have some fantastic opportunities to
become volunteer leaders and help in the running of our Summer Heritage Camps for 16-25 year
olds. Heritage Camps Volunteers come from all round Europe and the UK helping to preserve
Britain’s beautiful historic buildings.
Women’s Aid Integrated Services - WAIS offers a free, confidential, holistic service to women and
their children experiencing or escaping domestic abuse in Nottingham and the region. WAIS work in
partnership with the statutory, voluntary and community sectors to tackle domestic abuse and
reduce its effects.
YHA (Youth Hostels Association) - Do you have experience of supporting young people or know
someone who does? YHA run residential camps during the summer holidays offering exciting
outdoor activities for young people aged 10-19. We are looking for 100 volunteers to support the
pastoral care of the young people at camp. This is a very special volunteering opportunity to make a
huge difference to the life of a young person as you encourage them to make the most of the
activities on offer and their time away from home.