WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET INVOLVED? THESE GOOD CAUSES NEED YOUR HELP NOW
Fancy joining the UK’s volunteer army and making a difference to your community? Here are 12 ways you can offer your time, whether you have an hour or a day a week to spare:
FareShare tackles food waste and hunger by redistributing surplus from retailers to charities, to turn into meals. They need volunteer warehouse assistants, drivers and customer service assistants to keep feeding more than 1.1 million people a year. fareshare.org.uk
Coram Beanstalk supports children to develop a lifelong love of reading by sending helpers into primary schools to provide support and encouragement to enjoy stories. beanstalkcharity.org.uk
Suited for Success aids unemployed people back into work, with donated interview clothes, CV support and coaching.Volunteers are needed to help sort and pick outfits, while those with an HR, recruitment or management background can provide mock interviews. suitedforsuccess.co.uk
●The Crisis Project launched at the start of the pandemic and asks people to write letters to the elderly and NHS workers, for a boost by post.You can pen a single note or send a series. thecrisisproject.com
Legs4Africa takes prosthetic limbs that would go to landfill, pictured above, and gives them a second life in Africa.They need volunteers to collect and transport donated limbs from hospitals, as well as dismantle them for shipping. legs4africa.org
Pets asTherapy needs animals with a great temperament and their owners to offer companionship in their community, subject to an assessment.You’ll visit everything from schools and care homes to hospitals and prisons. petsastherapy.org
Refugees At Home matches people with a spare room to share with asylum seekers and migrants needing a place to stay until they are legally able to claim housing help from the state, with Match of the Day host Gary
Lineker one of their previous hosts. refugeesathome.org
●The Good GriefTrust runs peer support groups and events for anyone bereaved, plus signposting to services that can help. thegoodgrieftrust.org
Age UK combats loneliness in later life with befriending volunteers.You can either chat over the phone from home or visit in person, even taking people out for theatre trips or hospital appointments. ageuk.org.uk
Project Linus needs crafty helpers to make comfort quilts and blankets for sick or traumatised babies, children and teenagers around the UK, to show them someone cares and gives them a physical item to cuddle. projectlinusuk.org.uk
BritishTrust for Ornithology relies on bird lovers of all ages to aid them with wildlife surveys and sightings, which can be done in your garden or local countryside. The results help scientists to inform policy makers and conservation organisations about the state of the bird population. bto.org
Grandmentors pairs people aged 50 and over with young care leavers, to help them navigate the transition to independent living and make their way into education, training or work. grandmentors