Volunteering

Please let the webmaster know of any volunteering opportunities you hear about. Programme planners, Activity ideas lists and Session planners relating to the Volunteering section may be downloaded from the DofE website.

Barnardo's

Barnardo’s have some opportunities for volunteering in Abingdon and Witney.

They are specifically looking for people who can help in their After School Clubs which operate between 3pm and 6pm during the week. They need people who are enthusiastic, fun, communicative, lots of energy, skills in music, outdoor activities, sports, arts and crafts etc.

Please contact Wendy Foster on 07834 774809 or wendy.foster@barnardos.org.uk for further information.

Blue Cross

Blue Cross is a national pet charity, and couldn’t help so many sick, injured and homeless pets without the amazing support of volunteers. They have a large variety of volunteer roles in many areas and can offer valuable experience whilst making a positive difference to the lives of sick and unwanted pets.

If you would like to help Blue Cross in order to fulfil your Volunteering section, please contact the local Blue Cross administrator:

Heather Kallinga, Volunteer Administrator

Blue Cross, Shilton Road, Burford, Oxon OX18 4PF

Tel. 0300 777 1980

The Boys’ Brigade & Girls’ Association – Vale and South

The Boys' Brigade and Girls' Association currently operate in the South Oxfordshire and West Oxfordshire areas and are able to offer volunteering opportunities for Bronze, Silver and Gold participants. If undertaking Silver or Gold they will provide some training and at Gold level this will include mandatory safeguarding for all over 18s.

Locations:

Tuesday – Cholsey

Wednesday – Wallingford town centre

Thursday – Great Western Park and Witney

Friday - Didcot

For further information please contact Nev Keating, Development Officer Vale & South Oxon, The Boys’ Brigade and Girls’ Association

WallingfordBB@gmail.com 01491 652602 & 07851 206344

Fairtrade at St Michaels Oxford

Fairtrade at St Michaels fair trade shop in Oxford is looking for regular volunteers to help in the shop, serving customers, pricing up goods, or sorting and cleaning the lovely goods in stock. DofE students find it a really worthwhile and enjoyable activity:

"Volunteering at the Fairtrade shop has been the most rewarding part of my Duke of Edinburgh Award to complete. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming that I never felt out of my depth or lost, even when learning new skills and working hard. It's a great way to gain some experience in retail as well as raising your awareness about the importance of Fairtrade for international communities. Since beginning my volunteering here I have become much more confident in myself and my abilities. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone who wants to learn new skills, build in confidence and make a difference to people all across the world."

Enquire at Fairtrade at St Michaels, Cornmarket St, OX1 3EY, or on 01865 72250, or via info@fairtradeatstmichaels.co.uk

The Gatehouse

The Gatehouse is a local drop in cafe for the homeless and vulnerably housed people of Oxford over the age of 25. They are based in central Oxford and open Monday to Friday 5-7pm and Sundays 4-6pm.

As a charity, they rely heavily on volunteer teams to able to run and operate the service and a large portion of their volunteers are students. The only requirement is that you have to be over 18 to volunteer with The Gatehouse.

Contact Zoe Wright, zoe@oxfordgatehouse.org for further information.

The Gatehouse

www.oxfordgatehouse.org

St Giles Parish Rooms, 10 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HT

Mon-Fri 5.00-7.00pm

Closed Saturdays

Sun 4.00-6.00pm

Goring Heath Scout and Guide Group

The Goring Heath Scout & Guide Group is looking for Volunteer Leaders to support their Brownies, Guides, Beavers Cubs and Scouts.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer as part of your DofE volunteering section, please contact Ken Groom (tel. 01491 680873, mobile 07950 082856, ken.groom@tiscali.co.uk) for further information.

John Masefield House

John Masefield House is a Valorum Care Home for people with mild to profound, learning and physical disabilities.

It would like to invite more DofE participants to help them look after their residents. The following is a summary of the things that current DofE participants at John Masefield House do:

• Spend one-to-one time with residents; befriending, chatting and assisting. Residents get to express themselves through this.

• Assist with epic Scrabble games and others, as well as with art projects.

• They also spend time with the Volunteer Coordinator learning about aspects of social care, through group discussions and various jobs that are allocated to them, such as assisting with the afternoon tea break. (More complicated than it sounds!)

Participants enjoy getting to know the residents, and are proud to be doing something for their community - in short, they find it very rewarding. Their skills at handling interactions with others evolve, and their understanding of what social care is and isn’t changes and grows.

The residents really look forward to them coming, and during the visits the residents benefit greatly by having a link to the local community and gain more of a sense of inclusivity.

For further information, contact Katy Watson, Volunteer Coordinator, at the contact details below.

Valorum Care, John Masefield House, Burcot Brook, Burcot, Abingdon OX14 3DP

Telephone: 01865 340324

E-mail: Katy.Watson@valorumcare.co.uk

Oxford Hub

Oxford Hub is the centre for social action and practical volunteering in Oxford. We believe that when people are supported to tackle social challenges, learn about issues and connect with each other, both communities and volunteers benefit. We are looking for volunteers (18+) to get involved with our volunteering projects which take place across Oxford. We have a huge variety of projects, including providing activities in care homes and the John Radcliffe Hospital, supporting disadvantaged children, sports volunteering, working with the homeless, gardening, community conservation and working as an English teacher.

Visit our website www.oxfordhub.org or email hello@oxfordhub.org for more information!

Oxfordshire County Council Adult Social Care

Oxfordshire County Council are working with a variety of care providers ranging from care homes to support for young adults to mental health support to offer volunteering opportunities. Volunteering in a care setting is a really rewarding experience as you know that the work you are doing is truly helping the people you are supporting, even if you are just sitting down to have a chat and a cup of tea!

Things you might be doing whilst volunteering include getting a real insight into what it’s like to provide hands on care, arranging fun and exciting activities for care home residents, accompanying other members of staff on home visits, seeing what it’s like to work in the finance team and other support services, and plenty more.

Contact evie.bennett@oxfordshire.gov.uk for more information and for help and support in finding a volunteering placement in a care setting.

parkrun

parkruns are free, weekly physical activity events (a 5km walk or run) that take place at 9am every Saturday in thousands of green spaces around the world (and 2km at 9am on Sundays for juniors). There are several parkrun events across the county but Oxford's first city centre parkrun event started in February 2022 in University Parks: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/universityparks/

The events are run entirely by volunteers and are popular with young people taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Many continue to volunteer with their local parkrun after they have completed their Award! parkrun UK has strong links with the Award as an organisation; the documents linked below are produced by parkrun to guide participants and event teams through the volunteer process.

For more information, contact Amy Rose O'Hanlon, Event Support Ambassador, parkrun UK:  amyrose.ohanlon@parkrun.com or universityparks@parkrun.com 

• parkrun Volunteering for DofE: Frequently Asked Questions

• parkrun Volunteering for DofE: Example Programmes

South Oxford Adventure Playground (SOAP)

South Oxford Adventure Playground (SOAP) is a popular space for children aged 7-12 years, and we aim to create a rewarding and challenging experience in a fun and safe environment for all children, including those disadvantaged and who experience limited opportunity. Our play workers run activities and provide an unobtrusive guide to free play. Your role will include helping children from different backgrounds and with different abilities to fully participate in activities, and make new friends. Activities range from big outdoor art activities and scrap modelling, to climbing, to the annual summer SOAP Olympics, to football matches and square ball, to outdoor cooking and fire making. SOAP is open through Easter, half-term and summer holidays, as well as after school (if we have funding).

You will learn valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, building relationships, as well as display a commitment and passion for helping children access activities and opportunities they might not normally experience.

This is not just a fantastic opportunity to enhance your CV and learn new skills, but offers you the chance to make new friends, be outside and be creative!

For more information contact: Megan Douthwaite on 01865 251419, or e-mail soap@soapoxford.org.uk

Volunteering with Oxfordshire Libraries

Oxfordshire County Council has a page with information about becoming a volunteer with Oxfordshire libraries.

Wootton and Dry Sandford Youth Club

A team of volunteers help run the Wootton and Dry Sandford youth club, on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9, during term time.

They are looking for more volunteers to help and would be interested in meeting any DofE participants who are looking to complete their Volunteering section. The youth club is for 11 to 16 year olds, so this opportunity is best suited to Gold Award participants, or anyone over 16.

If you are interested in helping, please contact Kerrie Stevens on 07903 701748, e-mail kezmoan@hotmail.com.

Yellow Submarine

Yellow Submarine is a charity which supports children and adults with learning disabilities and autism. Volunteers are crucial to our work and we are always keen to welcome new volunteers into our organisation. We ask that our volunteers are 16 and above.

We run a youth club from 5:30-8:30pm in Abingdon at the Family and Children Centre on Stratton Way on Mondays during term time. We also have youth clubs in Witney (Tuesday), Didcot (Wednesday) and Oxford (Thursday), all 5:30-8:30pm.

If anyone is interested they can contact our volunteer manager Miriam at miriam@yellowsubmarine.org.uk or they can ring up on 01865 236119.