We are looking for enthusiastic and committed people from all backgrounds from across South Ayrshire. While qualifications and experience are good to have, what’s more important to us is to have a ‘can do’ attitude and are committed to providing compassionate and informative services to people who have been affected by crime. You could be a student or recent graduate who is keen to build their CV; or you could be a mid-career professional who is looking to take their life in a different direction. We are open to applications from people from all walks of life. Victims of crime often feel a range of emotions such as anxiety, confusion and anger, while witnesses may feel confused, anxious and overwhelmed by the court system. As a support volunteer, you will provide help and support in both local communities and within the court environment, ensuring people receive the high-quality support and care they need to move forward after crime. As a support volunteer, you will make personal contact with people affected by crime, providing them with support at a time when they need it most. You will: • Discuss service users’ needs by telephone, face-to-face visits or other means, agreeing next steps at the end of each contact • Help witnesses feel more confident at court by arranging and conducting court familiarisation visits • Support service users in the court room and other appropriate locations on the day of a trial, liaising with court officials on behalf of service users • Give feedback and agree follow-up actions with staff members • Provide administrative support in completing service users’ journeys Benefits to volunteering with VSS As a support volunteer you will gain many benefits, such as: • Supporting people when they most need it, helping them to recover from what can be a very distressing time in their life and empowering them to move forward • Learning new skills and gaining experience of working within the criminal justice sector • Gaining access to a range of training courses that are relevant to your volunteering role • Positively affecting your community as a member of a team actively working to reduce the impact of crime

Could you support unpaid carers or people with disabilities to access benefits? Could you help someone find local services? Could you help someone understand the information they have been given about their care and support? Could you support or lead a group of people on a topic of interest? You could help improve the quality of someone’s life. This role is ideal for social work students, an interest in the care sector or retired professionals. Support Session Volunteers help our clients with general advocacy, supporting people with a variety of challenges. This helps us to reduce waitlists and support more individuals by: • Helping clients understand about advocacy • Supporting clients to self-advocate with our tool kits • Signposting clients to other services where required • Supporting the service to deliver “collective” advocacy sessions • Light Touch Advocacy • Supporting advocates with casework • Promotion of services and the organisation • Logging activity onto our systems Volunteer, Ben’s priorities changed after a serious illness. “I wanted to give something back. It’s really rewarding as you get to use your knowledge and skills for a really good purpose.” You’ll develop skills in communication and confidentiality, add experience and knowledge to your CV, and know you’re making a genuine difference to people’s lives.

For those affected by a terminal illness, it can be hard to get support and they might feel lonely. By volunteering as a Check in and Chat volunteer, you'll be matched with an individual who needs emotional support and a chance to chat freely about how they're feeling.

Food Train is a registered charity, voluntary organisation and social enterprise. Since 1995 Food Train has been making daily life easier for older people, providing vital services to those who are no longer able to manage independently. Our aim is to support older people to live independently at home. Our preventative services address the difficulty older people face getting their weekly grocery shopping, doing jobs around the house and the growing isolation that comes with failing health. We also aim to provide a wide range of supported volunteering opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. Would you like to volunteer to help older people in your local community? We are looking for folk to volunteer to carry out and deliver a grocery shop for an older person on a regular basis.