• Location: The Linburn Centre, West Lothian • Team/Service: Wellbeing Service, Sight Scotland Veterans • Volunteer Manager: Senior Centre Officer • Type of role: ongoing role, all year round – no defined end date • Restrictions: you should be at least 18 years old to apply for this role Suggested Time Commitment: Ideally, you will be available to volunteer for at least one full day per week; however, we can be flexible in terms of times and days. Please note this role is only available on weekdays during normal office hours, Monday to Friday. Why do you need me? Creative? Love arts and crafts? Find it easy to share what you know with others? Always up for a friendly chat? If so, you could well be perfect for our arts and crafts volunteer role, helping our veterans develop their skills and creativity in our fully equipped, purpose-built art room. We are looking for a volunteer who can support veterans with their tasks and projects, so your hands-on artistic skills will be key. Equally, you should be someone who can strike up a friendly conversation with our veterans and support interaction between them. As a volunteer, you will meet inspiring people, gain valuable experiences, and help us to change the lives of those who have served their country. What’s included in the role? This is a perfect opportunity for a volunteer with a passion and skill for creating visual art: such as drawing, painting, crafts, and sculpture. You will be supporting and tutoring veterans who have visual impairments to help them express themselves and create art of their own. Why should I volunteer in this role? Volunteering at our veterans’ centre means you’ll be getting to know people who have served their country and lived fascinating lives. You’ll volunteer alongside our expert staff and our other incredible volunteers. As an art volunteer, you will become a valued member of the wider Linburn Centre team. All Sight Scotland Veterans volunteers can attend special events such as training sessions and are recognised for their contributions through our national ‘thank you’ programmes. We reimburse our volunteers’ out-of-pocket expenses; more information is available in our volunteer handbook. We are committed to good practice in volunteer engagement and are proud to be an Investing in Volunteers accredited organisation. Who will I be volunteering with? You’ll be volunteering alongside staff and other volunteers in The Linburn Centre’s art room. Our Senior Centre Officer will be your named key contact on our staff team, with responsibility for supporting you and overseeing your involvement as a volunteer. Do I need any previous experience for this role? Not necessarily, but experience in teaching or tutoring would be an advantage, particularly in art or related fields. It would also be helpful if you have experience with people who have visual or other sensory impairments. What’s most important is that you have effective communication skills, and are friendly, professional, and dependable. If you would like to get involved but have little or no previous experience, or if some of the tasks mentioned above might be challenging, please speak to us. Where possible we will aim to tailor the role to your needs. We’ll provide an induction and training for you (about Sight Scotland Veterans, its values, and your role) to get started, and we’ll help you to keep learning while you’re volunteering with us. You’ll also have free access to all the courses in our online e-learning system. Who can volunteer with Sight Scotland Veterans? It’s important to us that our volunteering opportunities are inclusive, and we want our volunteer team to include a diverse range of people and backgrounds. Anyone is welcome to apply, and when you do, we’ll get in touch to arrange an informal chat with you. This will help you understand a bit more about the role and see if it’s right for you. What if I need some extra help to volunteer? Most of our volunteer roles are flexible and can be tailored to meet your needs. Our volunteer managers will be happy to discuss any help that you might need to volunteer when you first meet up. This can include how we might adapt the role for you and what other support is available. Will you carry out any checks before I can start this role? For this role, we will carry out basic disclosure checks. We will help you with this and there is no fee to pay. If there’s any information that you’d like to share with us, you will have the opportunity to do this when completing your application/registration form. We also ask for two references.

Our veterans tell us that transport difficulties are one of the biggest barriers they face. Living with significant sight loss can make getting around a lot harder, as driving inevitably becomes impossible and public transport is often a lot more challenging to navigate alone. Difficulty in getting around can lead in turn to increased isolation, making it harder to take part in social activities or access support. We’re looking for safe and reliable volunteer drivers with their own cars to offer transport to our veterans over short distances. As a volunteer driver, you’ll help ensure that veterans with sight loss are able to take part in activities that provide social connections and support, and that they are able to access vital services. You will help us to improve the quality of life of people using our services and play a vital role in easing isolation.