Cairngorms RDA is a local charity that was approved as a member group of National RDA in September 2012 at Newtonmore, now based at Kingussie to allow local adults and children with disabilities or learning difficulties to have access to horses and ponies as a means of therapy, achievment and enjoyment. Cairngorms RDA is a relatively new group and welcome any support from willing volunteers, whether it is working with the horses or helping with fundraising there is a volunteering opportunity there for you.

Help build up the pace in Scotland by sharing badges and displaying posters across your local area; playing your part in the future of Scottish medical research and taking on heart disease. The Heart of Scotland Appeal is a fundraising campaign to raise and spend money in Scotland on vital medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease. 41 people die every day in Scotland from cardiovascular disease and the death rate from coronary heart disease is almost 50% higher than for the South East of England. This isn’t fair and we want to change this. You'll be given posters for you to display in your local shops, community centres, libraries, supermarkets, pharmacies and doctors’ surgeries to help reach as many people as possible. The Heart of Scotland Appeal is backed by internationally acclaimed Scottish fashion designer, Christopher Kane, who's designed 4 unique badges. You can be sent a box of badges to sell to friends, family and colleagues for donations, as well as asking local shops if they will have a box of badges on their counter (that the organisation can then send out to them). Let’s get everyone wearing a Heart of Scotland badge.

Are you excited about saving nature and making a difference for future generations? Nature is struggling, but if we pull together we can make a real difference. Every year our fantastic pin badge volunteers help to raise valuable funds which allow us to manage a variety of projects in East Scotland. Through our iconic pin badges we have raised over £6 million since 1997. We have volunteers placing pin badges in pubs, garden centres, and tourist attractions. Are you a good coordinator who likes to get out in the local community? We are urgently looking for enthusiastic, organised individuals, with good communications skills and knowledge of Dundee to become Pin Badge Minders. Can you spare around 6-10 hours per month? Visit and manage 5- 10 pin badge boxes. Regularly bank the money from the pin badge boxes. Use a simple online system to record your activities. If you would be interested in this rewarding role, where you will be making a difference in East Scotland then we would love to hear from you. After all, if there is no home for nature, there will be no nature. Help us give nature a home.

In this exciting role you will assist with organising and running fundraising events in your local area. You will have the opportunity to get your thinking cap on and share fundraising ideas in meetings with other volunteers and then put those ideas into action. As well as assisting with the running of events, we encourage you to share your passion for cat welfare and promote our work to the public at the event.

We are looking for enthusiastic, friendly volunteers to help coordinate collections in and around Edinburgh City Centre. You'll be joining a team that covers every city, every town and every village in Scotland. A team that helps us pin up to five million poppies onto Scotland's coats, jackets and jumpers. We need Supermarket and local Area Organisers to grow the Appeal in your area.

>About Bud Bud is Poppyscotland’s brand new vehicle for exploration and learning, a truck that transforms into a mobile community space, comprising a mini poppy factory, micro-museum and with interactive learning opportunities. Bud is an interactive experience that encourages visitors to create their personal remembrance journey through exploring the exhibits. It is helping us keep remembrance relevant all year round. >About the opportunity: As a Bud Veteran Volunteer, you will support the delivery of the Bud project when Bud is in your area. This could see you supporting in one of the key tasks below: -Carrying out talks to groups (schools, girl guides, brownies, cubs, cadets etc.) members of the public and community organisations who are visiting Bud, or who you are visiting -Actively engage with small groups of visitors, answering questions about Bud and remembrance -Taking part in group discussions about the challenges – both positive and negative - faced by the Armed Forces community -To be flexible in the performance of the post and undertake duties requested by the Bud Team -Encourage people to complete the on-board evaluation at end of visit -Inform people of volunteering opportunities available through Bud project -Support the staff team in set up and take down at visits and events. Support staff in the delivery of activities with schools, groups and public visitors >Benefits for you: -Carrying out a range of interesting and rewarding duties -Having access to appropriate training for the role -You will have the opportunity to meet a wide range of new people -Building on your existing skills and developing new ones -Being part of a friendly, committed team -Attending local events A fantastic opportunity to help PoppyScotland and be part of the exciting Bud Project. All help makes a difference and is greatly appreciated. For more details please contact Sandra Comrie, Bud Volunteer Support Coordinator at E Mail: s.comrie@poppyscotland.org.uk or tel. 0141 338 6580.

Teapot Trust is a Scottish charity providing a UK wide programme of art therapy and creative interventions for chronically ill children in hospitals and hospices. We have a team of professional art therapists working across Scotland and London, including Royal Aberdeen’s Children's Hospital. We are currently looking for volunteers to raise awareness and help to increase our presence in Aberdeen. Teapot Trust want to recruit representatives to volunteer at local events such as tea parties, sponsored runs/walks and give talks about the work we do. Volunteers could also help run an arts and crafts table, manage collecting cans and sell merchandise. We always welcome new fundraising ideas and will provide support and training depending on the event. Depending on skill set we are looking for a volunteer to manage other volunteers on a local basis. Excellent support is provided to all volunteers. A member of staff from Teapot Trust will explain to new volunteers what is required for each role and give training for relevant areas. There will be a named member of staff volunteers can also contact if they require support or wish to discuss their volunteering role. Fantastic opportunities to assist and help the Teapot Trust make a real difference for children and young people in Aberdeen. All volunteer help is greatly appreciated. For further details please contact Kirsty Moore at E Mail: info@teapot-trust.org or Tel: 0131 273 4340.

Aberdeen in Recovery (AiR) was granted Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) charitable status in March this year. We are now looking to find talented, passionate and skilled people to fill some vacant seats on our Board of Trustees to help us grow and develop our innovative and solution focused new charity. This is a unique opportunity to help lay the foundations to ensure AiR has a long-term future as a charity with solid processes in place to ensure it meets its mission of: “To be a bridge from ‘dependence’ to ‘independence’ for the individual seeking to recover from problematic substance use and addictive behaviours”. This is such an exciting and invigorating prospect for individuals to get involved and be participant in the tsunami of change which is now gaining momentum and being driven by “Experts by Experience” and the vibrant Lived Experienced Communities which are blossoming, not only locally but are now established as a national phenomena. Since its conception, AiR and its members have worked tirelessly to establish and build collaborative relationships with professional services and third sector support agencies. We have consistently driven the message that individuals who have personal lived/living experience of active substance use, including Family members who have been affected by the addictive behaviours of a loved one, and the Recovery Communities they represent have something valid, essential and extremely beneficial to bring to described Recovery Orientated Systems of Care (ROSC). We can provide existing services and clinical structural systems with resources, skills and capabilities that they, no matter how much effort, time and money they invest, will never be able to offer or provide. So, it gives the greatest of pleasure to see this is now recognised on the highest levels that “Recoverists” can productively contribute to the design, development and delivery of truly person-centred ROSC. This being evidenced by the vision, philosophy and content of the Scottish Governments “Rights, Respect and Recovery” Drug and Alcohol Strategy. We also believe it is reaffirmed by the recent success in being granted funding from the Government’s National Development Fund, with our principle partner Alcohol and Drugs Action (ADA), for our ‘Recovery Peer Pathway’ joint two-year project. This collaborative venture will build on three years of pilot work to further establish and build proactive and productive Developmental Pathways within ADA and their Volunteer network while in synergy with AiR membership for individuals who desire to initiate change in their behaviours and outlook as they progress on their recovery journeys within, and imperatively out-with, statutory and formal support services. We believe that the blue sky thinking behind this project categorically and emphatically fits with the expectations, outcomes and concepts of the above Government policy. So, if you have lived experience, or a stakeholder interest, and a passion for recovery and are willing to give of yourself that another may learn, you will not find a better opportunity to indulge your appetite than from within Aberdeen in Recovery. For more information please contact Dermot Craig, Recovery Community Development Manager at E Mail: dermot@aberdeeninrecovery.org or tel.: 01224 638342 / Mobile: 07751 213108.

The sooner these donations are made available for the benefit of blind and partially sighted people the more efficient we can be in the delivery of our services. Did you know that £700,000 was raised from loose change last year? It costs £1 to produce a Braille, large print or audio catalogue to tell blind and partially sighted people about the latest products to make life easier, and £15 to pay for an in depth benefits check to ensure that blind or partially sighted people are receiving the help they are entitled to. The money you raise can help us provide these vital services.

An RSPB pin badge volunteer plays a vital role in raising funds within their local community, helping to give nature a home across the country. The role involves looking after an existing pin badge box site, or placing new ones, topping it up with badges, collecting and banking funds, as well as recording monies online and ordering replacement stock. For just a couple of hours each month, a little time makes a huge difference to the RSPB’s work. The role is flexible to suit the volunteer’s existing commitments and full training and support will be provided. Travel expenses can be reclaimed to ensure the volunteer is not out-of-pocket. It is an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to boost their skills and make a difference through volunteering, helping to save Scotland’s wildlife and habitats. For more details please contact Lynne Hayton at E Mail: lynne.hayton@rspb.org.uk or Tel No: 01224 624824.