Do you love to drive? Do you want to help older people stay healthy and independent at home? YES! Then this is a great volunteering opportunity for you. Our trusted, reliable and friendly volunteers provide a vital weekly food shopping service which helps older people stay healthy and independent at home. Volunteer Drivers normally dedicate one day a week to Food Train with a minimum time commitment of between four and five hours starting around 9.30am and finishing around 14:30pm. On Mondays our Volunteer Drivers collect shopping lists from our customers. This involves going to customers’ homes accompanied by a Volunteer Helper, checking shopping lists are correct and clearly written and in some cases writing lists for customers. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays Volunteer Drivers deliver shopping around the Galashiels, Hawick and Selkirk areas accompanied by a Volunteer Helper. Shopping is collected from Tesco or Asda in Galashiels already boxed and is delivered in a dedicated Food Train van to each customers’ home where it is unpacked, checked and put away if required. We provide a van for deliveries and all equipment to support this activity. This social and active post will help keep you fit and active whilst providing an invaluable service to the local community.

As part of the RAF Association, our Connections Volunteers offer the vital connection and support our beneficiaries need. In this role, you will make a real difference by helping support a lonely individual via regular telephone calls. What’s in it for you The opportunity to help members of the RAF community to feel less isolated and lonely and the sense of achievement having done this. It can help enhance your communication and listening skills, be very rewarding and you will gain a new meaningful relationship. The Association offers an online training course which is also accredited, and you will receive a certificate of achievement. Volunteers can also sign up for further training to increase their effectiveness. A RAF or forces background is not essential, and we welcome applications from all areas of the community.

The Brae Youth Centre provides a space for groups in the local area to meet including Youth Clubs, Cadets, Toddlers and private hires. We are looking for committee members to help us continue to run the Centre. This opportunity needs a commitment to attend an Annual General Meeting once a year and continued communication with the rest of the committee every few months. We are currently working on more specific smaller roles to ensure that no one is taking on a big role . We would love to hear from you!

Gala Wheels provides affordable and accessible transport for the disadvantaged and/or rurally excluded sensory impaired and elderly residents of Central Borders. Volunteer drivers are available for any client subject to availability and make a big difference to some of our users who are lone pensioners with no family or friends to help them remain socially included. We have three vehicles - an accessible 11 seater minibus and two smaller 5-6 seater vehicles specially adapted for wheelchair use. We take groups and individuals from throughout Central Borders for outings, for shopping, lunch clubs, the theatre, swimming, rugby, riding for the disabled, visiting friends and family, hospital appointments, GP appointments or whatever they need. Volunteers can opt to drive the smaller 5/6 seater vehicles only, or all three vehicles including 11 seater minibus. You can drive as often as suits your circumstances.

This is an opportunity to work with other volunteers to run Social Clubs at various locations throughout Shetland with support and guidance. Duties include: chatting with older adults / booking entertainment such a music, talks, photography / Organising activities such as board games / Arranging day trips for example visiting a museum / taking a register / handling money / reporting any concerns about an elderly person / booking transport. Volunteers arrive early to set up and stay to finish up any activity.

As part of our role in making more children, more active, more often, we are seeking volunteers to help set up and run a variety of activities. Our activities mostly take place outside curriculum time but can sometimes take place during the school day. Groups usually consist of around 10-20 children. We will consider any activity that will help the children to be active and that they will enjoy- this could take the form of sport, walking, fun games, fitness activities or even gardening! For example, a volunteer may wish to run 6 weeks of after-school badminton or football at their local primary school for an hour a week. Or maybe they prefer to help out with playground games at lunchtime. We can also supply a volunteer to assist them.

Working on a croft which is developing a business to provide veg boxes for the local community. The opportunity offers the chance to gain experience and knowledge of organic vegetable production including preparing land, raising seedlings, potting on and harvest. Organic methods are used for soil fertility, pest and disease prevention and weed control. Minimal fossil fuel use is also important and hand tools and animals are used to clear land for production. Other croft work such as fencing, working with sheep, pigs, hens or selling produce to the local community is also available. Work is varied but can be physically demanding and sometimes take place in wet, windy or cold weather. Oilskins, gloves and some sizes of rubber boots can be provided.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Patients’ Advocacy Service who is based in The State Hospital. PAS is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. We are looking to recruit new Board members to participate in the governance and achievement of the strategic objectives of the organisation. The current Board has a diverse combination of skills and experiences, candidates with a background in finance, mental health, human resources and current or previous voluntary sector experience would be particularly welcomed. PAS provides an independent, highly skilled, responsible and professionally run service within The State Hospital, whilst observing the safety and security. The service works within the hospital and promotes patients as individuals. We aim to give the patients a voice to have their views respected, their voices heard, to support and to enable patients to be fully informed and involved in decisions regarding their care and treatment. Our service works with those from across Scotland and Northern Ireland, we have a number of ethnicities, religions, abilities and ages. We wish to diversify the board to ensure all voices are represented. If you have the time, the skills and the passion to make a difference to this marginalised group of individuals, please reach out to us for an informal chat. Some of the duties board members are expected to take part in are to attend board meetings; ensure good governance of the organisation; contribute to policies, development and strategy of the service; foster positive working relationships with the PAS team and State Hospital colleagues; oversee the current service and development of future projects; actively participate in staff recruitment where appropriate and contribute proactively to the Board in reaching quality decisions. Our current board has a diverse range of skills and experiences. Our service caters for patients across Scotland and Northern Ireland so we would welcome applicants from all areas. We would appreciate all applications however, those with a background or experience in the third sector, finance, human resources or mental health would be particularly welcome. Personal qualities include being positive, open minded, a team player and passionate.

Drivers are asked to transport members to and from various activities held at LDVG and on outings and group activities to various events and destinations. The driver will drive the group’s wheelchair accessible minibus and work with an appointed escort (if required). We also transport for care homes, school activities, for individual members of the public and for external hires from other community groups in the area. Passengers may be frail; elderly; children or other vulnerable people. Volunteers need to be between 25-70 years old with a clean; current driving licence. We now have 4 minibuses for hire or self-hire, 2 of our new buses can be driven on a standard car licence.

Help others to become healthier and happier by leading our health walks. The walks are free, last no longer than an hour and go at a gentle pace. Apart from taking people on a walk, walk leaders will welcome new walkers, give route information (where, how long/ how far, hazards), encourage some social activity and deal with a bit of paperwork. Optional activities are assisting with promoting the walks. It is up to individual volunteers to decide how much they want to commit, but to ensure some continuity we would ask that you consider your availability for leading walks before doing the health walk leader training day. We're looking for volunteers fairly urgently for the following walks, please get in touch if you can help:- Tuesday morning: Chatelherault, short walk Wednesday morning: Stonehouse Wednesday morning: Symington Friday morning Cambuslang: Friday morning East Kilbride Saturday morning: Blantyre Potential new walks: Hamilton Burnbank, Forth, Abington, Crawford, Leadhills, evening or weekend walk Carluke,