It is an exciting time at Norton Park. With plans for future growth, Norton Park are now looking for a new Chair to direct their work. Norton Park are are seeking to complement the skill set of existing trustees and, in this recruitment round, successful candidates must be able to demonstrate leadership skills, the ability to direct and manage effective meetings and be a key contact to the Chief Executive. Applications are particularly welcome from candidates who will bring additional diversity.

To coordinate the work of approx 80 individuals we have on our database. Signing-up new volunteers, arranging drop-in sessions. Arranging events and workshops. Administrating volunteers. Health & Safety. Considerable knowledge of planting, plant-lore, growing, harvesting.

REAP is an independent local charity based in Keith, founded in 1997 and operating throughout Moray. REAP has done various types of community and environmental work over the last 20+ years but our focus has always been on helping individuals and communities find solutions. At the moment we have two broad strands of work: Food and growing – helping people grow and eat more of their own food, compost more, take part in therapeutic gardening and environmental improvement, get outside more and cut their carbon footprint. Energy saving advice – helping people with switching tariffs, cutting their bills through energy-saving behaviours, advising on availability of grants and loans, helping people find the help they are eligible for and training volunteers to be energy champions who can support their friends and neighbours to save energy and save money and working to promote community-led social and environmental projects including energy advice, local food and growing initiatives. REAP also offers community consultation and research services on a consultancy basis. We welcome volunteer directors to join our staff team and current Board who are keen to help REAP make a difference in our local communities. If you are interested in joining our Board, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to arrange an informal chat with existing Board members and staff. Call 01542 888070 (Mon – Thurs 9.30am to 3pm) or email info@reapscotland.org.uk. We can also give you a Trustees’ pack with detailed information about becoming a Scottish charity Trustee and more information about REAP as an organisation. You don’t need any specific skills or experience to join the Board, just an interest in REAP’s work. To find out more read on and explore the website or give us a call for an informal chat. If you’ve never been a Trustee, our current Board members and staff will support you. If you’re a seasoned Trustee, we will be glad to have the benefit of your experience. Being on a Board is rewarding, makes a little bit of your time go a long way, and is useful experience. REAP’s Board members must be 18 years or older.

Connecting the Grassroots; Be part of a Global Movement by Taking Action Locally. Board Member Transition Town Forres For over a decade, Transition Town Forres (TTF) has been helping our local community increase ways of sustainable living. By initiating projects such as a thriving community garden, as well as providing opportunities for reskilling and recycling, TTF also promotes ways we can all address the Climate Emergency, including our dependence on fossil fuels. TTF works to strengthen a localised economy and by doing so, makes our communities more self-reliant and people more connected. Currently, a priority of TTF is to develop their board of trustees, and specifically, they are seeking someone to join the Board to serve for an initial one-year period who has a skill set and experience in finance/accountancy or business planning/management or grant-writing or fundraising. This is an exciting time to join TTF as it embarks upon another important milestone, in securing an asset transfer of the building in which it operates on Bogton Road, Forres. Applications are welcomed from individuals who understand the challenges faced by small nonprofits, want to make a difference in their local community, and have a commitment to the Transition Towns movement and what it seeks to achieve. Trustee meetings take place 12 times a year and last approximately 1.5 hours. If unable to commit to being a board member, short-term (3-6 months) pro bono arrangements are welcomed, as well. For more information and an informal chat about the role, please contact Kelly Warren, ttforres@gmail.com

Start your day knowing that you’re making a real difference to people’s lives and volunteer with a great team of people who are working to support greater independence and opportunity for people with learning disabilities and autism. Real Life Options is looking for an volunteer who is enthusiastic about gardening and willing to share their enthusiasm with residents and staff. Currently, they would like to create a space for residents to enjoy and grow their own vegetables but also want to look at expanding the garden in more creative ways. Do you think you may be able to help? Some of the main gardening tasks can include: • Planting Pruning Sowing Seeds Weeding • Edging Borders, Digging Ground Clearance Grass Cutting The Volunteer Gardener role offers: • Opportunities to learn new gardening skills and gain more gardening experience. • Creating a haven for residents that have learning disabilities. • Opportunities to make new friends. • Satisfaction of helping to maintain the gardens. • Assisting staff and becoming part of care friendly team that help vulnerable people.

Moray Reach Out has a well established recycling team with centres now operating in Buckie and Elgin. In Buckie, for example, we currently offer 50 training places to adults with learning disabilities, providing education and training about recycling cans into aluminium and steel. We offer a van collection service that gives trainees the opportunity to collect and process business' recycling. We currently pick up from over 140 customers in the Buckie area. In Elgin, our team processes your purple bins, contributing both to the environment and the community. We take the contents including cans, tins and plastic containers in order to process them into bales. Volunteers support trainees in the practical elements of the tasks. Our volunteers are people who foster team work, are themselves team players, and are comfortable working with people of all abilities and also have a good sense of humour!

ReBOOT has been going strong as a social enterprise since 1997 – and offers a complete computer recycling service that has been massively reducing the environmental impact of waste electronics in Moray, by reusing and recycling donated technology. Refurbished computers and other devices are also donated back to people or community groups who may struggle to afford a device or sold to the community at affordable prices in our shop. We are also now producing some nifty creative products with our plastics recycling, too. Volunteers are at the core of our success and now, we are looking for 4-5 new people to join our team. You don’t need a background in computers to volunteer all we ask is that you are able to give a minimum 4-hour time commitment during ReBOOT’s hours of operation. This can be any day or days, Monday to Thursday, 9.30- 3.30pm. Initially we’d like you to volunteer on a regular basis, so you can see what’s involved and find a role that’s right for you. Anything that is not reused or rebuilt is recycled, so the type of activities you'd be undertaking whilst volunteering can include: Testing hardware, refurbishing devices or sorting and stripping devices into recyclable components Assist in the loading/unloading and packaging of pallet shipments in the warehouse Help keep an asset log up to date Joining the crew on the van to pick up donations Driving the Van ( Over 25’s only ) What We Can Offer You: We are a friendly bunch – we want our volunteers to make connections, make friends and know that what they do and the time they give, really matters. We offer a full induction and further training opportunities if desired. Learn about the recycling industry and social enterprises. Gain skills, experience and enjoy it while you do it. Help reduce waste and help the planet! If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact: info@reboot-forres.co.uk

Rottal Vegetable Garden is a safe environment for people to come and connect with nature while learning to grow their own food in a sustainable way. Opening the farm on a Wednesday for volunteers to come and help out with different tasks, from shifting stones to weeding and sowing in a favourable environment for mental health recovery and post COVID recovery.

Forfar Open Gardens are looking for Volunteer Gardeners to provide general help within the garden whether that be pottering in the outdoor or indoor planting areas, clearing and pruning in the large woodland space or any of the many jobs in between. The garden is an open space for people young and old to come along and enjoy so you have a keen interest in gardening or would like to learn then they would love to hear from you. Youth opportunities are available on Friday afternoons. Interested? Want to know more? Get in touch.

We meet usually every last Monday of the month (except July and December). Some examples of our involvement are monthly meetings involving locally elected councillors, Police and guest speakers. We regularly review local planning applications, local news/ concerns and organise community events such as beach cleans, seasonal town decorations/ events such as the summer bunting and Christmas Lights display/ switch on. We also support to facilitate local projects such as most recently the creation of our Carnoustie Butterfly and supporting creation of the town heritage trail as well as collaborating with organisations to distribute community funds, such as the recent Seagreen Community Funding. There is opportunity to become involved in such a wide variety of projects/ groups dependant on your availability of time. N.B We are due for official re-election in October 2022, new members can be co-opted onto the Community Council prior to this and if enjoyable, can stand for re-election in October