Many Midlothian parents need someone to talk to. They may have no friends or family to confide in. Or they may want someone like you who they can trust to be non-judgemental about the ups and downs of family life. They would like to have your praise and encouragement and for you to share their interest in their child’s development. The families all have children under 5 and are experiencing some difficulty or stress. Volunteers make a real difference by offering them a listening ear and emotional support. At the moment we need male and female volunteers who can make a 30 minute weekly call by phone or Zoom. Usually our volunteers make 2 hr home visits, but we cannot offer face to face volunteering in 2020 though we hope to do so in the future. Our aim is to make families more confident and resilient. We’ll train you to be a good listener to the parent’s worries and to encourage them to give their children a positive start in life. Each family needs something different, most of them need another adult for a non-judgmental weekly chat; someone reliable that they can trust; helping families to be more organised; to read a story to the children; helping parents feel more confident about playing with their children. We’ll support you all the way with regular support from a paid staff member. We’ll repay any out of pocket expenses. We’ll also match you carefully with the type of family that suits you to ensure that you can build a good supportive relationship. We’ve been going for over 30 years and won awards for our work. Our volunteers say they feel very well looked after and that they get really solid experience to use in careers like Social Work, Social Care and Psychology. Others just say it is fun and rewarding to be able to make such a difference to a family. Our next training will be online in March 2021. for an application form go to www.homelinkfamilysuport.org or email info@homelinkfamilysupport.org or telephone 0131 661 0890​

Our volunteers visit families at home to help them to play, get out of the house, settle into a new area, enjoy family life and have fun. The families all have children under 5 and are experiencing some difficulty or stress. Volunteers make a real difference by offering them a listening ear and practical and emotional support. We need male and female volunteers for 2 hrs a week for about 6 months Our aim is to make families more confident and resilient. We’ll train you to be a good listener to the parent’s worries and to encourage them to give their children a positive start in life. Each family needs something different, most of them need another adult for a non-judgmental weekly chat; someone reliable that they can trust; someone with the energy to play and the patience to read with children; someone who can help everyone get out and connect with their community. Volunteers might also do things like baking with the kids; helping families to be more organised; helping parents feel more confident about playing with their children. We’ll support you all the way with regular meetings with a paid staff member. We’ll also match you carefully with the type of family that suits you to ensure that you can build a good supportive relationship. We’ve been going for over 30 years and won awards for our work. Our volunteers say they feel very well looked after and that they get really solid experience to use in careers like Social Work, Social Care and Psychology. Others just say it is fun and rewarding to be able to make such a difference to a family.

Volunteers help ensure the shop is tidy and attractive; you can use your creativity to make eye-catching window displays, sorting and replacing stock to keep the shop looking fresh and stylish. Incoming donations are organised and labelled, and clothes steamed and tagged. Our polite, approachable volunteers assist customers; welcoming them through the door, ringing purchases through the cash register and encouraging signing up to the Gift Aid scheme. A bonus of volunteering in this role is having access to great quality items at reasonable prices, as soon as they hit the shop floor! In the shop volunteer role you will develop your understanding of stock management, marketing and customer service. These skills are valuable for personal development as well as very relevant to careers in retail, advertising and business. You will have the opportunity to meet lots of people, play an active role in your community and make friends.

Absafe is a unique safety education charity dedicated to saving lives and reducing harm by instilling a positive safety culture in our communities and inspiring a passion for safety through education and engagement. No one else does what we do locally! Our vision is for a safer future; free from life-changing unintentional injury and harm, with protective communities inspired by a passion for safety, so that no one has to learn by accident. We are passionate about the power of educating in a participative and engaging environment, using fun to create lasting change in children’s lives and in the communities in which they live. We believe in the transformative impact that a positive safety culture can have on the health and prosperity of future generations. Absafe provides health, safety and well-being education and risk awareness. Protecting people and places from harm, helping communities thrive by building a strong positive safety culture, and giving individuals the confidence, skills and attitudes to create a safer future. We deliver a range of unique projects and interactive training programmes designed to inform, instruct and engage to reduce vulnerability to unintentional injury and harm, and support positive decision-making in relation to harmful behaviour. We are looking for a Volunteer Treasurer to join our Board of Trustees, so we are able to continue to deliver education to the children and young people of Aberdeen, we would like you to have an interest in Education, health, safety risk management, and also health and wellbeing. We are a small Charity and every member is important, joining Absafe means that you will be making a real difference to the children and young people of Aberdeen. For more information please contact Louise Richardson, CEO at email: Louise@absafe.org.uk or tel.: 07748654105.

Have you been Bereaved by Suicide? Do you have a desire to help other people who have also been Bereaved by Suicide? Are you comfortable listening to the experiences of others? You could be just the person we are looking for. We have self-help support groups across the UK, where you can meet with other people who have been bereaved by suicide and we want to enroll some new volunteers to set up a group in Aberdeen. Typically, our groups meet once a month and last for around 2 hours. Presently many groups are meeting virtually via Zoom but when regulations allow, they will return to Face to Face. They provide an opportunity to listen, to share, to ask questions and to connect with others. Each local SoBS group is run by a team of 3: the group leader and two group volunteers, all of whom have been bereaved by suicide themselves. Between them, they facilitate the session, get the conversation started, make sure everyone has the opportunity to talk if they want to, and generally look out for people and each other. The team also work together to manage the administration, fundraising and communication for the group, sometimes with the help of additional support volunteers. There is no set structure to a session – people are free to talk and listen as they wish. The topics discussed vary from week to week but often includes people sharing their story, how they are feeling, what has happened since their last group visit, questions about coroners and discussions about common challenges such as flashbacks, supporting children or facing neighbours. Many groups also offer a small resource library and can share information about local sources of support. For further details please contact Phill Abbiss, Volunteer Coordinator (North) at E Mail: phill.abbiss@uksobs.org or tel.: 07535 854 860.

Aberdeen Citizens Advice Bureau (ACAB) seeks a volunteer Board Member with a finance background to continue the work done by our current Treasurer and play an active role in preparing the Bureau for the demands of the future. -ABOUT CAB: ACAB is an independent Scottish charity and a member of the Citizens Advice Scotland network. The Bureau provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to the citizens of Aberdeen and its environs that is accessible and tailored to meet the needs of the community. -THE ROLE: The core role of the Treasurer is to advise the Board on all financial matters and to oversee the financial affairs of ACAB and ensure that they are legal, constitutional and within accepted accounting practice. A fantastic opportunity to help in the important work and continued successful development of Aberdeen Citizens Advice Bureau. All help makes a difference and is greatly appreciated. For an informal discussion of the role, please contact the Chair of the Board, Val Maehle at valerie.maehle@btinternet.com. Application by CV and covering letter.

A young carer is someone up to the age of 18 who provides unpaid help and support to a relative, friend or neighbour who due to illness or disability cannot manage to live independently without the carer’s help. It may involve practical support like cooking, housework, or emotional support. Aberdeen Young Carers are looking for volunteers to spend some quality time with a child or young person between the ages of 5-18 on a regular basis, getting to know them, and building up a positive relationship by being reliable and non-judgemental when listening to them. A one-to-one volunteer will support the young person to enjoy activities and experiences within the Aberdeen community therefore reducing isolation, and promoting self-esteem and confidence. This is a flexible opportunity and you can commit to meeting with a child or young person for a few hours on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis depending on what time you have available. We also have ad-hoc volunteering roles available. This would take place out with school hours, predominately over evenings or weekends. To be a one-to-one volunteer we ask for a minimum time commitment of six months, so that the child or young person has some consistency. To apply, please visit: https://volunteer.barnardos.org.uk/opportunities/16050-befriender-aberdeen-young-carers-2020-11-24 or email jacqui.hall@barnardos.org.uk for any more details.

Support our exciting community Compass Project and help to transform the naturally-beautiful and historic 4.1 acre former Waldorf School site into a centre demonstrating practical solutions for healthy, sustainable lifestyles. The project has something for everyone including opportunities to find out and participate in: • sustainable building practices with conservation of the listed main building & sensitive repurposing of the others – dry-stone wall restoration, stripping back damaged plasterboard ready for refurbishment, sorting building materials and items for re-purposing and upcycling. • an integrated, creative health & education approach, supported by the natural & built environment – we offer opportunities for volunteers from secondary schools to participate in appropriate outdoor projects onsite. • sustainable social enterprise projects serving the local community and involving those with learning disabilities – experience circular economy in practice as we start to outlet local organic produce and plants onsite on a donation basis. • organic/biodynamic land use with nutritious food production, no-dig demonstration allotments, composting, beehives, wild flower meadow and woodland – keen gardeners are always welcome to come and help create a no-dig system from scratch so you never have to weed again! Experienced chain-saw operators can help manage our woodland. • repair, reuse & recycle practices minimising waste and encouraging sustainability – furniture and other items for upcycling. -Compass needs you! We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers who are willing to lend a hand with whatever needs doing. We hold regular Saturday volunteer days where you can enjoy meeting like-minded people working together to make a visible difference to our site after each session. Volunteers tell us it is very satisfying to see how much of a difference their work can make. Volunteers with specialised skills such as joiners, plumbers and DIY-enthusiasts will be especially welcome as we enter the next phase of our project to strip out the existing buildings ready for refurbishment. ‘Being out in the fresh air with others, seeing changes happening and feeling like I was part of a bigger process. I have also enjoyed meeting others who are enthused about the project. Sense of community, healthy activities. Very friendly co-ordinator and other helpers so feeling of welcome is lovely. I also value the fact that I only manage a couple of hours but this is still appreciated and I don't feel guilty when I feel like my body needs to stop! Beautiful grounds to work in’. – Compass volunteer ‘Such a great sense of satisfaction and wellbeing experienced at the end of 2 hours of hard physical work. This has sparked off an interest in gardening and growing plants at home. And also enjoyed being part of a community and meeting new people each time I come along who are equally enthusiastic about this project’. – Compass volunteer Everyone is welcome at Compass and we look forward to working with you onsite! You can find out more on our website: www.camphillwellbeing.org.uk/compass or email: compass@cwt.scot for further details on volunteering with this exciting project.

Whatever role they choose and however many hours they give, Charlie House volunteers are helping to support local babies, children and young people with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions as well as getting the charity closer to its dream of building a specialist support centre in the North East. Following on the success of the Aberdeen Indoor Christmas Market, Charlie House is very excited to be bringing the Curated Aberdeen Market to the city. The market features a wide range of stall holders and is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Curated Aberdeen Market offers a wonderful opportunity to raise funds for and awareness of Charlie House. Volunteers are key to the success of this, helping to give customers a welcoming and positive curated shopping experience. Supporting the Market Manager, the volunteer role includes meeting and greeting customers, highlighting any Covid-safe measures, manning the Charlie House stall selling merchandise and raffle tickets, restocking merchandise and being an ambassador for the charity. A fantastic opportunity to help, which makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. For further details please contact Joan Cowie, Volunteer & Information Coordinator at E Mail: joan@charliehouse.org.uk or tel.: 01224 313333.

CLAN Cancer Support provides emotional and practical support to people affected by cancer, their family, carers and friends. Volunteers in our stores provide vital help to CLAN and all assistance is greatly appreciated. In our stores, just 3 hours a week from a volunteer can make a huge difference. Whether sorting and pricing donations, till work, or just chatting to customers, we have a role for everyone. A great way to meet new people and help raise money for our clients. Our volunteers can do what they feel comfortable with in store and make a huge difference. For more information please contact Colin Tough, CLAN Cancer Support Regional Retail Manager at Email: colin.tough@clanhouse.org / tel: 01224 647000 (switchboard) / Mob: 07394 564374 or apply online via our website at: https://www.clanhouse.org/volunteering/shops/