It starts with Hello and it's often surprising who is affected by loneliness. Together we want to reach out reconnecting thousands of lonely people with their communities, tackling what is shortening lives and eroding wellbeing. Community Connectors support people affected by social isolation and loneliness to help them gain confidence and to reconnect to their community in partnership with existing and new partner organisations. This involves: being aware of and keeping up to date with local community services appropriate to service users with support from manager; supporting lonely and socially isolated service users to build confidence, self-esteem and to regain independence; carry out tasks independently and as an effective team member; listening to people's needs, aspirations and concerns, and co-creating a step plan to ensure the person meets their aims - this may involve providing advice on regular, healthy nutrition and hydration and managing hygiene; and supporting people to attend local community services suitable to their needs, helping them identify other activities in the area and going with them as necessary - this may involve travelling with service users or transporting them using your own vehicle where appropriate. “I’m showing compassion, empowering people, letting them know what help is out there, and helping them move forward.” Lisa, Independent Living Volunteer Location: Glenrothes Office Commitment: The service operates from Monday to Friday between the hours of 10:00am – 17:00pm. Minimum commitment of 6 months, volunteers must be available 3 - 4 hours per week on weekdays

South Lanarkshire Council are trying to facilitate outdoor visiting to Care Homes in the Hamilton area and to assist with this we are looking to buy Gazebos to provide a bit of shelter from the elements for carers and service users alike as visits are restricted to outdoor areas at the moment. We need a couple of local volunteers who could help with putting up and taking down the gazebos (this might be a daily requirement, depending on the weather etc) Volunteers will erect the gazebo in the morning and take it down around tea time each night. This volunteering would go a long way to helping in facilitating the re-connection of family members.

Each year we support over 11,000 residents and visitors to explore our rich natural and cultural heritage. We welcome volunteers who can help us deliver environmental interpretation to schools, groups and at public events. We also welcome volunteers who would like to help us in promoting and protecting our biodiversity through site and species monitoring. The people we are looking for should be: -Welcoming and comfortable working with a wide range of audiences. - Knowledgeable about Aberdeenshire’s natural and cultural heritage. - Confident with basic species identification. - Knowledgeable about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. - Content working outdoors throughout the seasons, with lone and remote working on occasion. - Aware of the importance of maintaining confidentiality. What will I get? -Work opportunities to fit around your personal commitments. -Opportunities to share your previous skills and experience. -Induction and ongoing support from experienced Rangers. -Named supervisor to support you in your volunteering role. -Access to related training. -Opportunity to gain experience working within a Ranger Service. All volunteers will be required to be enrolled through Aberdeenshire Council’s volunteer policy and pre-enrolment checks.

Our statistics have revealed that 240,000 people in Scotland regard the television or a pet as their closest companion. Here at Age Scotland, we aim to tackle loneliness and social isolation on a practical level through our Community Connecting Service – and we need your help! Community Connecting Administrators support older adults, their families, friends and carers across Scotland by connecting them to organisations that offer friendship, social activities, health and fitness groups, events and other support during and beyond the Coronavirus outbreak. Your role will involve researching enquiries, providing people with information over the phone or via email and helping to keep our databases and guides up to date.

Our statistics have revealed that 240,000 people in Scotland regard the television or a pet as their closest companion. Here at Age Scotland, we aim to tackle loneliness and social isolation on a practical level through our Community Connecting service and friendship line – and we need your help! The friendship line is part of the wider Age Scotland Helpline. The purpose of a friendship caller is to provide calls of companionship to people who are 50 and over, who may live alone or feel alone and would benefit from a chat. Having a conversation can have such a positive impact, we can talk about many things that aren’t Coronavirus related, for example current interests, hobbies, previous work life – the list is endless!

Health and Social Care Moray's Buddy scheme provides a wide variety of volunteering roles to help reduce social isolation for those who are vulnerable aged 18 to 100+. The aim is to keep people connected to their local communities and in some cases reconnected to activities previously enjoyed. Health and Social Care Moray deal with requests covering the whole of the Moray area and currently support 105 volunteer buddies aged 16 to 90. This service is in high demand having received over 1200 requests for volunteers in just over 7 years. Could you volunteer to help with us? Please check out website www.moray.gov.uk/volunteering , or contact us by email on volunteering.CC@moray.go.uk

There’s volunteering, and then there’s Full-Time Volunteering (FTV). It’s an incredible opportunity for people aged between 18 and 35 to undertake a life-changing challenge, living away from home for up to 12 months while supporting some of the most vulnerable or marginalised people and communities across the UK. It’s your chance to unearth hidden talents, boost self-confidence, meet new people and change lives. So whether you’re looking to leave your mark on the world, develop your skills base or devote a gap year to a cause you really care about, FTV is for you. No one volunteering placement is the same. You could be supporting older people, homeless people, families, children or young people. You might be working within an environmental setting, or a residential one, or you could be undertaking sporting activities – we take care to match you to the opportunity that’s right for you. This could mean: Befriending and supporting someone in their home, or groups of beneficiaries in a single project (like a homeless shelter), making a real difference to their wellbeing Acting as a mentor or role model to young people or people with disabilities, perhaps helping them to plan for their futures at key transition points in their lives Enabling access to social and leisure activities, at home, locally or at University, giving people connections to their communities they couldn’t otherwise enjoy. Full-time volunteering is also an excellent route to recognised work experience in a variety of sectors, including social work, social care, nursing, medicine, teaching, youth work and psychology. For any further information, or an informal chat, please contact volunteer@volunteeringmatters.org.uk or telephone 0121 678 8821 .