Feedback from families who have had befriending support tells us a Befriender can be life changing. A befriender can provide emotional support to help build positive relationships between parents and their baby and improve parents’ mental health. Accessing activities in the community, going for a walk, or talking over a cuppa are some of the ways in which a Befriender can make a real difference for parents and their babies. A Mum who used our service recently said “My befriender is like a wee rainbow coming in to make everything better”

We are looking for admin/reception volunteer to come and support our work at Grampian Opportunities, Meeting and greeting people coming in to see us as well as general admin to support the running of our service.

Your role as the Telephone Befriender is to engage in conversation with a client over the phone, building a rapport and engaging with them on a weekly basis (note: some befriending matches require more than one call per week). Most of the referrals come from our partners and other agencies but some are self-referrals. All referrals are due to the client being lonely and feeling isolated. It should be noted, that does not necessarily mean they are an older person living on their own. Some referrals are for younger adults who may live in a ‘busy’ household. As a Befriender your co-ordinator will match you to a suitable client. This will be done after finding out more about both yourself and the client to see if there are similarities in personality, hobbies etc. It will not be done purely on age – often the perfect match is with different generations. Your role will be to chat to the client, using your own phone from your own home. You will be required to actively engage and encourage conversation – sometimes this needs to be led by you, the volunteer, as there could be barriers with the clients such as: confidence, disability, speech issues etc. The Telephone Befriender will not be expected to offer advice or to ‘counsel’ the client – you are simply someone to have a chat to and be a listening ear – something for the client to look forward to each week. Befrienders should give minimal personal details about themselves and should never ‘off-load’ their own issues to a client. Your coordinator will always be there to deal with any concerns you have about any of your matches. VASA induction training will be given and guidelines issued around safety protocols for volunteers and clients. Workshops will be available from time to time to cover areas of interest around Befriending. A PVG check will be carried out prior to commencement as a befriender. It should be noted that this role does not include any face-to-face befriending and no volunteer should arrange to meet with a client. Post COVID, if a one-to-one, face-to-face service was developed, appropriate training would be given then if deemed applicable. DUTIES: The role of the Telephone Befriender will be as follows: • To offer friendship and encouragement, via a telephone call, to a client who is isolated and lonely. • To provide a listening ear. • To facilitate conversation and engage with clients. • To build up a relationship with the befriendee, giving them something to look forward to on a weekly basis. • To commit to a minimum of 20min per week to the service.

This is a very rewarding role providing much-needed support for people who are accessing our service. Based at one of our mobility aids spoke locations, the main element of the role is serving the public who require a wheelchair or other mobility aids equipment. This is the ideal role for someone who enjoys meeting people, can show compassion and empathy and who likes administrative duties with a customer service perspective. Typical tasks include: > Liaising with the hub to arrange stock/deliveries/collections. > Issuing and receiving wheelchairs (or other mobility aids equipment) using a computer based stock control system. > Demonstrating how to use and look after our wheelchairs (and other equipment) > Dealing with enquiries from people wanting to borrow a wheelchair (or other equipment) by telephone and face to face > Receiving payments / donations and issuing receipts > Contacting service users about overdue and upcoming return of equipment > Signposting to other Red Cross services/providers > Actively promoting the Retail Mobility Aids offer/website These are just some examples. You will work within a great team and be fully supported by the Volunteer Coordinator. Urgently need Thursday and Friday Covered but training on a Mon, Tues or Wed

Main duties: 1. To provide excellent Customer Service 2. To process sales and take cash and card payments 3. To sort, price and merchandise donations 4. Keeping Shop area clean and tidy 5. Keeping Back Store area clean and tidy 6. To provide information relating to Baby to Teen and its Services 7. To comply with Baby to Teen Policy and procedures 8. To represent Baby to Teen in a professional way To find out more about our campaigns click on the I WANT TO VOLUNTEER it will take you to our facebook page where you could message the team. Our email address is baby2teen@outlook.com or come along to the shop for a chat.

Volunteers Needed Due to the demand of food needed by people who attend the Community Larder and the cost of living going up has increased the need for use of the larder, we would appreciate any one who has some free time and feel fit to carry carrier bags of goods from A to B if you could get in touch with Grampian Opportunities on 01467 629675 and a member of staff will help you. Are you available on a Monday and Tuesday Morning 10am 12pm, to accompany or drive donations of food from local supermarket to car then from car to Grampian Opportunities in Inverurie. We also need help on a Thursday Morning we need a driver and a pick up person. We also need Volunteers to pick up food goods from Burghmuir Drive Coop in Inverurie at 9pm Mon – Fri bringing goods to again Grampian Opportunities, again vital food products that would otherwise go to waste. Mileage will be reimbursed.

Volunteering Matters Overview At Volunteering Matters we believe everyone in the UK should have the opportunity to thrive, so we bring people together to overcome some of society’s most complex issues through the power of volunteering. We partner with communities to overcome adversity, tackling social isolation and loneliness, improving health, developing skills and opportunities. And because we’re a national charity, we do this at scale, sharing our expertise and building partnerships to make an even bigger impact. We turn local knowledge and energy into action and progress, building stronger communities and a better future for all. Project Overview Our Family Supporters in Edinburgh project offers practical and emotional support to families across the city of Edinburgh, empowering them to face a range of life challenges. We recruit, train and match dedicated, local volunteers to help families every step of the way, spending 1-1 time together on a personalised set of goals chosen by the family, for the family. We can help in many ways, such as improved living standards, budgeting, healthier eating, better school life and behaviour, access to health and wellbeing aid, as well as introducing parents to community resources, to name a few. So far, thousands of families across the UK have benefitted from our service and we are now delighted to extend the programmes reach to families in Edinburgh. Who can volunteer with us? Our volunteers are locally based people with an understanding of the challenges that families are facing. Aged 18+, each volunteer brings different life experiences and skills that they can use to help the family they are matched to, offering support on a weekly basis for an hour or so each week, usually for 6-9 months at a time that suits everyone. They build a strong relationship based on trust and mutual respect, acting as a friendly face who listens and cares about the family. All volunteers are interviewed, trained to the highest standards and undergo disclosure checks before being matched with a family. We also encourage and welcome volunteers who have the ability to speak multiple languages join our team! What can we offer volunteers? As well as the sense of achievement that comes through supporting a family, our volunteers will have the opportunity to learn and develop new skills, attend social events with other volunteers and enhance their employability. Certificates are provided upon completion of induction training and at the end of the commitment, with project staff happy to provide references for future studies or employment.

We have lots of opportunities for you to get involved with Balmedie Beach Wheelchairs. Our volunteers have a wide variety of roles. You could be welcoming our wheelchair users and giving advice about the chairs, looking after equipment, keeping the Bunker tidy and decorated, clearing the boardwalk, fund raising, helping administrate the project and lots more. If you have a morning or afternoon spare that can really help us, and of course you can get more involved if you have more time. Come and join our friendly group and help keep the beach wheelchairs running. We are always looking for new volunteers.

Why we need you The charity has over 100 branches and groups, all run by volunteers, who provide local support to people affected by autism. Every branch is different and so are the activities they provide – they may run parent support groups, adult social groups, children’s activities, or focus on providing information or campaigning. However, no matter how big or small, all branches are hugely valued by the people in their local area. Support groups are essential for parents and families seeking support. They provide an opportunity for families to meet others who are also living with a family member who has autism, they provide a safe environment for people with autism and their families to attend and meet and they offer an opportunity for families and individuals to share their own experience and listen to others. What you will be doing Ensure members are informed when there are support groups coming up (via official branch NAS e-mail or social media, for example) Advertising the support group (social media,posters, leaflets, etc.) Attending the support group sessions Sharing information Signposting Welcoming new families and individuals Liaising with other volunteers to ensure there is a volunteer present for the duration of the group. Occasionally organising guests to attend the group to give talks or advice to group members Skills, experience and qualities useful for the role (but not essential) Confident communicating with Group Members and listening to their thoughts and ideas. Organised and able to plan ahead. Approachable Confident in taking the lead at introducing themselves and speaking to new people attending the group. An ability to make new people feel welcome When and where The support groups will meet monthly online using Microsoft Teams. Attendance at branch committee meetings (roughly every 2 months) Ideally you will live in the North Lanarkshire area. Support Designated Branch Engagement Officer to answer any queries and support you. Written guidance on a range of branch-related areas Various training available Insurance cover for all Group activities What you could get out of it Improve support to autistic people and their families in your local area Access free training and learn new skills Meet new people Sense of satisfaction of really making a difference You will be asked to attend some branch meetings and also have knowledge of the local area so we ask that you live locally to be able to do this role. We seek applications from anyone interested in the role, but particularly welcome applications from those on the autism spectrum Whilst we are able to make reasonable adjustments for volunteers you will need to be able to volunteer independently as we are not able to offer one to one support. We process applications as we receive them, we will close the role when we recruit a suitable volunteer, consequently the role may close before the advertised closing date.

Our Family Supporters in Edinburgh project offers practical and emotional support to families across the city of Edinburgh, empowering them to face a range of life challenges. We recruit, train and match dedicated, local volunteers to help families every step of the way, spending 1-1 time together on a personalised set of goals chosen by the family, for the family. We can help in many ways, such as improved living standards, budgeting, healthier eating, better school life and behaviour, access to health and wellbeing aid, as well as introducing parents to community resources, to name a few. So far, thousands of families across the UK have benefitted from our service and we are now delighted to extend the programmes reach to families in Edinburgh.