Mearns Kirk Helping Hands runs a variety of groups and activities to support health and wellbeing and reduce social isolation in the local community. One of our more recent groups is the Men's Breakfast Club. This group is designed to bring men who are looking for a bit of company together for a chat and a hearty breakfast. A volunteer breakfast chef is vital to the group, so a breakfast can be prepared, cooked and served

Mearns Kirk Helping Hands runs a variety of groups and activities to support health and wellbeing and reduce social isolation in the local community. One of our more recent groups is the Men's Breakfast Club. This group is designed to bring men who are looking for a bit of company, together for a chat and a tasty breakfast. A volunteer group leader is vital for the week to week running of the club, to help with set-up and clean down, take the registration and donations and be a point of contact for new members. With assistance from project staff, the group leader will also help promote and develop the club

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.

Kirkwall parkrun takes place every Saturday morning, starting at The Peedie Sea at 9.30am. It is an organised run, jog or walk which is free to participate in. Registration is online with participants printing off their personalised barcode which is scanned at the finish line to allow the results to be emailed to the participant. They are in need of volunteers to be marshalls, tail walkers, barcode scanners, handing out finishing tokens and being timekeepers. Both scanning and timekeeping will require use of the parkrun app so a mobile phone will be required.

Supporting people to get about in Shetland you could be doing local journeys or somewhere a little bit further. Your support for lonely and isolated people in Shetland will be vital to connect them with their community and improve their lives As Volunteer driver you might take an individual to a community club, a regular appointment, respond to ad-hoc requests for transport or taken someone home after a stay in hospital. Drivers use their own vehicles to provide a friendly journey and support people to and from their home and destination. Your role will involve elements of lone working and building a relationship with those you transport. We also have opportunities available for people with specific skills, so please tell us what your strengths are when we meet.

Community volunteers are needed to provide services that support people in their local area to lead the life they choose.Key tasks are many and varied and will depend on the needs of your local area. However tasks may include volunteering in a local cafe, hub or club, chatting and providing companionship to individuals, offering dementia friendly support, simple everyday practical tasks such as food preparation, assisted shopping, providing transport and/or social outings, helping with care of pets, delivering books and collecting prescriptions. This is ideal if you want a flexible volunteering opportunity to suit your availability, make new friends, develop your skills/experience and contribute to the work of the charity by helping your local community. You’ll need to have a friendly personality with an ability to observe and identify areas of concern. You’ll have good communication and listening skills with a non-judgemental attitude towards an individual’s circumstances and a willingness to ensure confidentiality. Supporting Clients at the daily lunch club in the Isleburgh Hall

Aberdeen in Recovery (AiR) was granted Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) charitable status in March this year. We are now looking to find talented, passionate and skilled people to fill some vacant seats on our Board of Trustees to help us grow and develop our innovative and solution focused new charity. This is a unique opportunity to help lay the foundations to ensure AiR has a long-term future as a charity with solid processes in place to ensure it meets its mission of: “To be a bridge from ‘dependence’ to ‘independence’ for the individual seeking to recover from problematic substance use and addictive behaviours”. This is such an exciting and invigorating prospect for individuals to get involved and be participant in the tsunami of change which is now gaining momentum and being driven by “Experts by Experience” and the vibrant Lived Experienced Communities which are blossoming, not only locally but are now established as a national phenomena. Since its conception, AiR and its members have worked tirelessly to establish and build collaborative relationships with professional services and third sector support agencies. We have consistently driven the message that individuals who have personal lived/living experience of active substance use, including Family members who have been affected by the addictive behaviours of a loved one, and the Recovery Communities they represent have something valid, essential and extremely beneficial to bring to described Recovery Orientated Systems of Care (ROSC). We can provide existing services and clinical structural systems with resources, skills and capabilities that they, no matter how much effort, time and money they invest, will never be able to offer or provide. So, it gives the greatest of pleasure to see this is now recognised on the highest levels that “Recoverists” can productively contribute to the design, development and delivery of truly person-centred ROSC. This being evidenced by the vision, philosophy and content of the Scottish Governments “Rights, Respect and Recovery” Drug and Alcohol Strategy. We also believe it is reaffirmed by the recent success in being granted funding from the Government’s National Development Fund, with our principle partner Alcohol and Drugs Action (ADA), for our ‘Recovery Peer Pathway’ joint two-year project. This collaborative venture will build on three years of pilot work to further establish and build proactive and productive Developmental Pathways within ADA and their Volunteer network while in synergy with AiR membership for individuals who desire to initiate change in their behaviours and outlook as they progress on their recovery journeys within, and imperatively out-with, statutory and formal support services. We believe that the blue sky thinking behind this project categorically and emphatically fits with the expectations, outcomes and concepts of the above Government policy. So, if you have lived experience, or a stakeholder interest, and a passion for recovery and are willing to give of yourself that another may learn, you will not find a better opportunity to indulge your appetite than from within Aberdeen in Recovery. For more information please contact Dermot Craig, Recovery Community Development Manager at E Mail: dermot@aberdeeninrecovery.org or tel.: 01224 638342 / Mobile: 07751 213108.

Our Men’s Group supports men who are having a rough time and could do with a helping hand. We usually have tea/coffee together and then do some fun activities. These could include: music, debates and discussions, games and organised trips. We are especially looking for people who could share a specific skill or talent they have, or lead an activity, games or discussion. For those who can’t commit longer term, there is the possibility of volunteering for a 4-week block or volunteering on a rota.

Do you have a passion for the power of technology? Our vision is to create... "A world in which digital services are equally accessible to all". As an AbilityNet Tech volunteer you can help unleash the power of technology to ensure that older people and disabled people are not excluded from the digital world. Overview All across the UK our 300 volunteers support older and/or disabled people at home to offer one-to-one support with their technology, whether that’s a computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet. Our volunteers: - Trouble shoot technical issues. - Offer impartial advice on technology. - Set up new tech and install hardware and software. - Show people how to use their tech at home e.g. shop online, send and receive emails and Skype with family and friends. - Make adaptations to support a disabled person’s specific technology needs. What will I be doing? - Contacting clients to arrange a date/time to support (home visits or supporting them remotely). - Carrying out tech support for the clients you have accepted. - Feeding back on progress via our online ticketing system. - Supporting your local Coordinator with promoting the volunteer service in the local area. - Getting together with other tech volunteers at team meetings and wider company events. - Undergoing training on technology, particularly adaptive technology. - Supporting other volunteers through our online chat facility Change the lives of disabled and older people. Benefit from technology and disability training. Network with a nationwide team of other Tech volunteers. Be flexible with your volunteering and plan it around your other work and home commitments. We pay travel expenses at 45p per mile. As you will be help vulnerable adults you’ll need an enhanced DBS check (England and Wales) PVG (Scotland), or Access NI check (Northern Ireland), which will be renewed/checked every 2 years (at no cost to the volunteer). Do you have a passion for the power of technology? Our vision is to create... "A world in which digital services are equally accessible to all". As an AbilityNet Tech volunteer you can help unleash the power of technology to ensure that older people and disabled people are not excluded from the digital world. “One of your advisors, Trevor, has been helping me with some very basic computer skills on a tablet that I have hardly touched since it was bought for me as a present from my wife. I suffer from Parkinson’s and it is very difficult for me to concentrate. Trevor has been extremely kind and patient and has opened up a world I hardly knew existed.” AbilityNet client Overview All across the UK our 300 volunteers support older and/or disabled people at home to offer one-to-one support with their technology, whether that’s a computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet. Our volunteers: - Trouble shoot technical issues. - Offer impartial advice on technology. - Set up new tech and install hardware and software. - Show people how to use their tech at home e.g. shop online, send and receive emails and Skype with family and friends. - Make adaptations to support a disabled person’s specific technology needs. What will I be doing? - Contacting clients to arrange a date/time to support (home visits or supporting them remotely). - Carrying out tech support for the clients you have accepted. - Feeding back on progress via our online ticketing system. - Supporting your local Coordinator with promoting the volunteer service in the local area. - Getting together with other tech volunteers at team meetings and wider company events. - Undergoing training on technology, particularly adaptive technology. - Supporting other volunteers through our online chat facility What are the benefits to me? As an AbilityNet Tech volunteer you can: - Change the lives of disabled and older people. - Benefit from technology and disability training. - Network with a nationwide team of other Tech volunteers. - Be flexible with your volunteering and plan it around your other work and home commitments. If you think you have what it takes to be an AbilityNet Tech volunteer apply online, https://abilitynet.org.uk/abilitynet-itcanhelp-volunteer-application. You will be contacted by a local Volunteer Coordinator to arrange an informal interview. If you would like more information, or to chat further about the volunteer role contact the AbilityNet Free Services team on 0800 048 7642, or email volunteers@abilitynet.org.uk.

Voluntary Action Angus, Angus Women’s Aid, Deaf Links, Relationship Scotland FM and Children’s Health Scotland have joined together to look at what can be learned from the COVID-19 response to help improve the design and delivery of services across Angus. This research will look at: - How COVID-19 has impacted on communities across Angus - What can be learned from how communities and organisations responded to COVID-19 - How this can be used to inform the development of services and support to tackle issues which have arisen during the pandemic or have been exacerbated by the pandemic Community Researchers will help us develop the research questions, gather information from people in their communities and help us get our survey out across Angus and sense check the findings and recommendations. If you want to find out more about becoming a community researcher please get in touch. Training and a small payment in exchange for your time.