OP
OP
simon.r
Person
- Location
- Nottingham
Did you find any specific charities / organisations that you would like to work with?
Does anyone do any volunteering? Any recommendations?
- Thread starter simon.r
- Start date
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Did you find any specific charities / organisations that you would like to work with?
Landsurfer
Veteran
We're Carers to 4 young children ... 15, 10, 8 and 2 .... though retiring early and caring for children can be an oxymoron ..... 
PaulSB
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
@simon.r like you I'm retired though I'm ten years older. I should confess I have no desire to volunteer but do have some suggestions.
A great friend of mine is working with hospital radio and finds it great fun. He's learned to "broadcast," indulges his passion for music and interacts with people as he visits wards taking requests.
The same friend also reads newspapers for Galloways Society for the Blind for distribution to those with sight issues.
My third suggestion is from personal experience. My middle son has Downs syndrome. He is 31. He loves cycling but cannot balance and would have no road awareness if he could! He has a tandem and is taken for rides on this very occasionally. Until two years ago he had a volunteer cyclist who took him out once a week for three hours. Unfortunately this person stopped volunteering.
May I suggest there will be organisations and clients in your local area who would probably be delighted to meet an experienced cyclist prepared to take a client cycling for a few hours - either as an escort on separate bikes or on a tandem or similar. Most organisations have access to suitably adapted bikes.
The benefits to individual's health are significant.
A great friend of mine is working with hospital radio and finds it great fun. He's learned to "broadcast," indulges his passion for music and interacts with people as he visits wards taking requests.
The same friend also reads newspapers for Galloways Society for the Blind for distribution to those with sight issues.
My third suggestion is from personal experience. My middle son has Downs syndrome. He is 31. He loves cycling but cannot balance and would have no road awareness if he could! He has a tandem and is taken for rides on this very occasionally. Until two years ago he had a volunteer cyclist who took him out once a week for three hours. Unfortunately this person stopped volunteering.
May I suggest there will be organisations and clients in your local area who would probably be delighted to meet an experienced cyclist prepared to take a client cycling for a few hours - either as an escort on separate bikes or on a tandem or similar. Most organisations have access to suitably adapted bikes.
The benefits to individual's health are significant.
PaulSB
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
Tail End Charlie
Well, write it down boy ......
- Location
- In green and pleasant hills.
A little while ago, on my Facebook feed, a message popped up from my local fire station asking for volunteers to help with their cadet scheme. No prior fire fighting knowledge needed and I think it was one evening a week. Could be worth an enquiry as other areas (in Cheshire) seemed to run a similar scheme.
Volunteering in general is well worthwhile.
Volunteering in general is well worthwhile.
OP
OP
simon.r
Person
- Location
- Nottingham
Thanks for that. I live very close to a large hospital (City Hospital in Nottingham for anyone local), so may well be worth looking into opportunities there.
OP
OP
simon.r
Person
- Location
- Nottingham
We're Carers to 4 young children ... 15, 10, 8 and 2 .... though retiring early and caring for children can be an oxymoron .....
Fair play to you, but that’s definitely far too much for me!
I’m thinking a few hours a week, not going back to full time work!
Nope. They were all the same, managers on good money, wanting people like me (work/life experience + qualifications) to put heart & soul into helping another, for the MW. That's why these folk usually end up with young kids who have an eye on the next £10ph opening at Aldi..
Volunteering is great when you really find something that works for you. Be warned though it’s additive 
You meet some great people and learn so much you get lot more out than you put in.
Helping YP is great Idea, one to try a bit different is see what your local youth offending service have.
They always need Youth referral order panel members. I‘ve do it for years and love it. They often have mentorship volunteers too again I’ve done it and so rewarding.
Redcross have plenty of roles more than you may think a nice one with not too much training is befriender mostly calling round for a hour and chatting over a cuppa.
Having volunteered for years and managed them both as a volunteer and paid. You do need to carful some will take the pee. But most will welcome anyone and make you feel really valued. Find out early what they will offer you, what the support they offer and not paying expenses is a no go for me. It’s a the least anyone can do.
Your local volunteer service is good place to start they should help you find something.
http://www.nottinghamcvs.co.uk/volunteer.html
Gold luck
post an update let’s see how you do.
You meet some great people and learn so much you get lot more out than you put in.
Helping YP is great Idea, one to try a bit different is see what your local youth offending service have.
They always need Youth referral order panel members. I‘ve do it for years and love it. They often have mentorship volunteers too again I’ve done it and so rewarding.
Redcross have plenty of roles more than you may think a nice one with not too much training is befriender mostly calling round for a hour and chatting over a cuppa.
Having volunteered for years and managed them both as a volunteer and paid. You do need to carful some will take the pee. But most will welcome anyone and make you feel really valued. Find out early what they will offer you, what the support they offer and not paying expenses is a no go for me. It’s a the least anyone can do.
Your local volunteer service is good place to start they should help you find something.
http://www.nottinghamcvs.co.uk/volunteer.html
Gold luck
post an update let’s see how you do.
OP
OP
simon.r
Person
- Location
- Nottingham
Volunteering is great when you really find something that works for you. Be warned though it’s additive
You meet some great people and learn so much you get lot more out than you put in.
Helping YP is great Idea, one to try a bit different is see what your local youth offending service have.
They always need Youth referral order panel members. I‘ve do it for years and love it. They often have mentorship volunteers too again I’ve done it and so rewarding.
Redcross have plenty of roles more than you may think a nice one with not too much training is befriender mostly calling round for a hour and chatting over a cuppa.
Having volunteered for years and managed them both as a volunteer and paid. You do need to carful some will take the pee. But most will welcome anyone and make you feel really valued. Find out early what they will offer you, what the support they offer and not paying expenses is a no go for me. It’s a the least anyone can do.
Your local volunteer service is good place to start they should help you find something.
http://www.nottinghamcvs.co.uk/volunteer.html
Gold luck
post an update let’s see how you do.
Youth Offending sounds interesting, thanks.
I’ve had a look at the Nottingham CVS website as part of my initial researching.
Beebo
Firm and Fruity
- Location
- Hexleybeef
My mum volunteers with the national trust 2 days a week, as well as a local driving service to get old people to hospital. She’s 72 so the people she drives aren’t much older than her.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
For a while I volunteered at a local museum helping out with IT stuff
stopped recently as they seem to have run out of things for me to do but I am going to look around for something similar
thing to look out for is people looking to use you instead of actually employing someone - i.e. doing some young person out of a job
stopped recently as they seem to have run out of things for me to do but I am going to look around for something similar
thing to look out for is people looking to use you instead of actually employing someone - i.e. doing some young person out of a job
Accy cyclist
Legendary Member
- Location
- The hills of Accrington
I help out in the small park area near to where i live. I'm not registered or anything like that,i just tidy the garden and pick up the crap dropped by anti social people. I also tidy up unvisited graves in my local cemetery. Again i'm not down on some register for doing so,but i do it so i must be a volunteer.
