Does anyone do any volunteering? Any recommendations?

[Pale Rider]

A hospital I was in had volunteer visitors - people who attended the ward at visiting time and spoke to anyone who had no visitors.

That was me, and it was rather like the scene in Porridge in which Fletch just wants some peace and quiet.

During the day I seemed to be always wanted for some form of my treatment, so visiting time was a good time to relax and people watch.

I also found that having no visitors meant other people visiting felt sorry for me and would give me sweets.

Prison visiting is also a possibility, although that is a more formal quasi-inspection role that involves some training.

There are some volunteer roles around the courts.

Witness Support is one, typically there might be one paid employee and a 'staff' of volunteers.

The job involves hand holding a witness.

A similar role exists in some courts for defendants - on bail - and their families.

That involves explaining what happens when you get locked up, what to take to jail, first visits and the like.

Some court canteens are run by volunteers for the benefit of a local charity.

That would involve basic food service.

You would get to deal with a wide variety of people from barristers and solicitors, to defendants, victims, their families, and the various other 'trades' knocking around a court.

Or you could become a magistrate.

As you might imagine, it's hard to get younger people to do it not least because they tend to have jobs and families.

 

[Globalti]

My sister drives old folk to appointments, which she enjoys very much. Her husband works the CCTV in the town centre looking out for low-life. He hasn't spotted her yet.

 

[annedonnelly]

The best volunteering opportunities offer trial sessions and induction sessions so that you find out what you think about it before committing - hence not wasting anyone's time. We have volunteers in our office & have just run our latest induction session. If people decide it's not for them that's fine - but some do decide to volunteer.

There's usually a volunteer co-ordinating group in each region - here there's a Newcastle Volunteer Bureau and a Northumberland one. Worth checking for a variety of roles.

Also worth checking museums and libraries - they use volunteers for events and exhibitions. Some of that may involve working with young people.

 

[tom73]

Following on from the court theme you may want to look at Independent Custody Visiter. They check people in police custody are being looked after. Though you do quickly become unpopular with anyone who works in the custody suite

 

[PaulSB]

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.

That's very public spirited Accy. Chapeau.

 

[PaulSB]

Another suggestion which has just occurred to me. I have a friend who trained as a first responder to 999 ambulance calls. This doesn't make you a paramedic! It's very much about getting someone on scene, perhaps with a defibrillator or other equipment. Often just being there is a great help and reassurance to the individual who has made the call.

One is only on call when one wants to be. It's simply a question of advising the relevant people. Don't think you get a blue light though!!

 

[Drago]

It's a long tale, but NHS first responders get treated badly and they have a terrible retention problem. Quite a few wash up Lowland Rescue where the first responder ticket is the required level of training anyway.

 

[Milkfloat]

I can heartily concur about Scouting. I am a Sea Scout Leader and sometimes I wonder who is getting the better deal me or the kids. I get a massive kick out of seeing the kids progress, especially the quiet ones who would not say boo to a goose when they first join as Beavers and yet by the time they leave are confident young adults with a huge amount of skills and experience. You can offer as little or as much time as you like and you don't need to get into uniform or even work with the kids directly if you don't fancy it. I got sucked into it whilst my kids were progressing through the system just by helping out a little bit when I saw that something needed doing, I have now learnt a whole set of new skills myself and rekindled my love of water sports as well as meeting lot's of really interesting people.

My mother is a life long volunteer, she is a Magistrate, has been a a prison visitor and also runs the reception desk at a home for people with special needs. I think it gives her a real sense of purpose, although she is going to retire from the magistrates as over the last 10 years she has really not enjoyed the politics and crap that goes with the core role.

 

[Sharky]

Just a thought - get yourself a Hi-Viz vest and litter picker upper and walk round your local streets picking up litter. Immediate benefit to your community, but it will open up doors to other possibilities as people will start talking to you and you can tell them what/why you are doing it and learn of new possibilities to help your local neighbours. Could be support to elderly, gardening, dog walking, decorating help, shopping support.

You could even start a group of like minded people, helping the community.

 

[Drago]

How about being a volunteer flood warden for the local carncil?

 

[pawl]

Canal and river trust

 

[PaulB]

I do talking newspapers. I read our local newspaper once a month on Thursday nights to ensure the blind folk of our area are updated on all that's happening but we're always getting roped in to read other stuff like the Sundays. I also play in a ukulele group and we're always doing concerts for old folk's homes and we did one in the summer for the RNLI.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Although I work full time I volunteered for a local wildlife group and Sustrans. These have now fallen away due to life’s plate being too full.

Things to watch out for: The wildlife group was taken over by a retired controlling corporate male. All us young, modern males got sick of his ego and left. Many of the ladies went the same way. With Sustrans the group was led by a retiree who scheduled work parties during the working week in working hours, excluding us working folk with families. I complained and was told I could go out on my own at weekends but that defeated the object of social work parties so I left. I still resent Sustrans for that and other reasons but that’s probably down to my own values and exposure to cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands.

 

[tom73]

2rd First Responders being hit and miss very much down to the ambo trust that run them.
How good the training is and the support in place for volunteers is widely different.
It can get quite intense at times and training is not a one off.

 

[Drago]

Yeah, I've got my first responders ticket for lowland rescue and the training makes you sweat. Having said that, firearms responder training in the police was a different league for intensity, although not that different at the technical level.