what voluntary work do you do?

[reallyyummymummy]

DS1 is due to start school in September and DS2 full-time pre-school.

I know that I don't want to do regular paid work (I can afford not to and I don't like it particularly) but would really like to do voluntary work (maybe with children, not quite sure).

So I am curious, what voluntary work is it that you do? and how did you get involved in it?

I help to run a toddler group, I set it up. Other parents I know listen to children reading at school, is Home Start still going? That always seemed a good thing to do.

I run a toy library/toddler group & am on a partnership board for the children's centre. I also teach over 60s exercise with age uk which I love I just contacted them after I saw an ad

Most places will have a volunteer centre you can go to, or just find out what's in your area and you can phone them up.

Good luck

I work for my local NCT organizing nearly new sales and helping at toddler group - nice social thing

Not got a clue what Home Start is.

Home start is an organisation which matches volunteers with struggling families, maybe a mother with PND who is finding it hard to cope, or someone with twins etc, or a disabled parent. The volunteer generally goes to visit and might either listen to the parent, or play with the children, help with a few light chores etc. I know a few people have had a volunteer and it was great for them to get back on their feet. Try googling it.

When my DCs were toddlers I helped run a toddler group. Now they are at school I work one afternoon a week in a Y1 class at my DC's school ( a different class to the ones my DC's are in)

It's different every week. Last week I helped take the children on a tour of the school as they were being history detectives. The week before we were producing short animated films. Sometimes I do a bit of filing or putting up displays of the children's artwork.

I love it and am thinking about volunteering for an extra afternoon.

I have been putting things on my CV, I have:

volunteered regularly in DC classroom
Been Chair of a preschool committee
done CRB checks for another preschool
helped run 2 toddler groups
On committee to create a Travel Plan for DC school
PTA member at DC school
helped run sport events at one of DC clubs

What about something like this children's literacy charity

I am a Brownie leader and got into it as I never really left from being a Guide except 3 years away at Uni.

Obviously this is evenings mostly so probably not suitable for you at the moment. We do always need volunteers to do other things though like PR and accounts which can be done at anytime

There's lots of opportunities and very worthy organisations crying out for help so I hope you find something

I am treasurer of my local NCT and have run the toddler group, I am also chair of the preschool & help run rainbow unit.

I would volunteer in DS school but you can't with younger children and DD doesn't start pre school until April, then DC3 will be along.

As well as this, DH is a scout leader so I regularly end up helping on scout trips and last year catered scout camp and will be doing it again this year with a three month old (mad emoticon)

I am a peer supporter at a breasfeeding group and training to be a BFC. And I am a parent governor at DD's school. I am not really enjoying being a SAHM and feel like they keep my brain working.

I took over a parent and toddler group with 2 other parents, but only because my DD attends it. When she joins the nursery class at our local school in September I won't be continuing (I will be frantically trying to jump-start my old career back into life!!)

I have done a variety of things. Playgroup volunteer, committee member, chair. School governor. Admininstration (mostly filing and typing) for local CAB and voluntary organisation. Transcribing parish registers (on the back of years of family history research).

I know people who have worked at local museums, National Trust sites, being a guide at the local cathedral, and in charity shops.

It depends on how regular and when you are available - daytime, evenings, weekends.

Local scouts groups are always crying out for more helpers.

Currently I am involved with running a toddler group, a once-a-week café & I help out at our local foodbank. Foodbanks are great to get involved with - there are lots of different roles involved!

I went along to our local volunteers coordinator: I don't know if it's something particular to the NE with the unemployment rate so high, but they actually were finding many volunteering roles were very oversubscribed! Particularly those ones that look more like "real" jobs, like doing admin for charities etc.

Anyway, what I do is take people out running. If you are someone who likes running and would like to spread the word, contact RunEngland and they will pay for your training so you can take people out, it's very rewarding.

Other than that it's been school related, helping at events, reading, school trips etc.

Forgot to say - I have also done volunteer driving in the past - eg taking people shopping, to the doctors, one blind man I even used to take to the betting shop so that he could follow the horse racing (he had a small share in a race horse) .

There are an amazing amount of things to get involved in if you look around.

Unit helper at our local Rainbow/Brownies. Love it and find it very rewarding, was approached by the unit leader after I was moaning that i ate too much while sat at home for the 1 1/2 hrs that she was there. Now I just eat the tuck!

Oh yeah, different Scout groups are trying hard to get their tentacles into me, lol.

I am opposite of OP sort of, I want to do voluntary work that doesn't involve vulnerable people, or weekends or evenings.

I do hospital radio been involved for years ... its a charity so lots of fundraising doing a show is great fun too and I have made life long friends.
hospital radio stations are usually quite involved with other hospital charities and the community too. Think that most people get a lot out of it probably more than you put in. there are soo many charities out there crying out for volunteers glad to see topic about it.

I've done loads of different volunteering over the years - usual playschool/PTA stuff/school reading - can be very challenging rewarding depending on what bits you take on . Meals on Wheels is good fun, I help organise various events for the elderly, charity shop work, editing and publishing newsletters, Scouting, food banks, Church stuff, fund raising.

Think about what your skills are and what you enjoy - there will be a voluntary opportunity for you somewhere; try your library/local newspaper for advice. Most towns have a 'vounteer council' or similar these days.

I currently do school appeals panels a few times a year. The LA advertise from time to time on their website. Unpaid but you get lunch and coffee etc.

I have also been involved as in sports, theatrical events, music club etc over the years as DC have been involved.

A couple of my colleagues at work are magistrates, which looks really interesting...

I've just done a 4 year stint as a school governor. Interesting and lots of skills development for me. I'm not a parent at the school concerned so was a community governor. You can see what's available locally by contacting Governor Services at the local authority or checking with SGOSS

I posted on this thread earlier, but reading all the other replies has inspired me to find something else to do too.

Any ideas for a rural area for up to 2.5 hours one morning per week, with small (3 years in April) child in tow? Something with the local elderly population maybe? I currently co-run a parent & toddler group so that one is covered!

Try a local nursing home and ask if you and your littlie can come visiting one morning per week ? When my mum was in a nursing home last year I was amazed at how visitors there were signing the visitor book and made me realise that some long term residents probably only ever saw the staff. Having a young child visit may do wonders for some of them.

Good idea throckenholt, and good way to include DD. According to yell.com our nearest one is over 6 miles away which would be a struggle to do regularly though. I am planning to phone our nearest Age UK branch today and see if there are any elderly people in our village who could benefit from someone popping round once a week to put a duster round and have a chat.