Volunteering information

As a volunteer you could make a difference for older people in Blackburn with Darwen. We recruit on a vacancy basis. If you are a business with employees looking to volunteer get in touch to discuss as we have a variety of options for corporate volunteering and we would love to hear from you.

What do I do to become a volunteer?

It is very important to us that our volunteers enjoy their volunteering role and get back as much as they put in. In order to prepare you for your volunteering role we have a recruitment and online training process in place.As many volunteering roles involve contact with vulnerable older people, 2 references from people who have known you for more than 6 months and DBS checks are required, where applicable, as a legal requirement and necessary under our safeguarding practices. This can take up to 8 weeks to complete.
There is no upper age limit to volunteer (apart from volunteer driving roles) but you do need to be aged 16 or over to apply. Whilst we do offer short term volunteering opportunities some roles are not suitable as they require a minimum time and training commitment. Please be aware that we have limited resources for administering volunteer recruit so it could take up to 5 working days for acknowledgement of your application.

What you will get out of volunteering

• It's a great way to make a real difference to someone's life
• You'll be giving something  back to your community
• You get to be part of Age UK Blackburn with Darwen's volunteer team
• These are unpaid roles but you will be reimbursed for out of pocket travel expenses
• Volunteers tell us they find their roles really rewarding
• It looks good to potential employers

What is expected of me?

• Attend informal interviews with the Service line manager
• Complete an application form and provide us with 2 references – Please make sure that your referees know to expect a request from us. We cannot accept relatives as referees
• Undertake DBS and driving license checks where appropriate for the role
• Undertake mandatory online training before starting volunteering- support is given as needed
• Respect our organisational values and operating principles

You can read our Privacy Notice for Volunteer Applicants here

Student Placements and work experience opportunities

We welcome students on placement or work experience with us - these are usually arranged directly with the education provider. For more details see our dedicated student placements page