Volunteering

As a Face-to-Face Befriender, you will visit a neighbour who may be lonely or isolated.  Have a chat over a cup of tea or pop out for a walk, it’s up to you and your friend. You can alternatively create meaningful moments through phone calls as a Phone Befriender. These calls provide engagement and enjoyment to people who are experiencing loneliness and isolation. Volunteering as a Befriender can make a huge difference to the happiness and well-being of an older person.

- Minimum time commitment: 30 mins - 1 hour weekly or fortnightly
- Minimum length of commitment: 6 months

This role is to support patients transitioning from hospital to home, ensuring their discharge is safe, smooth, and successful. By providing practical assistance and emotional support, you will play a key role in helping individuals regain independence, prevent readmission, and access community resources.  

If you’re looking to make a difference and help people while gaining valuable experience, we’d love to hear from you!

- Minimum time commitment: 1 - 2 hours a week

- Minimum length of commitment: 4 - 6 weeks

To apply for this role please visit the Care For Me website and apply online. If you are an existing volunteer you won't need to complete all of our security checks.

Age UK Lambeth regularly collects donations at TFL stations across Lambeth, including Waterloo, Brixton and Oval stations.

Station collections provide a great opportunity to raise awareness of Age UK and our commitment to helping Lambeth residents make the most of later life. 

This role is a great way to give back to the local community, requiring just a small amount of your time. Yet the monetary impact on our services is huge! With flexible commitments and a variety of locations to choose from, this is a great role for anyone looking to help out sporadically on days that work for you.

- Minimum time commitment: 2-3 hours a month
- Minimum length of commitment: Flexible

As a Walking Volunteer, you will be leading short, accessible, community-based health walks for people wishing to improve their health through regular physical activity. The walks will be in groups of no more than 12 people and provide social engagement along with weekly psychical activity. 

The programme is in memory of our former Chair Diana Kahn and is used to encourage our members to hit the streets and make the most of our local parks! 

- Minimum time commitment: 1 hour a week
- Minimum length of commitment: 3 months

Help run one-off activities and events to fundraise for Age UK Lambeth and make a difference to the local community.

We’re looking for people to offer their time to help with fundraising campaigns, projects and events. Whether you can commit to a one-off, weekly, monthly, or quarterly contribution; it all helps! This is a great role for anyone interested in learning about and developing their project management skills and will look great on any CV!

Community Fundraising opportunities include; taking part in a sponsored event (fun-runs, cycle races, obstacle courses etc.), supporting our fundraising efforts by collecting donations at various events and spaces in Lambeth, hosting a bake sale, or other fundraising activity.

- Minimum time commitment: 1 - 2 hours a week
- Minimum length of commitment: 3 months

Age UK Lambeth is looking for university students and researchers with an interest in social care and wellbeing in old age.

Students are invited to conduct qualitative and/or quantitative research to address older people’s experiences, wellbeing and challenges in the borough of Lambeth. This research can be part of a specific dissertation topic or support a wider social research project. At least a portion of your research will need to be conducted in Lambeth or have a focus on Lambeth’s older community and residents.

- Minimum time commitment: 2 hours a week

- Minimum length of commitment: Flexible

If you are interested in any of the volunteering roles or believe you have skills we might find useful, you can apply online by completing our application form:

If you require a hard copy application, you can call us on 0333 360 3700 and we will post a form to you with a stamped and addressed envelope for you to return your application to us. Once your application is received by mail, our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you via telephone to discuss your application and how best to get you started.

We aim to contact you within one week of receipt of your application to arrange for your reference collection, DBS check, and your Volunteer Induction.

DBS checks are used in the voluntary sector to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work that involves children or vulnerable adults.

You can find a list of accepted documents on this link to our DBS Submission Form

Yes, we will need to carry out a new DBS check unless you are signed up for the DBS Update Service and have a certificate for an Enhanced Adults check.

Waiting times to start volunteering vary. It depends on how quickly we receive your references and when you complete your induction and DBS checks. 

For Befriending volunteers, once you've fully completed your application, we will find you a befriending match within 10 working days. 

Having the coronavirus vaccination is not compulsory for volunteering with us, however, if you have not been vaccinated it may affect the type of role you can do. Due to the nature of our work with vulnerable adults, we are asking all new volunteers if they are willing to share their vaccination status with us to help with placing you in a volunteer role.

The time needed in each role varies depending on which service you are volunteering with. The frequency of your involvement and the minimum length of commitment for each role can be found on our website here. 

You can also discuss with our Volunteer Coordinator the time you have available and your interests and skills, to explore what possible roles would be suitable, both to fit in with you, and Age UK Lambeth.

Age UK Lambeth asks for enthusiasm and commitment. Though some of our opportunities benefit from certain skill sets:

• Befriending roles require empathy and good listening skills.
• Digital Champions require a moderate understanding of using the internet and email, as well as using a mobile device.
• Walking Volunteers require the ability to encourage, motivate and provide support to participants and others.

Volunteering is free to take part in. You may need to pay for travel expenses however we will try our best to match you with someone local to you.

Volunteers can request reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, such as travel costs and, if devoting a full day to the charity, a sandwich lunch or equivalent. Payment of reasonable expenses must be authorised by your staff contact in advance and receipts or tickets will be required.

This Expense Form is to be used to record those expenses you incur whilst volunteering for us and for which you wish to be reimbursed. Please refer to your Volunteer Agreement for a full description of which expenses can be reimbursed.

We support volunteers from the point of initial interest and help you find the right volunteer opportunity and match, ensuring your experience is a positive one. We are an inclusive service and encourage people with all types of abilities to register.

All volunteers receive a training induction when joining Age UK Lambeth. All volunteers receive updated online training and courses around Safeguarding and Health & Wellbeing when available. This is free to attend.

The minimum age to become a volunteer with Age UK Lambeth is 18. There is no upper age limit for volunteers.

It is your responsibility to make sure you can volunteer while in the UK. In general, if you are from the European Union or European Economic Area you will be able to volunteer with us but you should always check your visa conditions to be certain of this. If you have any doubts or questions you should contact UK Visas and Immigration.

Our fundraising team has a range of upcoming events and sponsorship opportunities that our volunteers can get involved in. Upcoming opportunities are listed on our website here. Please email fundraising@ageuklambeth.org if you have something else in mind or are keen to find out more.

If you are interested in staying up to date on how you can get involved you can also sign up for our monthly marketing & fundraising newsletter here.

Email our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@ageuklambeth.org