Volunteering in Somerset and North Somerset

Our Wellbeing Service Volunteering opportunities

If your passion is to help reduce loneliness and bring some happiness into a local older person's life, these roles are for you.

WALK AND TALK VOLUNTEERING

We are looking for friendly people in Somerset and North Somerset who would enjoy spending a short amount of time each week with a local older person walking and talking.

We are looking for friendly people in Somerset & North Somerset who would enjoy going out for a short 'walk and talk' with an older person once a week.

This role involves joining an older person for a gentle walk and chat once a week, for 16 weeks initially.

The aim of this role is to help reduce loneliness and feelings of isolation, build confidence and improve the physical and mental well-being of your client by providing good company and the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of being out in the open air.

The Walk and Talk programme, part of our Wellbeing Service, is free and very popular so we are always desperate for new Volunteers to join the team.  Full training is given.  This role would suit someone who would like to help older people in their community, and who enjoy talking and listening.

To learn more about the service please visit our Walk and Talk page.

REQUIREMENTS

• Volunteers must be over 18.
• References and a DBS check are required for this role.
• This role requires that volunteers can commit to 16 weeks, and have a good level of mobility.
  
  

VOLUNTEER BENEFITS:

• Meet new people
• Get outdoors
• Stay active
• Feel happier
• Sense of belonging
• Improved Self-esteem
• Sense of Purpose
• Sense of Achievement
• Feel Less Lonely
• Improved Social Skills
• Improved Relationships
• New Friendships
  
  

FRIENDLY PHONE CALLS VOLUNTEERING

This role does “what it says on the tin”.  You could be the person to brighten someone’s day by picking up the phone and having a chat from the comfort of your own home.

The role involves calling an older client once a week for a chat to support them, help to boost their mood and reduce feelings of loneliness or isolation. Friendly Phone Calls are part of our free Wellbeing Service and has the aim of improving the wellbeing of clients through regular contact. We try to match volunteers with clients who share things in common and the service co-ordinator is always on hand to offer support or make useful suggestions.

For this volunteer role we are seeking friendly, positive, patient people who would like to help older people in their community, who are good listeners and enjoy having a chat.

REQUIREMENTS

• Volunteers must be over 18.
• References and a DBS check are required for this role.
• Ideally the Volunteer will have a phone plan with free minutes

VOLUNTEER BENEFITS:

• Talking to others
• Increase in confidence
• Meet new people
• Feel happier
• Sense of belonging
• Improved Self-esteem
• Sense of Purpose
• Sense of Achievement
• Feel Less Lonely
• Improved Social Skills
• New Friendships
  
  

WELLBEING FRIENDS VOLUNTEERING

We are looking for friendly people in Somerset and North Somerset who would enjoy spending a short amount of time each week visiting a local older person to provide company and a friendly chat.

This programme, part of the Wellbeing service, matches a friendly volunteer with an older client in their local area for a weekly home visit to reduce loneliness, provide companionship and a window to the outside world.  It is about company and conversation to brighten the day. It is not about providing home help, transport or a shopping service.

The free Wellbeing Friends programme is for those older people who are not mobile enough to take advantage of our Walk and Talk programme (for which we also need Volunteers!).

Priority is given to older people who live alone so you know that if you Volunteer you will be helping those that need it the most.

To learn more about the service please visit our Walk and Talk page.

REQUIREMENTS

• Volunteers must be over 18.
• References and a DBS check are required for this role.
  
  

VOLUNTEER BENEFITS:

• Meet new people
• Enjoy new experiences
• Feel happier
• Sense of belonging
• Improved Self-esteem
• Sense of Purpose
• Sense of Achievement
• Feel less Lonely
• Improved Social Skills
• Improved Relationships
• New Friendships
• Knowing that you are using your time to make a real difference in your local community
• Invitations to social events with other volunteers
• Out of pocket expenses reimbursed - check in advance with the Manager of the service.
  
  

AGEING WELL VOLUNTEERING

Become an Ageing Well Volunteer and you'll bring older people together for gentle exercise sessions and a chance to be sociable and have fun.

No previously experience is necessary, and after training Volunteers lead regular group exercise sessions.  Usually these are chair-based activity sessions we now call 'Sit, Fit and Fun' (previously called ‘Flexercise’), but sometimes we are able to offer Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi training (leading to running sessions on our behalf), and other opportunities.

Sit, Fit and Fun sessions involve games, music and fun. Volunteers plan activities and exercises bringing people together to benefit from being social and active which improves mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Most people, whatever their age or condition, benefit from physical activity and this is where our Ageing Well Volunteers come in!

Volunteers are needed to join the Ageing Well team across the whole of Somerset and North Somerset. 

For our Ageing Well volunteering role we are looking for people who would like to help older people in their community,  who can spare a couple of hours every week or so, enjoy physical activity and have a great sense of humour as having fun in your classes will be of the utmost importance!

REQUIREMENTS

• Volunteers must be over 18.
• References are required for this role.
• Training is provided on the understanding that Volunteers will commit to lead sessions for a minimum amount of time.
• You do not need to be super fit to undertake this role but it does require that volunteers have a good level of mobility.

VOLUNTEER BENEFITS

• Meet new people
• Feel happier
• Sense of belonging
• Improved Fitness
• Improved Sleep
• Increased Energy Levels
• Improved Self-esteem
• Sense of Purpose
• Sense of Achievement
• Feel Less Lonely
• Improved Social Skills
• New Friendships
• Learn new skills

INFORMATION AND ADVICE VOLUNTEERING

In the role of Information & Advice Volunteer you can make a real difference to an older person’s life.  When someone is struggling financially they often keep it to themselves and it can turn into a heavy weight, causing a great deal of anxiety and sleepless nights. In this volunteering role you can help to lift these horrible feelings and really improve a client’s quality of life. 

We need Information and Advice volunteers across our whole area of Somerset and North Somerset.

After training and shadowing other volunteers on visits to ensure you feel confident, you will be offered assignments where you visit a client at their home to assist them in completing the forms which will enable them to receive the benefits they are entitled to, which can make a big difference.  Our Information and Advice team in the office are always on hand to provide support.

Although this may sound daunting, with every form and visit the process becomes easier and our Volunteers report getting an immense feeling of satisfaction every time they hear that one of their claims has been successful.

This role is never boring.  Every assignment is different and you will get to meet interesting people along the way.

The role is flexible as you can pick and choose where and when you would like to work, and you will make your own arrangements with the client you will be visiting. We do ask our Volunteers to carry out a certain number of assignments during the year and we also offer refresher training sessions to ensure your knowledge is up to date.

This role is suited to someone who would like to help older people in their community, who is well organised, ideally good with paperwork, good at listening and able to tactfully draw out the information needed to make a successful claim. 

REQUIREMENTS

• Volunteers must be over 18.
• References and a DBS check are required for this role.
• Ideally Volunteers will have their own transport to enable them to undertake assignments in the more rural locations in our area.

VOLUNTEER OUTCOMES:

• Learn new skills
• Talking to others
• Increase in confidence
• Meet new people
• Feel happier
• Sense of belonging
• Improved Self-esteem
• Sense of Purpose
• Sense of Achievement
• Feel Less Lonely
• Improved Social Skills
• New Friendships

How to enquire or apply

To express your interest in this role, or to find out more, please don't hesitate to get in touch by emailing volunteers@ageuksomerset.org.uk , telephoning 01823 345627 or

Complete our Enquiry Form

MEMORY CONNECTIONS GROUP VOLUNTEERING

Our Memory Connections service uses Cognitive Stimulation Therapy activities in its weekly groups for clients with a recent, mild to moderate diagnosis of dementia.

These weekly activity sessions have been shown to slow the progression of the disease.

We hold Memory Connections sessions both online and at venues around Somerset and North Somerset.  We need Volunteers for each group venue to provide support and help run these weekly fun activity sessions.

We only need one Volunteer per group, and we like to match Volunteers by location so do please get in touch to see if there is a group happening near you.  

Learn more about our Memory Connections, Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy service here.