Volunteering with York Neighbours
Without our brilliant volunteers leading our work supporting older people in York, there would no York Neighbours.
They come from all over our city, and all walks of life - be them retired, students, working adults, those with caring responsibilities, people seeking opportunities for work experience, and more.
Many of them say they get just as much benefit from volunteering with us as the people they are helping.
Crucially too, we do not need our volunteers to make a regular or minimum time commitment. So whether you have the occasional hour or more to give, there are always opportunities to help.
The different Volunteer roles we offer:
We offer a variety of roles to appeal to peoples’ different skills and interests:
Task and errands
Helping our Neighbours with one-off jobs from changing light bulbs, picking up shopping or prescriptions, basic DIY, support with digital devices, and more. If it’s something a volunteer can help with, we’ll give it a go!
Wellbeing phone calls
Providing our Neighbours with regular opportunities to have a chat with someone who cares about how they are feeling, what they have been up to, and any help they might need from us or another service.
Outings support and planning
Helping us to plan our social outings for our Neighbours; making phone calls, sending letters and emails, visiting local venues to assess suitability, and looking into transport options, as well as joining them if you like!
Occasional lifts in the car
Our Volunteer drivers are vital for us to be able to hold our social outings.
Office admin
Lend a hand to our staff with all they do behind the scenes.
Fundraising support
Working with our new Community Fundraiser to raise awareness and vital funds.
Help with delivering newsletters, letters, and personal cards
Help us to save on expensive postage fees, and get a bit of exercise too!
Applying to Volunteer, and the recruitment process:
People can apply to volunteer with us at any time. The quickest way is by filling in the form below but, if you prefer, you can ring the office to speak with a staff member who can do it for you.
After you apply, you will hear back from us in January, May, or October (whichever comes first) as this is when we progress all the applications we’ve received. As part of this process, for the majority of our roles, we need:
- Run a DBS (police) check
- Seek two references for you
- Hold an informal interview with you
- You will also need to complete a short online safeguarding course, and sign our Volunteering Code of Practice.
What our Volunteers can expect from us:
All reasonable expenses are claimable, including a mileage allowance of 45p per mile.
Ongoing access to, and support from, our staff team. This includes an Annual Review to check-in with each other, see how things are going, and if there’s anything we can do to improve your volunteering experience.
Regular opportunities for learning, development, and training - and of course the chance to socialise with other volunteers, our staff, and our Neighbours.