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Find out about volunteering

Volunteering is an activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or individuals or groups other than (or in addition to) close relatives.

The London Volunteering Forum (of which VC Bexley is a member) has defined volunteering as “being mutually beneficial (to individual and organisation), independently chosen and freely given; enabling and flexible wherever possible and with a community or social benefit”

The Volunteer Centre provides a brokerage service between organisations who need volunteers and people who either live in Bexley or want to volunteer in Bexley. We work across all sectors – voluntary, community, public and private organisations

Please use the links below to find the best route for us to help you start volunteering!

I would like to have a one-to-one signposting session with a trained advisor

The Centre currently offers a Drop-In Facility at our offices – open Tuesday and Thursday 10.00 am – 12.00 noon.  

Prospective volunteers can come into our offices and either have a half hour session on one of our computers searching the database for an opportunity which matches their availability and interests or choose to have a “one to one” conversation with a trained advisor and then sit on our comfy sofa to read through identified opportunities. Appointments outside these times can also be requested if necessary and we will endeavour to accommodate you within our office hours.

It is advisable to pre-book if you are interested in accessing the Drop in Facility to ensure that a member of staff is available to assist you. For more information please contact Mel Shepherd on 020 8304 0911 or email us at bexleyvc@bvsc.co.uk and put “Drop in Appointment Request” in the header line indicating what times or sessions would be most convenient for you.

I want to search for opportunities online on the national website

If you prefer to search online for a suitable opportunity, please use the link below to www.do-it.org.uk You will be asked to give your postcode, distance you want to travel, the type of organisation you want to volunteer for and the type of activity you are interested in together with your availability and it will give you opportunities that match your search criteria. If one is of interest, you will be asked to complete an online registration form. If the opportunity has been posted by our Volunteer Centre we will receive your enquiry and aim to provide you with the contact details of your chosen organisation within 5 working days from receipt. You will then need to make contact with them yourself either by email or telephone. If the opportunity has been posted by the organisation itself or another Volunteer Centre they will receive your enquiry and deal with it so please make sure you have taken a note of who has posted the opportunity on the website so you know who to contact to follow up your enquiry if necessary.

After a couple of months we will contact you by email to find out if you have started volunteering or if you need more assistance but you can come back to us anytime before that if you need more help – just use our contact details on our home page.

Check out our other links if you decide online registration is not for you!

I have a mental health issue or a learning disability – can you help me volunteer?

This project is funded by Bexley Care Trust to help people with a mental health issue, a learning disability or who have had a brain injury.  To access the project you will need to meet these criteria because due to level of support offered there is a limited number of people each year we can help to volunteer.

Our Volunteer Support Project Worker works 20 hours per week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday although messages can be left for her at any time during our open hours.

If you want to volunteer or if you are a Support Worker with a client you feel would benefit from volunteering– and you meet the criteria above – please contact Sharon on 020 8304 0911 or by email vspworker@bvsc.co.uk marking your subject line “VSP Volunteering Enquiry”

How the Project Works:-

  • The Volunteer Support Project Worker will arrange a convenient appointment for you to come in and see her
  • At the meeting you will discuss what sort of things you are interested in, what you have done in the past, things that you feel good at, the type of activities you prefer doing – and also what you do not want to do because this is also important to ensure that the placement has the best chance of success for you – whether you are on any medication, how you feel on a daily basis ie you might prefer volunteering in the morning because you feel worse in the afternoon and any concerns you may have
  • If you have a Support Worker, they will be asked to attend with you as well
  • Together you will identify a suitable role from one of the organisations we have pre-selected for this project to ensure they are able to offer you the level of understanding required to carry out your volunteering satisfactorily and you will also agree on the appropriate level of support required
  • The Volunteer Support Project Worker will then take up a couple of references from people who know you – don’t worry about this because if it is a problem, we can look at how we can sort it out for you
  • You will be accompanied to your interview with your chosen organisation and then the support will continue in the agreed format for a maximum of 6 months
  • During this time, regular contact between you and the Volunteer Support Project Worker will be maintained to ensure that the placement continues to work and meet your needs and those of the organisation you are volunteering with
  • The placement can be reviewed at any time if you feel it is no longer right for you and if appropriate we will help you look for something else that might be more suitable for you.  Some people also like to take on a second role and we can help you with that as well if the time is right

If you would like any more information please download our Volunteer Support Project leaflet