WANT TO VOLUNTEER?

Volunteer Centre Derbyshire Dales can help you find the voluntary role that is right for you!

We are in touch with a wide range of local organisations that are looking for volunteers, and we are registered to input vacancies onto the national database of volunteer opportunities. Fill in the Quick Search on this page to search for opportunities near you - you'll be surprised at the variety of possibilities.

If you would like help in thinking about exactly what sort of role would suit you best, we have a Volunteering Development Officer who can meet with you and explore the options.

• Sam Tock (01629 810907) covers the northern part of the Derbyshire Dales, based in Bakewell.
• Sarah Hallam (01335 348602) covers the southern part of the Derbyshire Dales based in Ashbourne.

We can provide a confidential interview room at our offices.

What our volunteers say about volunteering:

"The work is varied. I can be shopping with a client in order to help them get out and about, or I can be filling in forms or chatting over a cup of tea. I love to chat and listen to my befriendees' experiences of life" - Befriending Volunteer with Age UK.

"After I retired I wanted to something useful....I gain a sense of ‘putting something back’ into the community. The customers are wonderful and always grateful for whatever you do. The training is thorough and gives me another skill. I thoroughly enjoy my time with ACT" - Volunteer Driver and Trustee, Ashbourne Community Transport

"I have had some fascinating experiences as a volunteer......the work has been varied, enjoyable and fun and has led to new friendships. Becoming part of a team and helping tackle jobs which are useful to others is a great way to use some of my free time" - Volunteer Helper, Peak Rail Project

"Volunteering has given me valuable practical experience, I have gained useful professional contacts as well as close friends. It gets me into the fresh air and provides me with a satisfying sense of achievement in a worthwhile cause " - Volunteer Ranger, Groundwork

"[Volunteering gives me] A good laugh – lots of friends – I’m never lonely despite being a widow. It’s nice to give something back to the world – I have a lot of fun " - Helper, Denefields Lunchclub

"Since I retired I wanted an opportunity to continue using my IT skills. Volunteering for a charity also makes me feel I am doing something useful " - Volunteer Maintenance and IT, Farming Life Centre

"[Volunteering] has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me. [It has] given me invaluable confidence and skills. The feeling of doing something worthwhile and helping people to live the life they choose is the best feeling I have yet experienced. I hope to continue my voluntary work well into the future " - Centre Volunteer, Bancroft Day Centre

VCDD also runs two schemes of its own, and we are always pleased to hear from volunteers who may want to help with these:

• Our Voluntary Car Scheme, which takes vulnerable people to medical appointments, is always keen to find new drivers - you'll need your own car, but we will pay a sensible mileage allowance to help cover your running costs
• The Readycall scheme provides Befriending and practical help to the isolated and disadvantaged. We need people with DIY skills as well as those who could help take people shopping or just call in regularly for a cup of tea

If you would like to find out more these schemes, give us a call on Ashbourne (01335) 344700 - or drop in and see us at Ashbourne Business Centre, above Swinton Insurance in Dig Street. We are open 10am to 1pm Monday to Friday.