Disabled People
Projects

Active Volunteering Suffolk
This project is no longer recruiting volunteers. Please enter your postcode in the opportunity finder on our homepage to find more volunteering roles in your area.

Milton Keynes Volunteer Driver Service
Milton Keynes Community Car Service provides a door-to-door service which aims to help people access key appointments

Network Point Newcastle
Building capacity in volunteering within Health and Social Care

SAFE (Sexual Awareness for Everyone)
The S.A.F.E project (Sexual Awareness For Everyone) is for women living in Gwent aged 16 – 35 who have a learning need or disability. The project aims to give vulnerable young people the tools to identify appropriate and safe relationships.

SAFE Male
Volunteering Matters’ SAFE (Sexual Awareness For Everyone) male project is aimed at males aged 16-35 in Gwent who have a learning need or disability.
Case Studies

EVS Full-Time Volunteering: Yacine’s Story
'That's why, if you like to meet new people, to discover a new country and to help people while developing your skills then become a volunteer!!'

EVS Full-Time Volunteering: Mario’s Story
'My personal opinion about volunteering is that I am able to support and help others actively so I should make use of it.'

SAFE: Nicola Taylor’s story
"I am helping others receive important messages and love seeing them gaining confidence week by week."

Get Out Get Active: Asmita’s Story
Following a difficult start in life, Asmita has found real purpose, positivity and friendship through volunteering with the Get Out Get Active programme.

Futures East: Beth and Halimah
Lisa, our Project Officer for Futures East, recently spoke to two of our volunteers about their roles. Futures East is a programme that empowers young people with learning disabilities, autism and additional support needs to undertake a fulfilling and worthwhile voluntary role in the community.

Full-Time Volunteering: Lea’s Story
Lea volunteers in a school with children with disabilities, and she loves it. She feels she has grown in confidence and has developed her personality, getting to know her strengths and her flaws.

Full-time Volunteering: James’ Story
James (whose official name is Chih-Chien Chiang) is a full-time volunteer from Taiwan, who is based in London. He supports a BBC journalist with his everyday routine at work.

Full-time Volunteering: Larry’s Story
Ever wondered what a full-time volunteer actually does? Each opportunity is different, and we heard from Larry who volunteers for the disability and well being service at the London School of Economics.

Befriending Matters: Winifred’s Story
As part of our older people's focus week, we chatted to one of our long-serving volunteers about her experience as a telephone befriender, and found out what motivates her in her role.
Reports

Good Practice Toolkit: Volunteering for and with older people and people with dementia
Good Practice Toolkit: Volunteering for and with older people and people with dementia
News

Celebrating 1 million hours of volunteering in Scotland!
Our long-running Action Earth scheme is celebrating the one millionth hour of volunteering time given by volunteers on its funded projects this decade!

Support our ‘Change for Change’ appeal this #GivingTuesday
By giving something up this #GivingTuesday and donating the money that you save to Volunteering Matters you can help our young volunteers drive local change

Young men with disabilities raising awareness of ‘mate crime’ in Wales
Our SAFE Males project launched their social action project film, which focuses on the topic of 'mate crime' for those with a disability.

Speaking out against sexual harassment
Our new project for women aged 16-35 across Gwent who have learning difficulties or autism, empowering them to recognise sexual harassment and abuse

Grandmentors shortlisted for the National Mentoring Awards 2019!
We've made the final shortlist for the National Mentoring Awards 2019 with our Grandmentors programme!

People’s Postcode Lottery takes a Sporting Chance
Staff from People’s Postcode Lottery went to visit Sporting Chance in Stockton to see first-hand the sort of projects their funding supports.

Futures East project Launches in Hackney and surrounding boroughs
Volunteers from across Hackney came together at Pembury Community Centre to celebrate the launch of our Futures East project.

We’re challenging young people to start their revolution!
This month sees the launch of our brand new campaign to change young people’s perceptions of volunteering. Titled ' Revolution You ', our campaign aims to challenge preconceived notions of volunteering and encourage more young people to consider a gap year in the UK.

GOGA volunteer scoops Torch Trophy Trust award!
Morris from Lambeth, a mentor on the Get Out Get Active (GOGA) Peer Support Project has won a prestigious Torch Trophy Trust award for Outstanding Contribution to Inclusivity.
Blog Posts

Volunteer Expo Live 2022
The UK’s national Volunteering Show has landed! Volunteering Matters is delighted to be involved in Volunteer Expo Live, a national event that seeks to connect volunteers, organisations and the charity sector together under one roof in order to help introduce more people to the world of volunteering. Volunteer Expo Live, which is being hosted by … Continued

Volunteering Matters Collaborates with Mencap to inspire volunteer support
When Mencap asked us to support their initiative to encourage young people with mild and moderate learning difficulties to volunteer, we were excited to help. Volunteering can be as beneficial to the person giving support as it is to the recipient, and we felt this was especially relevant in the case of the Mencap students. Volunteering is … Continued

‘Priorities for the plan’ – views from leaders in charities and voice organisations
This blog, written by our head of policy and performance Duncan Tree, highlights how volunteering should be instrumental in shaping how health services work in the future. This piece makes up a chapter of the report 'Priorities for the plan' which you can read in full in our reports.

Volunteering, the voluntary sector and personal health budgets: unlocking inclusion and personalisation
This guest blog from the Director of Personalised Care at NHS England looks at the collaboration needed between voluntary and community organisations and Clinical Commissioning Groups to deliver Personal Health Budgets.

New Year, Volunteer!
Our Head of Communications Alison Harvie on how to get that New Year’s resolution off the page and into action.