Projects & Programmes

Run alongside NatureScot, our Action Earth programme empowers people to take action to improve their local environment through volunteering.

Active Volunteering Essex is a project to support individuals with a learning disability who want to volunteer, but feel anxious about volunteering completely independently.

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.

Cars4Carers is a Pembrokeshire based social car scheme that provides transport for unpaid carers via volunteer drivers, whether it is a food shopping trip, or just going out to socialise.

In six areas across South and West Wales our volunteers are helping thsoe at risk of loneliness and poor mental and physical health during COVID-19.

Our COVID-19 Response programme includes projects operating on a local and national level, with new roles to support the community during the pandemic.

Involving young people in supporting the health and care of others is proven to have positive benefits to patients, the community and young volunteers.

Our Employee Volunteering team has over 24 years’ experience of providing tailor-made service support to employers developing their own corporate volunteering and business volunteering programmes.

Volunteer mentoring opportunities across the ‘Wee County’, supporting young people aged 15-18.

Empowering Young People to access and sustain education employment and training

Equip Mentoring provide support for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).

Equip Mentoring provide support for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).

Being out of work for a long time can leave people feeling isolated. Equip+ connects people with volunteer mentors from their community, who support them with goal planning and guidance.

EVS (European Voluntary Service) is an international volunteer program funded by the European Commission. It enables all young people legally resident in Europe, aged between 18 and 30 years, to carry out an international volunteer service in an organisation or in a public body in Europe, Africa, Asia or South America for a period ranging … Continued

Volunteers Supporting Families recruits, trains and matches volunteers who mentor and support families with complex needs.

Full-time volunteering is a unique opportunity for people aged between 18 and 35 to undertake the challenge of living away from home for 6-12 months.

Futures Matter trains and supports volunteer leaders to devise and run volunteering initiatives for the benefit of their local community in Ipswich.

Get Out Get Active (GOGA) is a UK wide programme, funded by Spirit of 2012 that aims to encourage disabled and non-disabled people to take part in and enjoy activity together.

From creative writing to seated exercise and weekly quizzes, Getting Together Matters brings older people from across the UK together online to have fun and take part in a range of free events and activities during the pandemic.

Grandmentors: building better futures for young people leaving care in 11 areas of the UK.

Volunteer Grandmentors share their skills and experience with young people leaving care to help them get on in life.

Our handyperson service runs in Stirling and Clackmannanshire and involves older volunteers who complete small and minor maintenance jobs that some older people cannot do by themselves.

Running for one year in Warwickshire. Harnessing the power of volunteers to engage their local community in healthy living.

Heather’s Hair is an RSVP project that creates hairpieces and weaves for people experiencing hair loss due to chemotherapy or other reasons.

The Hounslow Allies project recruits, trains and supports adults from the local community to become allies (Independent Visitors) to looked after children and young people.

Empowering pupils to become better versions of themselves.

We’re working with local partners to help them recruit Journey Makers, keeping people safe on the transport networks as lockdown restrictions ease.

KEO recruits and trains volunteers to empower families with young children to take more of an active role in their child’s education.

Learn Together Cymru is a project that supported children and young people one-to-one with their reading, maths, languages in schools and community learning settings across Wales. Over 200 volunteers continue to support children in their local primary schools and we are still actively looking for ways to continue to grow this work. 

Lifelines project in Brighton brings together people aged 50+ both as volunteers running activities and as participants in the wide range of volunteer-run activities.

Through our fantastic volunteers, Match and Mentor provides support for individuals with learning difficulties and additional support needs to volunteer.

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

Building capacity in volunteering within Health and Social Care

Through tailored support and advice, Newport 360 is a new partnership that supports people in Newport to overcome the challenges they may face.  

Norfolk Knitters and Stitchers provide support to charities at home and abroad with hand knitted items as well as creating a community & friendship for isolated individuals.

North Lanarkshire Befrienders provide a befriending service to vulnerable young people aged 8-18 in the local area.

Led by volunteers aged 16-25, who have been supported and trained by our team, these young people want to play an active role in their community by championing mental health, whilst developing their own skills at the same time.

Perspectives aims to give marginalised adults the chance to be seen, heard, included and participate in their community.

Through tailored support and advice, RCT 360 supports people in Rhondda Cynon Taff to overcome the challenges they may face.   RCT 360 is a collaboration between Artis Community Cymuned, Mental Health Wales, Sgiliau and Volunteering Matters, designed to remove barriers to opportunities and employment by offering tailored support, advice and mentoring.  By offering the support … Continued

Family support packs free Children Packs User-friendly, informative and engaging packs for primary-school aged children! Two new packs a month for families Each pack consists of 48 pages packed with fun and resilience-building activities free Adult Packs Information around COVID-19 and family activities. Adult packs come in five languages: English, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish Order your online-pack today by … Continued

For over 30 years RSVP – Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme – has been enabling people aged 50 and over to contribute their energy, enthusiasm and experience as volunteers for the benefit of their communities.

Driving schemes are a lifeline to some older and more vulnerable people living in the UK who may not be able to get around easily.

RSVP in Forth Valley encourages and assists older people to use their skills and experience to volunteer and keep active in retirement.

Our knitting groups, are growing increasingly popular with over 5,000 social action knitters across the UK producing in excess of 50 big bin-bags worth of knitted goods per month

Our Retired and Senior Volunteer Programmes (RSVP) offer volunteering in local schools across the UK, for people aged 50+, where they can support pupils with with reading, maths or specialized subjects.

RSVP West is a key region for our RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme) and covers Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset.

A partnership project focussed on tackling rural isolation among older people, developed by Outside the Box, Volunteering Matters Cymru and the National Development Team for Inclusion.

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.

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.

Sporting Chance invites older men to join in activities and exercise groups from walking football to arm chair exercise, Aquasize to reminiscence sessions.

Stepping Stones is an exciting new project in Milton Keynes funded by Bucks, Luton and Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group (BLMK CCG). We work in partnership with Service Six to support children and young people aged between 8 and 25 years old transition from inpatients mental health services into their Milton Keynes communities. Often transitioning out of … Continued

By becoming a Team London Young Ambassador they will build brighter futures for themselves, their peers and communities across London.

The Loop gives beneficiaries the opportunity to become volunteers. It enables participants to access the social group as and when they need support, progress onto the Goals Group when ready and take their learning further within the Projects Group.

Volunteer Centre Newcastle acts as a connector between people and communities with a database of opportunities across the city.

WASSUP is a project run by local young women in Ipswich. They focus on raising awareness of sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, honour based violence and gang grooming. They also prioritise lobbying for changes to social policy and practice on these issues promoting young people’s voice.

Young people aged 16-19 years (up to 25 for SEND) are working together to educate peers on issues that impact them.

From exploitation to domestic abuse and grooming, these young volunteers are lobbying for change by promoting young people’s voices and raising awareness in Greenwich.

Inspired by Ipswich-based project WASSUP, We Are Patrick is a youth social action programme delivered by young men in Ipswich.

Welcome Friends provides friendship through home visits and telephone calls by volunteers, reducing social isolation and improving well-being. We also encourage attendance at local group activities.

The SAFE programme, Activ8 and Mind Matters response to COVID-19