Royal Voluntary Service
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Making a difference: how your work helps others 

Our volunteers donate a huge variety of skills in a wealth of ways. They cover all kinds of roles, from working in hospital shops and cafés to offering transport for essential hospital appointments. From running weekly lunch clubs to creating community support groups.

What they all do, regardless of the role or activity they take on, is make a difference to the health and happiness of others.

That means giving people more access to services in their communities and improving social interaction. Helping people to keep doing the things they enjoy. Making sure people who might otherwise struggle to cope for themselves have the support they need. 

Find an opportunity

Important impacts

Every year, we ask our clients and participants what they get from us. They tell us that we provide support to help combat isolation and loneliness. We offer someone to turn to in a crisis or emergency. We help people feel more able to cope with challenging, difficult and anxious times. The people we support feel healthier. Closer to their communities. They make new friends and find new interests. And if that’s not enough, they feel happier, too.

Supporting the NHS

It’s not only individuals who feel the benefit – we help the NHS, too. The time we provide in hospitals through our shops, trolley services, Patient Transport, guiding and support on ward, is time that hard-pressed NHS staff can spend on care and treatment.

For example, volunteers in the NHS Volunteer Responders programme, that we deliver for the NHS, completed more than 2 million tasks throughout 2020 and 2021, helping to ease the burden on a health service battling the coronavirus pandemic.

Ready to make a difference?

How could you use your skills and abilities to make a difference to people’s lives? Our volunteers help others in a huge variety of ways.

Maybe you’re good at languages, for example, or speak more than one. You could help us reach people who don’t have English as a first language.

Maybe you have great admin skills. We always need people to keep our clubs and community groups running efficiently.

If you’re a good listener, you’ll make a great companion, over the phone or in person. If you’re physically fit, perhaps you could offer a walking or exercise group. Whatever you feel you have to offer, there will be a way we can put it to good use.

Still not sure?

That’s fine – we’re here to answer any questions you might have, and to tell you more about what you can expect from volunteering life. You can be sure that we’ll never ask for more than you feel you want to give, and that we’ll support you every single step of the way with training and guidance and people to turn to if you have any questions.  

Find out more 

You can check out existing opportunities in your area using our postcode checker to see if any of them might suit you.  

We’re like a family and never stop laughing, it’s great fun.

Lunch club volunteer June, has volunteered for over 30 years and set up her weekly lunch club. Catching up with friends over lunch and games or a quiz is the highlight of the week for members, many of whom live alone.

Check out opportunities in your area

Let’s take a look at the volunteering opportunities in your area. Just enter your postcode in the box below, and we’ll show you all the ways you can offer support in your local community.

Would you like to speak to someone?

If you would like to speak to one of the team, call 0330 555 0315, or email us.