Becoming a Paul’s place Volunteer

‘Formal Volunteering’ is defined as giving unpaid help through groups, clubs or organisations to benefit another.

At Paul’s Place, volunteers are invaluable in assisting staff to provide a warm, welcoming family atmosphere at our Day Facility, evening social groups and on respite trips. This can be in many ways and volunteers can get as actively involved in Paul’s Place as they choose to. The amount of time you share with us is up to you, but we would request that it is on a regular basis eg Monday mornings, Thursday all day, Wednesday evenings etc, for ease of planning activities.

Some volunteers may choose to sit and talk to members: enjoy their company, share experiences and conversation whilst other members may need a little more individual assistance with tasks; anything from encouragement to being more vocal, to writing answers for games and quizzes or assisting members eating their lunch and making tea and coffee for the group - this and everything in between!

Many volunteers have a skill to bring to Paul’s Place such as photography, art, playing a musical instrument, speaking a language or simply being confident enough to hold discussion groups. Others feel more comfortable with one to one conversations and would rather remain in the back ground more so. Each volunteer is just as valued as the next - variety is everything!

Volunteers come in many different shapes, sizes, ages, ethnic backgrounds and with many different qualities - we welcome them all with open arms. Paul’s Place adheres to a strict Equal Opportunities Policy and is opposed to all forms of discrimination. We also endorse the Volunteers Charter.

Volunteers will be asked about their development needs and expectations at their induction, to make certain that everyone gets the optimum out of volunteering. Volunteering can also be very rewarding for the volunteer and enrich their lives, providing a ‘feel good’ factor for doing something for others because you choose to and also a feeling that you are being an asset to the community by doing something worthwhile. There is an opportunity of a great social life for volunteers, if that is the route you choose to go down, with evening social get-togethers and respite trips both in this country and abroad. Full details of all forthcoming events will be made available to you by our quarterly magazine, which is produced by the members and staff.