Volunteer
Age UK York relies on volunteers to help us offer vital services in local communities across York.
Would you like to lend a hand?
Would you like to join our team?
Volunteers are at heart of what we do. Age UK York is all about people. We exist to help older people and those around them here in York and we provide a range of services each and every day to do just that. We can only do this though thanks to our team of staff and volunteers.
For over 50 years Age UK York has been there when needed, would you like to join our team and help us be there tomorrow?
Read some of the volunteer stories towards the end of this page to find out what volunteering at Age UK York means to our volunteers and those they support. There are lots of opportunities and an experience to learn something new, meet new people and make a telling difference. There is also information on how to apply and the recruitment process.
Current opportunities
We have a wide range of volunteering roles on offer and we aim to match you with a role that you will find interesting and fulfilling. There is something for everyone!
Our available opportunities are summarised here, with further details about the roles below.
Introducing our new Social Club offer in York
Our current focus is to recruit new volunteers for our social clubs team.
Social clubs are half day events, for older people to socilaise and take part in a variety of activities. Volunteers support attendees to engage with activities, help with refreshments, socialise and have fun!
Our new approach follows the end of statutory funding though the need remains and we remain committed to help meet it. We know just how important this support is both to those attending our Social Clubs who describe them as a lifeline; to their family and carers for whom it gives assurance their loved one is in the best of hands and is often a breather from caring needs. Our new volunteer team can help us again provide this lifeline on which so many older people depend and realise our plans to grow it in to the near future.
With thanks to the BBC please see a feature on BBC Look North when they joined our clients and team at one of our Social Clubs in York. It helps bring it to life and the difference we can make together...
Other Volunteering opportunities at Age UK York:
- Social club volunteers, to support attendees with activities, socialising and refreshments.
- Befrienders, to provide companionship. We have vacancies for face to face and telephone befriending.
- Retail assistants, in our Fossgate, Burton Stone Lane, Haxby and Bishopthorpe Road shops.
- Outreach volunteers to organise and staff an Age UK York information and advice desk, at venues across York.
- An outreach volunteer to liaise with parish councils and high footfall organisations, to display posters and collate information on local activities.
- Minibus driver, to transport older people to an Age UK York activity. MIDAS qualification required, or Age UK York may fund.
- Car drivers, to transport older people from their home to an Age UK York activity.
- Trustees.
- Keep Your Pet offers a range of opportunities to care for an older person's pet including dog fosterers to take an animal into their home, typically whilst an older person is in hospital. Please contact us for an informal chat about what's involved and the support and advice that's available. We also have a occasional vacancies for dog walkers and cat feeders.
What does Age UK York do?
Please read on to learn more about each of our services and the role of our volunteers and how you can be part of our team.
Befriending
Our befriending service provides companionship and support to housebound older people living alone in the community. Many older people have few social contacts and feel socially isolated and lonely. We try to alleviate this by matching the older person with a carefully selected volunteer who agrees to visit or telephone regularly, usually once a week.
Our keeping in touch service provides regular monitoring calls throughout the year to older people with more limited social contacts. These calls provide friendship and the opportunity to raise any questions or concerns the older person may have.
We are currently looking for a volunteer to provide administrative support to the befriending service, for one to two mornings or afternoons a week. Details of the role and the experience and skills required, are outlined in the role description below.
Role Description Befriending Volunteer
Information and Advice
We have two roles available within our information and advice service.
Outreach volunteers organise and staff the Age UK York information and advice desk at venues across York, which will be a gateway to the information and advice service.
The outreach volunteer- parish councils and high footfall organisations, will liaise with parish councils and other high footfall organisations, such as supermarkets, to display Age UK York posters and information. They will also collate and feedback to us, information on activities taking place in these areas.
Role Description Information and Advice Outreach
Role Description Parish Councils and high footfall organisations
Shops
Our shops in Fossgate, Bishopthorpe Road, Burton Stone Lane and Haxby are looking for shop floor volunteers. Tasks are varied and include greeting customers, advising and helping with sizes, operating tills (training provided), putting out stock, reducing stock and displays. If you are welcoming and friendly and can spare anything from a couple of hours to half a day a week, please contact us. We have a particular need for volunteers in our Fossgate shop, to cover Saturday afternoons (weekly or every second week), Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons.
Social Clubs
Volunteers support our half day social clubs and full day clubs for those with a diagnosis of dementia. The clubs offer local older people an attractive social meeting place, refreshments and interesting activities, along with giving carers a break. If you can spare a half day for the social club or a half to full day for the dementia club, and would like to support older people in York, why not join our friendly team?
Keep Your Pet
Keep Your Pet is a short term support service for domestic pet owners. Volunteers offer short term support for older and vulnerable pet owners by providing fostering, dog walking, taking the pet to the vet, animal feeding etc.
Community Events
Community event volunteers support Age UK York staff at a community event, such as a café drop in, film afternoon or other social event, socialising with attendees and encouraging conversations. They may also support with drinks and arranging chairs.
Drivers
We are looking for minibus drivers and car drivers to transport older clients to our days clubs and outing venues, so that they can partake in social activity.
Minibus drivers must be over 25 years of age and either have a MIDAS qualification or be happy to undertake one. Car drivers will have a car, have fewer than six points on their licence and expenses will be paid.
Full details of the roles, including time commitment, can be found in the role descriptions.
Role Description Day Clubs Driver (car)
Role Description Day Clubs Driver (minibus)
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Age UK York.
What to expect when applying to become a volunteer with Age UK York?
Thank you for considering Age UK York for a volunteering role. We have 250 volunteers kindly supporting us to deliver services to older residents in York.
We aim to match volunteers with a volunteering opportunity that will be both enjoyable and rewarding. As such, we undertake a comprehensive recruitment process, taking six to eight weeks and comprising of an initial expression of interest form (as seen above) an application form, interview, references, criminal records check (for most roles) and induction training.
For most volunteer opportunities, we ask our volunteers to be in a position to commit to regular and longer term volunteering of at least a year. This is to allow us to provide ongoing support to our older clients.
We are only able to accept your application if you are 18 years or older.
You will be joining a commited group of volunteers who provide invaulable support as we deliver services in York and we very much look forward to welcoming you to our team.
If you would like further information or would like to apply for a volunteering role, please complete the expression of interest form above.
Becoming a trustee
Our charity is led by volunteers as part of our Board of Trustees. If you are interested in joining and becoming a trustee, you can find out more information here.
Volunteer Stories
Many congratulations to Lesley Bowes, who is the York RLFC Knights Community Champion!
Lesley has been a volunteer with us for 18 years and has contributed in a wide range of roles, including retail, reception, befriending, telephone befriending during lockdown, community events and fundraising at St Crux.
We cannot thank you enough – you are a worthy winner!
Please listen to the clip of Lesley receiving her award and the wonderful things she says about our charity.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6a4exMI03x/?igsh=MTlyc3IybmFqeXUzMQ==
Some of our volunteers describe what being a volunteer at Age UK York means.
A long standing befriender
As a volunteer with Age UK York, over several years, I am sure I get as much pleasure out of the exercise as the people we visit. The obvious pleasure on their faces is enough for me to know it is all worthwhile. I particularly remember one gentleman, whose daughter sent me a letter following his death, saying how much he enjoyed my visits. I can recommend volunteering to the "older " generation. At age 88 years I can exchange "chat" with my friends, who are usually advancing in years - WW2, National Service, no mobile phones, computers, etc., etc., etc., even before TV and travel to sixty countries!
Volunteering is a two-way blessing, and all in name of Age UK York.
A new retail volunteer
Having nursed my husband for 2 difficult years and then experiencing his passing in the summer of last year, I found that volunteering with Age UK York enabled me to focus on something new and different. Making an effort to get up and out of the house to go to 'work' was a great incentive for me. Once I began working with Age UK York I met new people and am currently working with a fantastic team at my local (Age UK York) shop. Everyone is so friendly and supportive and the job I do gives me a great sense of satisfaction. It's been a pleasure to become a volunteer and join a team that does so much good for others!
Louise describes what being a befriending volunteer means to her
Befriending has shown me that friendship has no boundaries. I have visited my lady for ten years and we are best friends regardless of the 34 years age gap! Volunteering is definitely a two-way fulfilment and most rewarding. During coronavirus loneliness was brought to the forefront and many of the elderly were looked after by friends and neighbours, it’s a shame that it took a pandemic to raise awareness of the feelings of detachment many of the elderly suffer from.
An hour visit or phone call once a week makes such a difference to those who often don’t have so much as a conversation with another person for days or even weeks. My lady and I have made many memories together and she is very much part of my family. Joining the befriending team was certainly one of my best life decisions!
Kate, one of our Keep Your Pet volunteers, on her role
I have volunteered for Keep Your Pet for a few years now and in that time I have had the opportunity to meet several people whilst walking their dogs. I love dogs but can’t have one of my own just at the moment, so for me, to be able to help someone whilst being able to spend time with a dog is a win-win situation.
Whatever kind of day I've had at work, the moment I see a wagging tail it instantly lifts my mood, as well as getting me to spend time outside and moving after a day in the office. It really does give me a good feeling. I also help out in my capacity as a graphic designer with things like posters and newsletters, so I would say to anyone, whatever your skills, whatever time you have available, there is some way you can help and it really does make a difference.
Shaan, volunteer befriender
As a volunteer befriender, I visit my older friend weekly for a chat and catch up. I am lucky as my older friend only lives 5 mins away so I get to see him every week and if I cannot see him (I had an operation and couldn't drive for 6 weeks) back in February, I could still speak to him. We swap plants and gardening tips and always put the world to rights. I do love my time with him. What I love about volunteering in this capacity is the difference you can make in someone's life. I didn't volunteer to have someone make a difference in mine, but they did. I consider my ‘client’ a friend, and I always look forward to our Friday catch-ups.
York's Volunteering Pledge
As Age UK York we have signed the York Citywide Volunteering Pledge to show our commitment to contributing towards a thriving culture of volunteering in York.
