Volunteer Support Project

Volunteering Bristol is funded until March 2011, to run a programme to improve the volunteering experience. The project aims to make volunteering more accessible to volunteers with additional support needs. This includes a variety of support needs, ranging from areas such as mental health and learning difficulties, to low levels of English and physical impairments.  We aim to work both with organisations trying to encourage people to volunteer, as well as organisations involving volunteers. 

Where can I find out more?
For more information about the project then call Piers Cardiff on 0117 989 7734 or e-mail piers@bristolvolunteers.org.uk.

How can the project support you?
If you are an organisation that is interested in encouraging your clients to volunteer, or someone that would like some extra support identifying a volunteering opportunity, then get in touch.

We can support volunteers by offering:

• 1:1 appointments to support you with identifying  volunteering opportunities
• Advice on identifying organisations who can provide additional support
• Tailored workshops and presentations to groups interested in volunteering
• Signposting free or low-cost training opportunities for volunteers

We can also support organisations involving volunteers by offering advice  on working more effectively with people with additional support needs. We can offer one off and ongoing support in the following areas;

• Assessing volunteers’ needs
• Best practice on supporting volunteers
• Free and low-cost training opportunities for your volunteers
• Working with volunteers with additional support needs
• Improving your volunteer diversity
• Retaining your volunteers more effectively

Have a look at the other pages in this section on low-cost and free training opportunities around Bristol and best practice checklists for working with a variety of groups with additional support needs.