Volunteering Opportunities

Bath Gateway Out and About provides age appropriate Social and Leisure Activities on a weekly basis for our members of 18 years plus who have many different kinds of disabilities.

Our aim is to help and support our members get out and about and experience some of the pleasures of life that others may take for granted.

Our club is looking for volunteers to help support our members to enjoy Social and Leisure Activities on a weekly basis, for example their programme will include: meals out; boat trips; cinema visits; attendingnight clubs and discos; panto; summer B-B-Qs; picnics in the park; pub visits; day trips; an annual holiday excursion; fundraising events and much more!

The weekly activities take place on Monday or Wednesday evenings between 7pm and 9pm.

As a laundry room assistant, you will support our staff and animals by washing towels, blankets and animal bedding. In addition to this, you will sort through the donated bedding and towels we receive and decide what items we can keep, what can be recycled and what we need to throw away, endeavouring to waste as little as possible. You will also be ensuring that the laundry room is always kept clean and tidy and checking that machines are in proper working order.

Your activities will include:

• Cleaning and drying any laundry that is generated during the daily running of the centre
• Folding and storing clean laundry which will include bedding and towels, toys and vet beds from our recovery suite
• Sorting donated bedding and towels, deciding which can be used, recycled or disposed of
• Keeping the laundry room tidy
• Reporting any issues with the washing machines or tumble dryers to our site maintenance team

About You

This can sometimes be a messy task, so a willingness to get your hands dirty is essential as you will sometimes be cleaning soiled blankets, towels and vet beds used in our recovery suite. There is a manual handling element of the role, so this should be considered upon application.

You don’t need to have any prior experience, you will be given full onsite training on how to use our machines and where everything goes.

Meeting and greeting patients.
Offering support to patients or loved ones.
Supporting patients at organised courses/workshops.

The role involves providing a welcome to the city of Bath, handing out maps to visitors, using a tablet to find information for visitors and record enquiries and participating in an initial training session, plus regular meetings to keep up-to-date on what’s happening in the city.

We are always on the lookout for enthusiastic people over 18 years of age who are warm and friendly, with strong interpersonal skills. The team are out and about in all weathers, and applicants must be able to stand and walk for a four-hour shift. You must be proud to show off this city, with a good knowledge of Bath.

The role requires giving eight-to-twelve hours per month on a rota basis (two or three 4-hour shifts). Welcome Ambassadors operate predominantly Thursday to Sunday between 10am and 4pm. Shift choices are 10am to 2pm or 12pm to 4pm, with a tea break in between. During busy periods for the city, such as Bath Christmas Market and university graduation days, there are more ambassador hours and days.

If you’d like us to send you a full role description and an application form, please email welcomevc@bathbid.co.uk.

The Project Leaders would support the group and be involved in planning and delivery:

The group would have space for 15-20 students and would run 3 times in the first year, acting as a pilot project, with more heavy staff support initially and more in-depth review, following each session. The role of the project leader would:

1. To promote the event through marketing and social media

2. To source ingredients, set up, support the group, learn how to make pizzas, and additional training around men's mental health, wellbeing, and support services.

3. Eat Pizza!

First Event Info

All project leaders would have to fulfill certain training before leading a session, such as what to do in the event of disclosure so you will need to be open, empathetic, and passionate about the importance of building a community for men to feel comfortable sharing. As it's a new project it will be heavily staff-supported with a view to it becoming student-led in the future. Ideally you would be available for all 3 sessions across the year (Oct, Feb, Apr)

Please note due to the nature of the project this would be a mens only space so we invite applications for the role from men.

If you would like to get involved with other vteam projects as a project leader we also have other roles available from September so please get in touch vteam@bath.ac.uk

We take children on voyages as readers and writers, and we’re on the lookout for volunteers to join our virtual Crew. 

Who are The Literacy Pirates?  

Through our term-long, after-school programme, we develop the literacy, confidence and perseverance of children aged 9-13 who are falling behind in school and have fewer opportunities in their personal lives, so that they can succeed at school and beyond. 

Children join us on our Virtual Ship once a week to practise their reading and writing. By welcoming them into our joyful spaces, publishing their work in the real world, and celebrating everything they do, we develop their literacy, confidence and perseverance. 

What does a Volunteer Crewmate do? 

As a Volunteer Crewmate, your role is to join our online sessions and help children practise their reading and writing, 1:2 and in small groups. 

Sessions are led and managed by our staff team, which means your time is solely focused on supporting the children.  

You will: 

• receive full training. 

• help children practise reading and writing by providing constant encouragement, positivity and celebration of their achievements. 

• take part in games and have fun! 

• be invited to virtual celebration events with the children to see the difference that you’ve made. 

We offer: 

• employment references, for volunteers who have fulfilled their commitment of 12 sessions with us. 

• work placements for students. 

• Tempo Time Credits – for every session you volunteer, you will be rewarded with credits that can be exchanged for tangible rewards such as cinema tickets, yoga classes and more! 

What are we looking for? 

We ask volunteers to give just two afternoons every half-term, although you are welcome to volunteer as frequently as you like! 

Sessions run every weekday from 3:45 to 6:15 p.m. and you will have the flexibility to select which sessions you would like to attend. 

No experience is required to become a volunteer – just a desire to help children develop their reading and writing skills! Full training is provided. 

All we ask is that you: 

• are aged 16+ 

• must be a UK resident 

• complete a criminal background check (we cover the cost of this) 

• have access to a laptop or desktop computer with a working webcam and microphone (mobile devices are unsuitable for this role). 

Apply via our website! 

https://literacypirates.org/volunteer/ 

Race to Paris will see 26 participants travel from Bath to Paris without using any money! We are in need of some enthusiastic volunteers who can help keep track of participants throughout the event, including tracking their locations, offering direction and support if needed and arranging last minute accomodation on Friday night.

Volunteers will be assigned a 3 hour time slot within the period - please let us know if there is a specific time you'd prefer to do, or if you would like to volunteer for multiple slots. 

Free food, snacks and drinks provided!

French speaking is desirable but NOT essential.

Our free activities for carers can be in-person, online and over the phone, locations can vary from the comfort of your own home to our office in Bath, community venues, local sites and attractions. You are a friendly and sociable person that enjoys being around people. For this role, you will have excellent listening skills and will be able to empathise with others. You thrive working as part of a team and will ensure everyone is included and feels valued. If you'd like to support online activities, you will be confident in using electronic devices and online platforms like Zoom.

There are lots of amazing reasons to volunteer for a charity. You might feel like you want to give back to your local community, meet new people or gain a new skill. You can do all this and more at The Carers' Centre.

Volunteers are vital to our work in helping unpaid carers, we pledge to provide you with ongoing support throughout your time with us as a volunteer, you will be provided with a full induction and by joining us you will be making a difference to the lives of unpaid carers.

We will, of course, reimburse any out-of-pocket expenses to support you in your role.

We are seeking joyful volunteers to help freshen up our charity collection pots for any of our upcoming fundraiser events. Your support will make a huge difference in our efforts to bring cheer and support to those in need. 

Date: 18th October 2024  
Time: 9:30am to 12:00pm 
Location: First Steps (Bath), Woodhouse Road, Bath, BA2 1SY 

No experience is needed – just bring your enthusiasm and spirit! Join us for fun making a positive impact in our community. 

Sign up today and be a part of something special! 

For more information or to volunteer, please contact luke.mitchel@firststepsbath.org.uk.