Show you care: Disability
If you are interested in helping out those with disabilities in your own community, take a look at the opportunities we currently have listed on our Simply Connect Volunteering Platform.
This is one of a series of posts on different ways to show that you care for others in your community.
Autism Bedfordshire
Volunteer Support Worker Bedford various locations on Thursday evenings fortnightly
Volunteer Support Worker Biggleswade various locations on Monday evenings, monthly.
Volunteer Support Worker Luton various locations on Monday evenings, monthly
We are looking for motivated and enthusiastic team players to join our teams as volunteer support worker who will provide support to Autistic individuals who attend our adult social groups that take place in various locations. An ideal opportunity for an individual to gain experience working with disability groups in the community. You will be supporting members to access the community and engage in social activities such as visiting pubs and restaurants, bowling, cinema etc.
Bedford & District Cerebral Palsy Society (BDCPS)
Helping at one of the groups run by BDCPS will enable the children and young people to have fun through your enthusiasm, patience, good listening/communications skills. Craft skills are also useful for the older groups.
Our monthly early years Special Educational Needs (SEN) playgroup for 0-5 year olds takes place on Thursdays In Biggleswade offering music, stories and sensory play. Parents and carers have the chance to meet with other people in similar circumstances, share experiences over a coffee and have the support and guidance from our family support workers.
JJ's Crew is a lively youth club offering teenagers (aged 13 to 17) a chance to spend quality time together learning new things and having fun at the same time. JJ's takes place on the fourth Saturday of every month from 9am - 2pm in Biggleswade. Each month is themed (eg. teamwork, communication, healthy living) and is based loosely around three optional activities (sport, cooking and media/arts/drama).
Stampede is a specialist monthly youth club for young people aged 5 to 13. It takes place on the first Saturday of every month from 9;30am - 2pm in Kempston. Activities are fun and varied, ranging from arts and crafts, sports and games, outdoor walks and nature activities, themed sessions, trips out to access the local community, music etc.
Elizabeth Curtis Centre Riding for the Disabled
Volunteer helpers are always in short supply. Many of our sessions do require three helpers to each rider/pony combination. If you are “horsey” perhaps you would like to help groom, tack up and lead a pony. If you are not perhaps you would like to help the riders with their hats, the walk to the mounting block or to accompany them on foot while they ride outside.
Headway
Headway Bedford: '1 to 1' Cooking Session Volunteer
The main purpose of this role is to work with clients with acquired brain injury in a '1 to 1' setting to complete a variety of activities related to cookery. This may involve all steps in the process from choosing recipes to cook, putting together a shopping list, preparation of the kitchen area prior to cooking, following recipes and cleaning up afterwards. This includes supporting clients to follow basic food hygiene and food safety at all times, as well as making use of and trialing adaptive equipment.
Headway Bedford: '1 to 1' IT Session Volunteer
The main purpose of this role is to work with clients with acquired brain injury on an individual basis to complete a variety of everyday IT specific activities, such as teaching clients how to use emails, calendars, access apps etc. Some clients may also want to increase their confidence and abilities with various computer programs (such as Microsoft Office, accessing the internet etc.).
Headway Luton: Volunteer Centre Support Worker
At our day centre, clients take part in a wide range of activities from cognitive exercises, physical exercise, yoga, mindfulness, IT, arts and crafts, music and singing while also receiving help and advice to enable them to live as independently as possible. Volunteers support clients throughout all their activities and maybe offer their own different skills and experiences to enhance the clients’ day at Headway.
Home-Start Central Bedfordshire
Volunteer parent mentors who have themselves got experience with children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) offer one to one support for a period of time (usually six weeks) to other parents with children with additional needs. You will help provide emotional support – someone to talk to who “gets it”. You will also offer help and guidance with things such as navigating the pathways to access Neurodevelopmental services such as CAMHS, paediatricians and speech and language services.
Living it Up Events CIC
We have recently got funding from The Harpur Trust for Gig Buddies and we would like to support more people with learning disabilities in Bedford. We need volunteers to support a gig buddy to go out, enjoy themselves and meet new people. We pair people up with similar interests, whether this is folk music, clubbing, theatre, cover bands or festivals. Volunteers share their interest for live music, nights out and other events.
GR8 Mates is a service that supports adults with learning disabilities and /or autism to socialise, make friends and/or romantic relationships. We currently hold our events on zoom but are starting to move back to face to face. We also have an advisory group for our members to have their say on the project so we can be as user-led as possible. In the pre-pandemic world we would meet every other month, and matches would be supported to meet outside this.
Open House Bedford
Open House Bedford is a social club for adults with learning disabilities. We are looking for volunteers to assist the group leader with the general running of the club. Duties include: setting up and clearing away, weekly registration, assisting with the planning of activities, supporting service users to participate in the activities which could include arts and crafts, board games, musical activities amongst other things; assisting with the running of the coffee bar; supervising lunch time; engaging with the service users and careers.
Royal National Institute of Blind People
This role is flexible. You could help with: assisting groups of blind and partially sighted people; awareness-raising and campaigning on issues that affect those living with little or no sight; fundraising so we can continue to offer our amazing services and tackle social injustice. Whether its cheering at a challenge event, helping at an information stand or store collection, welcoming guests at an event, or something else, you can choose to get involved based on your availability and interests.
Occasional Helper with sighted guiding
In this role you will be able to offer help with: sighted guiding / giving practical help to individuals so they can take part in events and supporting volunteers with sight loss with their own volunteering activities.
Sight Concern Bedfordshire
Virtual Social Group Facilitator
Sight Concern Bedfordshire started Zoom get-togethers during lockdown to bring visually impaired people together with the telephone It support to access people to Zoom. These zoom groups will continue to be a social option for visually impaired people in Bedfordshire. The groups have facilitators who welcome and support the members. You will use your good IT, organising and planning skills to help create this safe and unbiased space for sociability and have the opportunity to participate in training and development programmes.
Smiley Club
Helpers are wanted at this youth club for children with learning and physical disabilities. If you have a couple of hours to spare on a Wednesday evening and would like to help at the club or with transport duties, you will be made very welcome. The club is for children aged 9 and over and activities include playing snooker, table football, board games, arts and crafts as well as just hanging out with friends!
Could you join a rota of drivers to collect children from home and then return them at the end of the evening? An escort is always on board to look after the children. About 10 Wednesday evening drives per year would be the likely commitment. Collecting children to bring them to the Club starts about 5.45pm, and the return home finishes about 9.30pm.
Spectrum Community Arts
Performing Arts Club Assistant
Spectrum Community Arts provides performing arts workshops for children and adults with disabilities; building self-esteem and self-expression. Your role as a volunteer would include helping participants engage in the sessions and assisting with setting up and packing away.
Thomas Pocklington Trust
Bedfordshire Sight Loss Council member
As a Sight Loss Council member your duties may include putting forward local issues affecting your community at Sight Loss Council meetings (ie pavement parking, guide dog refusals etc) or taking part in accessibility testing sessions, forums, seminars and contributing to public consultations. This is a role for someone with personal experience as a person with a visual impairment.
Use the links above to find more details on a particular role. If you would like to register an interest in the opportunity, then create an account on the Simply Connect volunteering platform and the group will contact you to follow through. Any problems, or if you simply wish to talk more generally about volunteering, give us a call on 01234 354366 or email to volunteering@cvsbeds.org.uk. We are here to help you.
