Volunteering in our town.
Read here to find out more about how and where you can volunteer.
There is no doubt that a non league football club like ours would not run as smoothly as it does without the hard work and endeavour of our volunteers. Whether they volunteer on a match day or during the week, they are without a doubt the heartbeat of the club. Time is one of the most important things in life and our volunteers , around about 50 in total, give theirs up and we , as a club, are eternally grateful.
Unlike our club though, many local community groups and charities struggle to find volunteers. This has now changed with the start of a fantastic way to highlight the many voluntary roles available in Slough and the surrounding areas. I was very fortunate to be invited join a steering group which showcases the good work that volunteers provide, as well as looking at how we can advertise how, where and who you could volunteer with.
Volunteering is a great way to help groups, meet people and make a difference but do you know where to look for volunteer opportunities?
Slough CVS ( Slough Council Voluntary Services ) have started a VOLUNTEER PASSPORT which allows both organisations and those who wish to volunteer a single place to look for or advertise roles. I f you have some free time on your hands and would like to volunteer then this is a great place to start, the passport asks you some really simple questions such as:
* How much time can you give weekly
* How far do you want to travel
* What skills can you provide
* What activities are you interested in
The passport also has a keyword search so if you wanted to volunteer in a specific area then it allows you to do so, you do not need to scroll through every vacancy, choose what you want to do and the passport matches you up with current vacant roles. I f you are an organisation, group or charity then you can sign up, advertise roles that you need help with and then these are posted for potential volunteers to see and provides a great database of opportunities available. No matter what your skills, what your availability is or if you just want to see if there’s something that you might just be interested in then the volunteer passport is the best place to start looking.
If you have often thought about volunteering or just have some time on your hands then please do not feel that there is nothing out there for you. Some of the vacancies only require a couple of hours a week, some can be done from working at home and you can dictate how long and how far you wish to go. If you feel that you might not be the right person for a role then there are many organisations that offer training as part of their volunteer roles with most of this training being free of charge.. To give you an idea of the latest roles available , groups are currently looking for drivers for Meals on Wheels, Health & Safety advisors, retail assistants and Dementia Champions.If you sign up to the passport and nothing interests you at the time, your details will remain in case their is something that pops up later that may meet your skills and knowledge.
Volunteering is a great way to help and you would be surprised at just how many organisations require a little help and also how grateful they are for any help that you give. I have met so many great people at some amazing groups who provide much needed services and activities and just seeing how much these groups mean to those ewho use them is a truly unbelievable experience. Sometimes we take our volunteers at Slough Town for granted, turning up every game, no matter what the weather and sometimes doing the hardest of tasks, hence why the new owners held an end of season party for our volunteers in May.
If this article has tickled your interest , away fans should know most councils have a CVS, then please have a look at the Slough CVS website sloughcvs.org and search the ‘Volunteering ‘ menu that will then direct you to the Volunteer Passport to sign up or look at current roles.