Directory: Volunteering

Partnership with Royal Voluntary Service and GoodSAM,  Volunteer responders can provide short term telephone support to people in need of a friendly phone call and encouragement to improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Active and In Touch are a local charity that offer support to people who have become isolated or out of touch with their local community. Their volunteers offer ongoing befriending support to anyone who feels isolated or lonely in Frome and the surrounding villages. As well as a befriending service, they and can help individuals to engage with local groups or activities.

In addition they also run a volunteer community driving service to help individuals take safe essential journeys (ie to their GPs or to a Vaccination centre).

If you are interested in volunteering for Active and In Touch please get in touch via the email below.

Community Connectors are members of the community who signpost and inform, friends, family, colleagues and neighbours about how to access support groups, services and information that might help improve their health and well being. If you would like to become a Community Connector, it is not about adding another job to your already busy day, but about using appropriate opportunities to inform people about the support that is out there.

Training for these voluntary roles is free and takes place throughout the year, currently on Zoom. For more information visit our eventbrite page Health Connections Mendip Events | Eventbrite

​Frome Youth PPG is a Patient Participation Group and health forum, made up of young people from around Frome. The organisation looks at ways to improve wellbeing and health services for young people, such as working with youth clinics, talking to GPs and nurses, as well as training to become Community Connectors.

The Frome Youth PPG presents a great opportunity for any young person, aged 19 years or under, interested in health, medicine and/or promoting the youth voice. The forum meets every four to six weeks on a weekday afternoon.

If you are interested in getting involved and would  like to know the date of the next meeting, please contact Health Connections Mendip via the contact details below.

Providing volunteer support and volunteering opportunities, local information and networking. The Network can help people with small shops, picking up prescriptions or errands to support those who are unable to go out.

The website is one-stop-platform of information, including local support organisations and businesses. People can make requests for support via the website, and donations can also be made to support the work of the Network.

The Volunteer Network are running this allotment project every Tuesday and Wednesday in Glastonbury. They are looking for people who want to get involved in outdoor projects, have an interest in growing produce or want to improve their knowledge and understanding of growing their own food. This project enables participants to gain knowledge to improve their diet and nutrition. It is great for fitness and strength.

If you are interested, please visit their website and complete the online sign up form or contact Sue on the number below.

To book a driver please contact Link at least 2 working days before your appointment to ensure they have enough time to organise transport. Phones are answered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am – 4.30am

Get outside on the farm! Join Paddington Farm in Glastonbury for a morning’s work on the farm, or in the organic vegetable garden, before coming together to share a tasty lunch (made using organic produce).

Tasks vary according to the season, but may include planting and weeding, tree work, fencing, or helping with the apple juice enterprise. You’ll be part of a friendly, welcoming group and you can work at your own pace. Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary.

Volunteer days are every Wednesday, from 9.00am to 1.00pm.

Contact Paddington Farm for further details or to reserve your place.

Health Connections Mendip run a postcard project in Frome and the surrounding area. Anyone can get involved, it’s aimed at people who may not be able to attend groups easily. If you’d like to receive a free regular postcard from one of our writers do get in touch.

If you’d like to become a writer we have a induction process and a project worker to support our writers.

Re-engage has been providing social contact for older people for over 50 years. This free service provide monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties and regular friendly phone chats. The tea parties are a lifeline of friendship for lonely people over 75.

Re-engage offer a a free service called Call Companions, this is a service for older people who are lonely, isolated or in need of a companionship and would enjoy a regular friendly phone call, please use the online form HERE and we will then be in touch with the older person directly.

The Glastonbury monthly tea parties are not currently running.

Somerset is a wonderful county full of contrast and there is no better way to absorb its beauty, variety and history than through the Public Rights of Way Network. The county has over 9000 rights of way totalling 3808 miles (6129 km). How you can get involved:

• Adopt-a-Path – Help keep your local paths clear and open for all to enjoy.
• TrailWatcher – Support the high standards of our promoted trails.
• Somerset Local Access Forum Member – Join this statutory body and get involved in the management of public access in the county.
• Somerset Strimmer Volunteer – Help keep Rights of Way clear of vegetation using power tools.
• Ease of Use Surveyor – Help monitor the Rights of Way network and help to improve its condition.
• Parish Path Liaison Officer (PPLO) – Make a difference in your local area by being the link between the Rights of Way team and the local community.

Are you a problem solver, do you like a challenge? Could you use your life experience to help a child or young person having a tough time? For more information please contact Route 1 Advocacy. This volunteer role requires a criminal background check via the disclosure procedure.

The Royal Voluntary Service have volunteers across Somerset who offer help and support so older people can stay independent at home.  Volunteers will visit you at home and work with you to create a support package that suits you. This may include some company and a chat with regular visits from a Royal Voluntary Service volunteer, telephone befriending or delivering Books on Wheels and other items like DVDs to your home. The Royal Voluntary Service also run lunch clubs and social clubs for people to attend. Calls can be made Monday – Friday between 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

‘Volunteer Saturdays’, at Vallis Veg every 2nd & 4th Saturday of each month from midday until 3pm. Volunteers are required to help and maintain the forest school site and allotments. Nearest postcode to the site is BA11 3EA.

Practical conservation groups carrying out seasonal outdoor tasks in the countryside. Suitable for those who are reasonably physically fit, no training required. See link for Somerset area programmes and contact details.

Spark a Change is a countrywide volunteering platform offering hundreds of opportunities across Somerset.  Volunteering can help you to connect with your community, find friends and gain new skills.  It can also boost your physical and emotional wellbeing.

Our team are on hand to offer volunteering support, advice and guidance.

Please visit our website to discover volunteering opportunities and spark positive change in your community.

Looking for volunteers for their ‘Support at Home’ service which helps people on a short term basis who may need some support and help when they are first discharged from hospital. This could include collecting patients from hospital on the day of discharge then taking them home, or helping people settle back in at home, going shopping or befriending.

Full training is given and as a trained volunteer you can have the rewarding experience of helping others remain independent in their own homes. Could you spare a few hours to help support someone in need?

The Cinnamon Trust is a national network of community service volunteers that provide practical help to people over 65 years of age or anyone in the final stages of a terminal illness.  The service covers any aspect of day to day care of pets, for example, walking the dog for a housebound owner.
A national fostering service is provided for pets whose owners face a spell in hospital. Volunteers take pets into their own homes and supply love and care in abundance until owner and pet can be reunited.  For more information about the service or to become a volunteer please call us or visit our website. Please note referrals need to be done by the individual.

The Pod is a local charity supporting individuals with additional needs. The charity creates opportunities and provides safe, supportive, sociable, and enterprising spaces that improve the quality of life for young carers as well as children and adults with disabilities and their families.

They run a weekly youth club, a weekly social group and other various fun community groups. For more information on the various groups they run please visit their website. If you would like to find out more about the various volunteering opportunities with Pod please contact them for more information.

The Reader is a free weekly reading group. Grab a cuppa, be with people and share stories.

Online – Tuesday afternoons (2.00-3.30pm) via zoom – for more information email Alison below.  Every other week it alternates with a wellbeing session.

Phone lines are open Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. You can also call this number if you are interested in volunteering for them.

Shared reading brings stories and poems to life through through reading aloud and open conversation. The Reader are currently looking for people in Somerset to train to lead Shared Reading groups in their local community. Volunteers get a free training course and ongoing support from a thriving community of Reader Leaders at The Reader. To find out more information please contact Laura Merritt on the contact details below.

Volunteer driver service to take people to appointments, shopping and social visits (not hospital appointments)within Street. 60p per mile plus £2 standing charge or 30p per mile of you have a bus pass.

This is a new service and volunteer drivers are needed. Joint project with the Crispin Centre and Community Union. Call into the Crispin Centre or call for the volunteer details.

Booking line open Monday & Wednesday 9.30-2pm and Thursdays 10.30-3pm

Face to Face or Telephone Befriending/Companionship Calls for the over 55s across Mendip

Can you spare an hour a week to brighten up someone’s day? If the answer is “Yes” then we would love to hear from you.

We are looking for more wonderful friendly volunteers to facilitate our expanding service to befriend older people on a one to one basis across Mendip.

Our Volunteer  Face to Face or Telephone Befrienders help improve the quality of life for older people across Mendip who are socially isolated and may feel lonely. Our befrienders are introduced to one of our members with the purpose of meeting or calling them to have fun and friendly chit chat for up to an hour to help the person feel less isolated. Keeping connected is particularly important at this time.

The aim of our befriending service is to reduce isolation and loneliness, provide a platform for our members to feel part of a nurturing community and support network.  Most of all, to provide our members with something to look forward to.

If this sounds like you and you like sound of helping out, please get in touch to find out more about becoming part of our wonderful team.

Provide information relating to volunteering and details of volunteer bureau across the country.

Volunteer network who can help in several ways including sharing a friendly chat, helping with shopping, delivering prescriptions and more. Call the helpline Monday- Friday 9am-5pm.

Opportunities for volunteering available.

20 volunteers in the village. They offer shopping, dog walking, phone chats or distance chats, etc. for people in Witham Friary or just outside.