2,000th volunteer placed in Buckinghamshire by Volunteer Matching Service

A free volunteer brokering service has secured volunteers for over 140 local charities.

The Buckinghamshire Volunteer Matching Service has placed its 2,000th volunteer in the county since it was set up in 2020 in response to the pandemic.

The Volunteer Matching Service places registered volunteers where they are most needed in the county. Anyone who is 16 or over can sign-up to the service which finds volunteer roles to suit their preferences such as location, type of role, interests, and availability.

Stephanie Thompson, Volunteer Brokerage Lead at Community Impact Bucks, said: ‘Hitting this milestone is a great reflection of the volunteering ethos we see across the county every week.

Whether you are an experienced volunteer or you are trying out volunteering for the first time, our matching team can help you find a role which works for you. As volunteers themselves, the team have hands-on experience of what is involved and know how important it is to find a role that is right for each person.‘

Evie is the 2000th volunteer to be matched by the Volunteer Matching Service. She has started the on boarding process for two roles supporting Bucks residents:

• With NSPCC as a Speak out Stay safe volunteer, delivering workshops in primary schools to teach children about the different types of abuse and how they can speak out and stay safe.
• With Macmillan Cancer Support as a Buddy Lead volunteer, to help with the Macmillan Buddy service which provides a lifeline for people with cancer.

Evie, said: ‘I’m stepping into next chapter of my life through these volunteering roles, and I’m looking forward to getting started, to do some good and to an exciting future.

The Volunteer Matching Service has been a springboard for me. I know I’m not yet ready to be in paid employment, as I’m still in a transition period, so when I was looking at what else I can do with my time, the Volunteer Matching Service was the ideal place for me to turn to.‘

In the past four years, the Volunteer Matching Service has:

• Matched 2000 volunteers whose volunteer hours are collectively worth over £570,000.
• Supplied essential volunteers for 143 local not-for-profit organisations in the county.
• Provided 116 volunteers to Buckinghamshire NHS Trust to help in our hospitals.
• Matched more than 100 befriender volunteers to Enrych to support disabled adults.
• Matched more than 100 volunteers to Lindengate, a Wendover based health and wellbeing charity.
• Filled a wide range of roles from mentoring, community transport or support for the elderly, to the more unusual such as Policy Custody
• Visitors, Puppy Raisers and Waste Reduction volunteers.

The Volunteer Matching Service currently has over 800 volunteer roles ready to be filled across Buckinghamshire – from frontline emergency response positions with the South-Central Ambulance Service, befriending and mentoring opportunities with charities such as Bucks Vision, to outdoor roles or those supporting vulnerable members of the community.

The volunteers who have already used the Service report that their volunteering has helped them develop new skills, gain experience and improve their self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing. Above all, the volunteers value being able to make a difference to the community. Feedback on volunteering roles include:

• ‘It gives me a purpose in life and provides me with activity and companionship.’
• ‘I’m getting some valuable knowledge on craft which is a totally new experience for me. Loving it.’

Signing up to the Volunteer Matching Service is quick and easy. If you are looking for a volunteer role in Buckinghamshire, fill in the registration form on the Community Impact Bucks website. Once registered, a member of the matching team will look for a role that suits your preferences. If you are under 16 years old and are keen to volunteer, go to the Community Impact Bucks website to see a range of options available to you.

Charities or community groups that need volunteers should register their volunteer vacancies with the Volunteer Matching Service; the team will look then for volunteers who match the role’s criteria.

*Source of article : Press release from Community Impact Bucks.