There are no age limits for volunteering generally but many organisations set age restrictions that reflect the level of responsibility or experience needed.

Some opportunities are suitable for group volunteering eg beach cleans, tree planting, or car washes but this needs to be organized and properly supervised. You will find information about upcoming opportunities on our website or on our Facebook page to be kept informed.

Volunteering will not affect your benefits so long as you are still able to meet the conditions for receiving those benefits eg you need to be free to attend job interviews and obviously if you have a condition prevents you from doing paid work, in most cases, you will not be able to do this on a voluntary basis either.

Not usually. Some volunteering opportunities require qualifications such as counselling and some need particular skills and experience but most organisations provide whatever training is necessary. If particular qualifications are needed this will be stated in the volunteer role description on the database. Often organisations are looking for personal skills, such as being able to get on with a wide variety of people, being reliable and being enthusiastic about a particular interest or cause – rather than academic qualifications.