Volunteer Centre
If you're looking to join the 22 million people in England who already give their time to improve the lives of others, or your organisation needs volunteers to help it carry out its work, then Volunteering Northumberland can help you.
Volunteering Northumberland provides volunteering infrastructure services for the county and is accredited with Volunteering England as providing the six core services of a Volunteer Centre. These are:
- Brokerage – matching volunteers with opportunities
- Marketing – encourage interest in volunteering and take up of opportunities
- Good Practice – promoting this to organisations that involve volunteers
- Developing Opportunities – working with organisations to do this
- Policy Response – campaigning on issues that affect volunteering
- Strategic Development – informing thinking on volunteering, locally and nationally
Our office is in the WCVS building in Ashington where the manager, Charles Tremeer, and development workers, Ann Broome and Andrea McLaughlin, are based. We also have two rural development workers, Liz Stokoe in the west of the county and Terri Bearhope in the north, who are based in the communities they serve. More details can be found on our website.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or your organisation would like to involve volunteers in its activities, then please get in touch and we will arrange to meet you. The office is open between 9am and 5 pm and appointments can be made at other times and throughout the county. Our local contact details are as follows:
Local Contacts
South East Northumberland
Andrea McLaughlin or Ann Broome
Tel: 01670 858 688
West Northumberland
Liz Stokoe
Tel: 07884 414 396
North Northumberland
Terri Bearhope
Tel: 07900 998 933
Or find us on Facebook
Type 'volunteering northumberland' to find us on Facebook.
Partners in Supported Volunteering Project
The Volunteering Northumberland Partners in Supported Volunteering Project, funded by the Working Neighbourhoods Fund, enables people with severe and enduring mental health conditions who feel they are ready to take the first steps into volunteering to make that move with the support of a Volunteer Buddy.
The Project works closely with the Mental Health Trust to identify client referrals. Volunteer Buddies are recruited and receive comprehensive induction training including mental health awareness, employability and well being at work, volunteering and the role of a Buddy. Ongoing support and training is provided in the form of individual supervision and team meetings.
The volunteer and Buddy meet regularly to build an effective and trusting relationship before beginning their volunteering in a volunteer involving organisation. The Project specifically matches volunteers, Buddies and the volunteering opportunity, with each stage being closely supervised and supported.
The Project also has links with the NEWS Team who provide support for the move into training and employment. The Project is funded until 31st March 2011 and has recently employed a part time support worker until the end of March 2010.
The project officer is Natalie Harrison who can be contacted at our Ashington offices.
