Cyrenians Farm seeks volunteers for various roles

Descriptions of some of these roles are here but it should be borne in mind that each role does not have to be exclusive – who is to say that our Handyman/Woman is not a dab hand at jam making, or that our Office Angel is not a whizz with a power drill?  Alternatively you can share volunteering roles with a friend or family member.

Above all, we are looking for people who are prepared to help out in any way that furthers the success of Cyrenians Farm.

If you have skills in a particular area and would like to share them we would love to meet you.  We welcome all volunteers and there is the opportunity to lend a hand in the fields, in the kitchen, in the office, on deliveries – wherever is best for you and the Farm at that particular time of the year.

Come and join us in this innovative project which is all about ‘growing food and growing people’.  Work alongside folks from all walks of life and members of our Farm Community who are taking steps towards a settled lifestyle through their work experience and training on the farm.

Please contact me for further information or find additional information on our website:

Stephen McNeil, Manager, Cyrenians Farm Enterprise, 12 Humbie Holdings, Kirknewton, EH27 8DS

Telephone:  0131-333-5202  Email:  StephenMcNeil@cyrenians.org.uk  www.cyreniansfarm.org.uk

Barnardo’s

Volunteer Children’s Activities Worker

Provide pro-active, non-judgemental support for children with disabilities age 5 – 16 years.  Help in fulfilling young people’s needs by supporting them during in- and out-door playtime activities.  Support socialisation of young people with disabilities by using communication and caring skills.

Volunteer Life Coach

Coach and support young people with disabilities and social and behavioural needs in key life skills.  Focus on young people as individuals.  Provide steady, long term support to establish a supportive relationship with the young person.  Support the socialisation of the young person by applying your communication and caring skills to match the young person’s needs.

Barnardo’s Volunteer Driver

Providing transport to take volunteers to and from the arranged activities – car is essential for this role.  Working as a member of the service supporting young people with disabilities (volunteering with the children’s activities service is optional)  Taking part in the ongoing training and supervision

Tooled Up Recruiting Volunteers Now

West Lothian Youth Action Project has recently launched its ‘Tooled Up’ project. This is an exciting new practical workshop facility for young people to learn basic practical and life skills as well as budgeting and how to live independently.

The programmes will be flexible and can provide young people aged 14- 21yrs a stepping stone into formal training courses or college.

Do you have any free time and skills in any of the following?

Carpentry/Joinery, Painting & Decorating, Gardening, D.I.Y or any other related trades

Tooled up will give you the opportunity to pass on some of your knowledge, allowing young people to gain valuable employment skills and become active citizens in their communities.  No formal training or experience in youth work or teaching is required as support will be provided by youth work staff.

Funding for this project has been provided by Ethicon in the Community

Tooled Up, Unit 136, Eucal Business Centre, Craigshill Road, Livingston, EH54 5DT

Tel – 01506 461588  Email – office@wlyap.org.uk

Volunteer Play Workers with Lothian Autistic Society

Volunteer Play Workers will assist children and young people with an Autism Spectrum condition attending the play scheme to: participate in activities; encourage friendships; develop social skills and imaginative play and enable them to enjoy new experiences.

The applicant will be paired with a child or young person with an Autism spectrum disorder.  Care workers will be required to ensure that the young person is in their care and safe at all times.

Care workers will also help the children and young people attending the playscheme to: participate in activities; encourage friendships; develop social skills and imaginative play and enable them to enjoy new experiences.

All staff will be responsible for the completion of daily diaries that are sent home to parents at the end of each day.  Vigilance in reporting incidents, accidents and relevant information is essential.

Contact: Nicola Latham Tel: 0131-661-3834

Email: n.latham@lothianautistic.org  Website: http://www.lothianautistic.org/

Children 1st West Lothian Pre Employability Service

Befriender/Mentor to provide support and mentoring to a  young person aged 16-19, to assist them to  address their identified barriers to moving on to a positive destination in employment, further learning/training or volunteering.

Association of Serving the Humanity International

ASHI is looking for a Treasurer.  ASHI was set up in 2010 as a registered charity with the Scottish Charity Regulator. Its HQ is based at Linlithgow, West Lothian. ASHI’s charitable purposes / objectives are as follows-:

The prevention or relief of Poverty; the advancement of Education; the advancement of Health and the saving of Lives.

There are opportunities for people who have skills and interests in charity work to get involved in order to enable ASHI to achieve the above mentioned objectives. It is worthwhile opportunities to work for a charity which has been established to save and improve the quality of lives of millions.

FOOD TRAIN WEST LOTHIAN

Food Train have a number of Volunteer Opportunities in West Lothian

Office assistance/Promotions:  You will be required to help in the office helping with duties such as answering phones, taking customers’ shopping requests, and helping to keep the office running smoothly (working around part-time admin support).  We will also need help with distributing leaflets and attending talks at local community groups and day care centres talking to people about the Service.

Shopper:  Although most of the shopping will be done by supermarket staff, as the service becomes busier, we will need volunteers to work from specific supermarkets, picking shopping and loading into customers’ shopping boxes.  This job will also involve helping to check shopping against customers’ shopping lists.

Helper:  You will be required to meet our volunteer driver at a specific supermarket in West Lothian, helping them to check the shopping through the check-out and loading it onto the van.  You will then go around our customers’ delivery and unloading shopping for them in their homes.  You will need to be Disclosure checked for this job.

Driver:  Driving our company van, you will collect shopping from specific supermarkets in West Lothian, and deliver it to our customers, unloading shopping and putting it away for them, if required.  Drivers will also be required to collect shopping lists from customers.  You will work with one other volunteer and will need to be Disclosure checked.

The Food Train is a registered charity and voluntary organisation providing a vital grocery shopping delivery and home support service to older people living in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland (please see the attached leaflet for further information). The ultimate objective of our organisation is to support local older people to live independently at home.

Click for more information

West Lothian College

Do you want to give something back to the community and make a difference to the wealth and prosperity of the economy?

West Lothian College invites applicants from the business community to join the College’s Board  of Governors.

Click here for full details
Further information contact Alison Bruce, Clerk to the Board on 0131 535 4615

CAB WEST LOTHIAN – MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Citizens Advice Bureau West Lothian is a voluntary, community service. Its geographical boundary is West Lothian; 165 square miles with a population of c.168,000 people.   The Bureau provides free, confidential, impartial advice and information on issue such as welfare benefits, debt and housing issues, employment, tax, utilities and consumer issues and much more.

Meetings are held every quarter and last between 1 ½ – 2 hours and commence at 5.15pm.   The AGM normally takes place in September each year.

If you feel you could help please contact Karen McGhee for more information at www.cabwestllothian.org.uk

Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland

A new support group is in the process of being developed and we are urgently looking for volunteers to push this project forward.  The support group will be member led, based in Bathgate and will be affiliated with Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.  The purpose of the group will be to reduce isolation for people who have suffered a stroke which will include companionship, day trips etc.

We are looking for people to fill various roles, including Committee i.e. Treasurer, Chair, Secretary as well as group assistants and refreshments providers.

If you are interested please contact Lorraine at Lorraine.mackenzie@chss.org.uk.

YOUNG SCOT HOT 500

Young Scot is looking for 500 young people between the ages of 11 and 26 to become members of an online expert panel that will help shape everything that Young Scot does. Membership will last for one year and will involve optional monthly online tasks. If you know any young people who would be interested in joining the Hot 500, then encourage them to visit the Young Scot 500 website

VOLUNTEER DEVELOPMENT SCOTLAND NON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As Scotland’s Centre for Excellence in volunteering, Volunteer Development Scotland leads the way in informing and modernising approaches to volunteering policy, enhancing practice and improving the quality of the volunteering experience for the people of Scotland.

Our Board of Directors provides strategic direction, accountability and support to the organisation. We would like to strengthen our Board through appointing up to 2 new members. If you can contribute well-founded views on current, emerging and future volunteering issues then we want to hear from you.

Appointments are normally for a three year term with a time commitment of around eight days per year for board meetings, workshops and planning and strategy events. Although unpaid, our directorships offer great opportunities to network and influence the future of volunteering at all levels throughout Scotland and further afield.

Volunteer Development Scotland is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. The Board has identified areas of particular interest as PR & Media, Finance and Commercial activity and Education & Young People.
For an application pack and further details, please email Carol Christie on 01786 479593.

DEBRA