Volunteering
Volunteering is the giving of unpaid help and a commitment of time and energy by individuals for the benefit of society, the community or the environment.
We support and promote all types of volunteering and hold our annual Cheering Volunteering awards celebration event for all of our volunteers in Central Bedfordshire every year.
You can also get involved in volunteering with us:
- countryside volunteering
- volunteering for safer neighbourhoods
- become an emergency volunteer
- volunteer litter picking guidance
- setting up a play street
- volunteer with our libraries
Tell us you'd like to volunteer
Register your interest in volunteering
Types of volunteering
- formal volunteering is defined as giving unpaid help through groups, clubs or organisations. For example, Brownie, Guide and Scout leaders are all volunteers, as are most Citizens’ Advice volunteers
- informal volunteering is defined as giving unpaid help as an individual to someone who is not a relative. This might be clearing snow from a neighbour’s pathway, or walking an elderly person’s dog while they recover from an illness and are unable to do it themselves
- micro-volunteering is defined as giving unpaid help (either as an individual or as part of a group) online via an internet-connected device (including smartphones), or offline in small increments of time, usually to benefit a non-profit, charitable or non-governmental organisation. This could include tasks like assisting in research, collecting, maintaining and tweeting helpful information and resources about first aid, hospitals, shelters and other critical needs before, during and after a disaster
Volunteer newsletter
Read our newsletters:
Share your hobby, passion or skill with others online!
There is a brand-new opportunity to run online activities for day centre customers in our area, changing the lives of older people and adults with physical and learning disabilities across Central Bedfordshire.
During the pandemic, we had to suspend the operation of our day centres. These day centres support older people and adults with physical and learning disabilities to live fulfilled lives.
Our centres are now working towards opening with reduced capacity (social distancing requirements mean we can’t accommodate as many people) but speaking to customers and their families during lockdown have shown that some people would really benefit from alternative support arrangements.
So, we are now running an online activities programme because nearly a third of customers said they’d benefit from that sort of support and interaction.
The online programme offers a variety of activities via zoom including, quizzes, singalongs, cook along, crafts and talks. If you would like to be part of this exciting project and have a hobby, passion or skill that you would love to share with others online, please contact oda@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.
How to get involved in formal volunteering
Community Voluntary Service (CVS) run volunteer centre services in Central Bedfordshire. They work with individuals and organisations to promote and develop volunteering so people are inspired to volunteer, have the opportunity to do so, and have excellent volunteering experiences.
Did you know?
Voluntary Works is a consortium of local voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations working to promote and support the sector in Central Bedfordshire.
Volunteering strategy
We recognise the value of volunteering and the benefits volunteers bring to people’s quality of life.
We also recognise the contribution volunteers make to the economic, environmental and social life of the area. A Volunteering Strategy (PDF 587.1KB) 
is essential to ensure that people willing to volunteer do so in a nurturing and supportive environment.
The Volunteering Strategy promotes volunteering, social action and communities doing more for themselves.
In Central Bedfordshire volunteers of all ages add great value to the delivery of many local services (delivered by the public, voluntary and community sectors), which many vulnerable people are dependent upon.
The Volunteering Strategy gives direction to supporting the demand for and supply of volunteers in areas such as health, social care, the environment, sport, the arts, education and learning, provision of information and advice services, housing, youth work, community development, community transport and many others.
We have prepared a Volunteering Portfolio (PDF 523.8KB) to collate information about how we are supporting and encouraging volunteering.
Volunteering is the giving of unpaid help and a commitment of time and energy by individuals for the benefit of society, the community or the environment.
We support and promote all types of volunteering and hold our annual Cheering Volunteering awards celebration event for all of our volunteers in Central Bedfordshire every year.
Download our volunteer handbook (PDF 461.2KB)