Volunteering

Would you like to play an active part in HEART? Are you able to make a regular commitment of a few hours a week or perhaps just the occasional commitment?

If so, then we would love to hear from you! HEART is always looking for volunteers to help run the Centre.

Our team of HEART Volunteers complement the work of the small team of paid staff by:

• staffing the HEART reception
• meeting and greeting users of the centre
• dealing with telephone and face-to-face enquiries
• assisting with admin tasks and upkeep of the Centre.

HEART is open throughout the day and into the evening, 6 days a week. Our current funding levels do not enable us to cover all these opening hours fully with paid staff, so our volunteers enable us to keep the Centre open for this amount of time. Our priority is to recruit volunteers who are able to help out in the evenings and at weekends when fewer paid staff are working.

Do I need any special qualifications or skills?

No. Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds and bring many different skills to the role, but all volunteers need to be able to deal with people in a friendly and competent fashion. You do need to be aged over 16 and we ask all applicants to provide the names of two referees whom we can contact for a character reference. We also ask volunteers to be prepared to make a commitment for at least six months.

Will I receive any training?

Yes. All volunteers will be asked to attend an initial induction training session. After that, training will mostly take place ‘on the job’. Volunteers will also be invited to attend volunteers meetings to discuss any issues that have arisen and contribute to the development and operation of the Centre; these meetings alsol provide an opportunity to get to know other volunteers. Volunteers will never have sole responsibility for the building. Except in very occasional circumstances there will always be at least one  member of paid HEART or HDT staff present.

If you would like more information please do not hesitate to get in touch with us »