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Volunteering with Castle

Volunteering is not just about giving - it's a two way exchange of skills, ideas and experience.

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Many people volunteer with us for different reasons including...

Gain new skills

Build confidence and self esteem

Try out a new area of work

Build up contacts to help find paid employment

Meet new people

Experience different cultures

Improve their English

Get used to an office environment or working day

Ease themselves back to work

Give structure to life

Why not join us for an information session? 

It's an informal chat to talk about what you could get our of volunteering.

Supported Volunteering

Supported volunteering is scheme where volunteers receive additional support in order to carry out their volunteer roles.

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A volunteer may require extra support for a variety of reasons. For instance, they could:

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•be lacking in confidence after a long period of unemployment

•have physical disabilities or health conditions

•have learning disabilities

•have mental health issues

•be homeless

•be striving to break patterns of negative behaviour, such as gambling or drug misuse

•be a non-English speaker

 

​The support offered can take many forms, and will depend on the individual volunteer's needs. For instance, the volunteer coordinator will meet with the individual to discuss their needs and identify ways in which the organisation can support them to volunteer, or the volunteer may already have a carer or support worker who can assist them in performing their volunteer role.

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Other types of support may include providing a buddy or a mentor, who could be either a more experienced volunteer or a member of staff. In some cases, volunteers may require extra supervision or support meetings.

The need for additional support isn't always ongoing, as some volunteers may only need extra support on their first day with the organisation, to help them settle in. For other volunteers, they may only need help with learning the route from their home to the project.

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By offering a more in-depth level of support, the project broadens our volunteer base by recruiting from sections of the community that we may not have previously reached. By making volunteering more inclusive, the project benefits in diversity and creativity that every volunteer provides.

A Volunteer's Story

I can't even begin to describe just how welcome I was made to feel. It was a very informal chat where l felt comfortable speaking up about what I hoped to achieve by volunteering at the project.

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They made many fantastic suggestions as to how we could develop them and I felt that for the first time in my life I knew exactly what direction I wanted to go in.

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All the staff were encouraging and interested in what I was doing, this really motivated me and seemed to make me more eager and willing to learn. It was as if the warmth I felt from them in their friendliness and energy just made me glow and flourish. Everyone has bent over backwards to make this happen right down to bringing in their own camera so I can make a portfolio of the furniture I restore.

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​What astounds' me though is the many lives l see that are touched and changed for the better by Castle Furniture. People who, like me, have maybe had a really tough time of things and have certainly been treated unfairly, they come to the project and are treated with the respect and kindness they deserve. This is done by a team of people who work hard together and take pride in the service they provide.

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