Volunteering

About the Volunteer Centre

The Volunteer Centre, based at PAVS, can help you find volunteering opportunities in Pembrokeshire (including on the telephone/ online/ from home). We work with individuals, voluntary organisations, community groups and public sector organisations to promote volunteering opportunities and to support individuals to find volunteer placements that suit their needs. 

What is volunteering?

Volunteering is activity which: 

Informal volunteering – is often described as being carried out without an organisation. Helping someone one-to-one such as a friend, neighbour or a community member. 

Formal volunteering is usually described as being carried out for or with the help or support of an organisation. These roles are often done on a certain time/ day, there may be training involved and potential volunteers may need to provide references and undergo a DBS check (police check) depending on the role. 

Volunteering can be a great way to try something new or pursue something you are passionate about. Share your skills or learn new ones – the choice is yours. 

Depending on what you would like to get out of your volunteering you can do something flexible which fits around your other commitments or could be something you do on an ongoing regular basis to provide structure and routine. 

Below are just a few examples of activities volunteers can do:

• drive your own car to help people get around (e.g. to appointments or home from hospital), or make deliveries (e.g. food parcels)
• run fundraising or support group for a charity or cause you support (or would like to)
• help run activities for young people and children
• reduce waste by helping to fix items or supporting your local charity shop selling pre-loved items
• be outside taking care of nature and the environment, or helping others to access the outdoors
• be a friend to someone in your community who is feeling lonely or isolated
• be part of the thriving arts, culture and heritage sector in Pembrokeshire by helping at a local museum or arts centre
• be a mentor or a ‘buddy’ to someone to help them achieve their full potential
• be on the end of the phone for someone who needs to talk
• use your existing skills and knowledge as part of the team that helps to run an organisation by being a Trustee
• help people get the most out of technology by being a digital volunteer

The list of activities is endless. Volunteering can take place from your home or out in the community. Some opportunities can be done from anywhere (e.g. driving or befriending) or could be more location specific (e.g. the local museum or charity shop). 

Want to volunteer?

…not sure it is for you?
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer but are not sure what you would like to do, or if you are ready, you might find these short courses useful (created by our friends in Carmarthenshire) you don’t need an email or a login just visit the link/s below and work through at your own pace. 

Preparing to Volunteer https://cavs.org.uk/learning/learning-portal/preparing-to-volunteer/ 

How volunteering can work for you https://cavs.org.uk/learning/learning-portal/how-volunteering-can-work-for-you/

Other courses available please see below.

…keen to know more?
You can speak to a trained Volunteering Officer online, on the phone, or face-to-face to talk about what volunteering you might like to try. They will endeavour to find something that suits you, and even help you make contact with the organisation/s where you would like to volunteer.  

…get me started! 
The Volunteer Centre works closely with a number of organisations across Pembrokeshire and helps them to advertise their opportunities via the Pembrokeshire pages on Volunteering Wales 

https://pembrokeshire.volunteering-wales.net/

This is a searchable site that anyone can use, for volunteers who want an account you can even make contact directly with organisations looking for volunteers. You can search for options anywhere in Wales by location or from ‘home’. You can use a keyword/s in the ‘search’ box, add a location, and then from the search narrow down any options (e.g. by age/ category and so on by clicking on ‘more options’). There is a list of ‘Latest Opportunities’ about halfway down the home page of the website, this is where the newest opportunities are listed, and can give you an idea of the kinds of opportunities listed. 

Volunteering for Pembrokeshire certificate scheme

The Volunteering for Pembrokeshire Certificate Scheme gives recognition to volunteers of all ages, in Pembrokeshire, for the hours you volunteer!

• Certificates are awarded to volunteers for 10, 50 & 100 hours of volunteering and then at every subsequent 100 hours up to 1,000 hours 
• Team Challenge certificates are awarded to groups of volunteers taking part in one-off or regular volunteering activities
• Volunteers who are already volunteering can have up to 50 hours backdated – within 3 months of registering with the Volunteer Centre at PAVS or on Volunteering Wales

How do I sign up? 

You will need to complete a short form, with your contact details, if you are not already registered with the Volunteer Centre/ Volunteering Wales.

If you are already registered just let Volunteering for Pembrokeshire know you would like to register and we will send you over a timesheet (by email/ post or download from the padlet – see below). 

When you have completed 10/50/100+ hours you return your signed timesheet to Volunteering for Pembrokeshire to process your certificate. 

Why should I sign up?

• It is our way of saying ‘Thank You’ to all volunteers in Pembrokeshire  
• The information on the timesheet, activities and hours, is useful to the organisation where you volunteer (did you know that identifying how many hours are volunteered in an organisation can help them with funding bids)
• You might also find it helpful to keep track of what you do, to look back on. Some people find it useful when updating a CV or explaining a volunteer role
• You don’t have to keep a paper timesheet, if you are registered on Volunteering Wales you can log your hours there. Don’t forget to let us know when you have completed your hours for a certificate  
• If you are involved with other volunteer schemes e.g. Welsh Baccalaureate, Duke of Edinburgh etc you can easily count those hours for this scheme as well

For a flier, or to download a registration form and/or timesheet visit the padlet

Free courses/ training for Volunteers

Volunteers can access some basic online learning via our colleagues in Carmarthenshire (CAVS), who put 5 short modules on their website specifically for volunteers, ‘confidence’, ‘confidentiality’ and ‘staying safe’ for those new to volunteering you could also try ‘Preparing to volunteer’ and ‘How volunteering can work for you’ https://cavs.org.uk/learning/learning-portal/

They are free and don’t even need an email/ login. Just follow the link and work through the course/ sections that are of interest. 

PAVS currently have a bursary scheme running with Learning Pembrokeshire, which allows anyone already volunteering in Pembrokeshire to attend a course with Learning Pembrokeshire (that would be beneficial to your volunteer role) for free. These are generally face-to-face courses delivered throughout Pembrokeshire and can range from First Aid and Food Hygiene to digital skills.