Start your volunteering journey today

Join us and help the most vulnerable people in your community or support the NHS.

Why volunteer with Royal Voluntary Service?

Volunteering is changing and with Royal Voluntary Service you can choose the role and style of volunteering that fits in with your life and lifestyle.

Our volunteers work in a wide variety of roles; from offering companionship to people who are socially isolated, to providing practical help to those recovering from illness, to working on hospital wards or helping at vaccination sites as part of Volunteer Responders.

Whatever role you choose to play, you will be supporting others while enjoying a rewarding experience for yourself.

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Start your volunteering journey and Play Your Part to help make a difference in communities and the NHS across England, Scotland and Wales.

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Volunteering means making a difference

By volunteering with Royal Voluntary Service, you are opening up opportunities to learn and develop new and existing skills, gain confidence, better your wellbeing and build a connection with your community where you can give back.

People are motivated to volunteer for many different reasons, from gaining experience to returning the favor of the support their family may have received. Whatever your reason for volunteering with Royal Voluntary Service, we have the perfect opportunity for you.

Visit our why volunteer page to find out more about why people choose to volunteer with us.

How can you get involved in volunteering in your community and to support the NHS

Start your volunteering journey and help make a difference in communities and the NHS across England, Scotland and Wales. There are a variety of volunteering opportunities available and suitable for all interests and time commitments. Sign up and search for opportunities to become a volunteer today and you can manage your volunteering experience at any time.

Find your perfect volunteering role

Volunteering has given me skills to help my career.

Amma is a Home from Hospital Volunteer. She is studying social care and sees volunteering as part of her journey towards her new career. She helps people returning home from hospital by providing practical and emotional support to get them back to health, and doing the things they love.

Tell me more

Volunteering means mutual benefit

Our volunteers provide vital support when people need it most, but it’s not only the NHS and the people we help that benefit from the gift of volunteering.

What could volunteering do for you?

A Royal Voluntary Service Volunteer chatting with a older woman

Volunteering means something for everyone

There’s no such thing as a typical volunteer. At Royal Voluntary Service people of all ages, genders, cultures and backgrounds volunteer every day, putting their own unique talents, experiences and expertise to good use.

Whatever stage of life you are at, volunteering can be a part of it.

It’s a great way to gain practical work experience while you study, or to develop skills that might help build or navigate a change in your career.

If you are raising a family, flexible volunteering can fit around the time you have, giving you a chance to build new connections in your community while helping others.

Meanwhile, many retirees find volunteering is a lynch pin of an active and happy 'third age', and a welcome means of continuing to make a valuable contribution.

Whatever reason you have for thinking about volunteering, you can be sure there’s a role somewhere that will work for you. Our job is to help you find it.

What will volunteering mean to you?

NHS Steward Volunteer at a vaccination centre

Volunteering means learning

Our student volunteer base has never been bigger, as more and more students discover how rewarding and fun it can be.

You only give time you can afford, so there’s plenty left for studying and socialising. And you’ll be doing something that interests you, either because it relates to your studies or because it’s a welcome break from them!

You’ll gain skills you can’t learn in a classroom, and valuable experience to take into the workplace. At Royal Voluntary Service, there are great opportunities to grow direct experience in health, care or retail environments, for example. However, volunteering with us boosts a range of skills which can be applied to any career pathway.

You’ll build a network of friends and contacts that will help you with references, studying and career advice.

Above all, you’ll gain confidence in yourself and your abilities. You’ll discover talents you didn’t know you had, and interests you never knew existed. You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’ve made a positive difference to other people, as well as to your own wellbeing.

Interested in volunteering as a student or young adult?