Supporting people with disabilities to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Our Creative Arts and Pottery Studios are dynamic, innovative spaces, filled with exciting projects, colour and events. They are calm spaces where you’ll be surrounded by creativity and fresh ideas. You'll have the chance to contribute to something truly special, get to know people and make a difference to their lives. We also have offsite visits to art galleries and exhibitions.
 
We're looking for volunteers to support the tutors in morning sessions, 09:15 am to 12:15 pm or afternoon sessions 1:15 pm to 4:15 pm. Duties include helping the tutor with diverse projects, encouraging the people we support with their artwork and projects and helping to set up and clear away.
 
Interested? Want to know more, or know someone who’d be perfect for this role?

Get in touch, and we’d be happy to arrange a tour of our Creative Arts and Pottery Studios, and you can even have a taster session!
What skills do I need?

You don’t need amazing artistic or pottery skills, but a love of creativity and arts and crafts would be fantastic.  Patience, enthusiasm and a good sense of humour is also a big plus.

Volunteer drivers are like gold dust to us at The Grange Centre!

They save staff a huge amount of time by taking people we support to their daily activities, for example horse riding, offsite activities, or work experience placements.

You can choose to drive people we support on a regular weekly basis, or help out with ad hoc trips, for example, to cover other volunteer holidays, depending on how much spare time you have.

This role will be subject to an Enhanced DBS with barred list check, driving licence check and may also be subject to a Grange Centre approved driving test.

FAQ's

• Can I drive my own vehicle?
  • Yes, or you can drive a vehicle belonging to The Grange.
• Do I get a mileage allowance?
  • Yes, if you are using your own car.
• What about insurance?
  • You will need to inform your insurance about your volunteer driving.  If you incur any extra costs for insurance, we will pay this for you.

There is always something to do in our award winning walled garden. You can help a person with disabilities get more out of their training session. Use your gardening experience to be the tutor’s ‘extra pair of hands’, help someone with limited dexterity plant seeds, or assist someone as they work on their personal flower and vegetable plot. Volunteers work side by side with the people we support, guiding and encouraging them whilst the group leader is supporting other members of the team.

We also need volunteers to join our offsite gardening team and tutors, who undertake paid gardening and visit lots of interesting places and gardens in nearby locations.

Alternatively, you can work individually within the grounds, helping our Groundsman keep our 8 acre estate in order and tackling general garden maintenance jobs like mowing, weeding or pruning.

There are horticulture vacancies on all days of the week – morning or afternoon. 

Have you got a passion for stitching, a knack for tech, or just love helping others and looking for a rewarding way to give back?

The Embroidery Hub needs you!

Our embroidery room is always a hive of activity, and everyone comments on what a lovely, happy environment we have created!

Volunteers are invaluable here. You will work alongside our tutors to ensure the wonderful people we support get the most out of every session, regardless of their capabilities.

What you’ll get to do:

• Get hands-on: Help us run our 3 state-of-the-art embroidery machines and sewing machines. (Training provided).
• Keep us organised: Help sort and organise our colourful fabrics and threads (a perfect task if you love being tidy!).
• Fulfil orders: Assist with creating varied customer orders, handmade cards, and unique items for sale.

Get creative: Support our people with their drawings and design work, helping them turn their own artwork into beautiful stitched products!

The Perks:

Volunteers are always welcome to join us on our team trips to art galleries, embroidery museums, and art exhibitions. We love to look for inspiration together!

Hours:

We have volunteer roles available on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings. Your help will be greatly appreciated!  Taster sessions available.

Shop 5 is looking for volunteers who can help maximise the creative and retail opportunities available to the people we support. Volunteers will work

alongside the existing team to encourage participation, build confidence and help create a welcoming, enjoyable environment.

Creative Activities Volunteer

We are looking for creative and enthusiastic volunteers who can support people taking part in activities such as heat printing, candle making, crafts and other creative sessions.

The role may involve demonstrating creative techniques, preparing materials, providing encouragement and offering individual support where needed. No formal teaching experience is required – just patience, enthusiasm and a willingness to get involved.

Individual Support Volunteer

A friendly and patient volunteer who can provide 1:1 or small-group support during sessions. This could include helping someone follow instructions, encouraging participation, supporting communication or simply being there to help someone get the most from the activity.

The role is about promoting independence while providing support when needed and helping people feel confident and included.

Retail & Display Volunteer

A volunteer with an interest in retail who can help with the day-to-day presentation of Shop 5. This could include organising stock, creating attractive displays, pricing or labelling items and helping keep the shop welcoming and accessible.

Someone with previous retail experience would be beneficial, although enthusiasm and an eye for presentation are equally valuable.

Admin & Stock Support Volunteer

We would also benefit from a volunteer who is organised and comfortable with basic administration. Tasks could include spreadsheet logging, recording stock, organising information and helping keep creative and retail materials organised.

Good attention to detail and basic computer skills would be helpful, with guidance provided by the Shop 5 team.

What We Are Looking For

We are particularly interested in volunteers who are:

• Friendly, approachable and patient
• Creative or interested in learning new skills
• Comfortable supporting adults with different needs and abilities
• Reliable and willing to work as part of a team
• Happy to encourage and support people without taking over their activities
• Interested in either creative activities, retail, administration, or a combination of these areas

Volunteers do not need to have experience in every area. We would welcome people who can bring their own skills, interests and enthusiasm to Shop 5.  Taster sessions are available.  Why not come along to find out more.

We all enjoy having friends come round to visit us and the people we support are no different. We are currently looking for volunteer buddies to chat, play board/computer games, go for a walk, visit a special place or simply have a coffee.  This can be arranged during the day, evening or weekends. It does not have to be a weekly commitment, but whatever time you can spare will be of great benefit to the people we support and we can guarantee to you too! 

How does it work?
We will introduce you to someone we support who perhaps has similar interests to you – sports, arts, shopping, cycling, playing board games and crafts, etc. and see how you get along.  We take things slowly and offer support from staff.

Do I need special training? 
There is no specific training to be a buddy. What you do need is patience, kindness, a sense of humour and a desire to make a difference in the life of another person. If having a buddy sounds just what you’re looking for, we would love to hear from you.

Do you enjoy being part of a team?

We are setting up a new Volunteer Events Team, who will work alongside our Enterprise and Fundraising departments.

This is an exciting new project and a great way to become involved with The Grange, especially for people who cannot commit to volunteering on a regular basis. You will be notified of events coming up and can pick and choose which events you would like to help out at The Grange and also offsite within the local area.

It will be a sociable group and you will get to know each other and feel part of a team which will make it fun, (t-shirts provided!).

Training on selected areas will be provided, for example getting to know our merchandise, a visit to our Shop@No. 5.