VOLUNTEER
Bedford House offer meaningful volunteering opportunities in a variety of areas. If you are looking for a friendly environment where you can make a difference, look no further! You can join us in the Administration Office as a Volunteer Administrator, get back to nature with our Volunteer Gardeners, share your skills and knowledge as a Volunteer Tutor, or get practical as a Maintenance Volunteer. Whether you want to learn something new, or share your expertise with us, we’re looking forward to welcoming you.
Do you have different talents to our existing volunteer roles? If you’ve got a unique skill to offer, we’re very open to new areas of volunteering. Each existing volunteering opportunity is described below.
Interested in joining? If you are interested in joining the Volunteer Gardeners please contact Caroline on enquiries@bedfordhouse.org.uk or call on 020 8504 6668. For any other volunteering please contact Lykke, on ceo@bedfordhouse.org.uk. If you would like to get a feel for Bedford House before committing to volunteering you can visit us during one of our events or make an appointment with Lykke via ceo@bedfordhouse.org.uk
Administration
Administration Volunteers will act as first port of call for enquirers on the telephone or in person. They will support the Administrators in the Administration Office and be given small projects to work on. Admin volunteer roles are great opportunities to learn all aspects of administration such as customer service, enrolment, basic bookkeeping, promotion, sales, and occasional event support.
If you have office experience that’s great but Admin Volunteers do not need prior office experience and we are a great place to learn for first jobbers, or those looking to refresh their skills, as well as those transitioning between employment and retirement or between jobs etc. All we require is enthusiasm, reliability, and an interest in doing the best one can.
Admin Volunteer shifts are likely to be 4-5 hours long to suit you, probably once or more every week, and you will be integrated into the team. Bedford House is open 5-7 days per week, from 9:00 to 22:00 so the likelihood of a suitable shift is high.
If you are interested, please contact Lykke on CEO@bedfordhouse.org.uk to discuss.
Tutoring or Lecturing
Volunteer tutors lead and run courses that fall under our Community Courses & Activities (see website for details). They share the topics they are passionate about and the courses are Donation Based rather than Fee based.
You can commit to deliver one or more workshops, or a full course. The sessions can run any time we are open for activity already which is 12-13 hours a day most days, up to 7 days per week.
Examples of current courses are ‘Crafters’ 10:30 to 12:30 on Mondays, and ‘Discovering Science’ 14:00 – 16:00 on Fridays.
If you have any skills and knowledge you are passionate about and would like to share with the community please contact Lykke on CEO@bedfordhouse.org.uk to discuss.
Gardening
Gardening Sessions take place in the front and rear garden at Bedford House.
You do not need experience to join the Gardening sessions but if you have gardening experience, we hope you will share it with the other participants.
Gardening is a great opportunity for gentle physical exercise, socialising, learning basic gardening skills, or sharing gardening skills, and reconnecting with nature, self and others.
Gardening sessions are 2.5 hours long (you can leave any time). We currently offer 2 sessions per month between 10:00 and 12:30 as below.
1st Thursday of the month
3rd Wednesday of the month
If you are interested, please contact the Administration Office on 020 8504 6668 to express your interest and to check when the next session is taking place.
Maintenance
Maintenance Volunteers will assist the Caretaker with light maintenance and caretaker’s tasks in general. The Maintenance Volunteers mainly meet on Thursday mornings 9:00 to 13:00.
It is helpful to be more than one person to do a piece of work such as one holding and the other drilling, mending items, painting, set up and remove chairs, or sweeping the front car park. If you have experience in DIY that is helpful, but DIY experience is not a requirement to be a Maintenance Volunteer. If you are interested, please contact Lykke on CEO@bedfordhouse.org.uk to discuss.
Board of Trustees
Trustees ‘ensure their charity has a clear strategy, and that its work and goals are in line with its vision’. A trustee’s role in a charity is to be the ‘guardians of purpose’, making sure that all decisions put the needs of the beneficiaries first. The Board of Trustees meets 4 times a year currently on a Tuesday 18:30 to 21:00. A schedule of meetings for the Board and Sub-Committees is set at the beginning of a year for the year ahead.
If you are interested in becoming a Trustee please see our dedicated page: ‘Trustees’. Alternatively, contact the CEO, Lykke Leszczynski on ceo@BedfordHouse.org.uk
Our lovely volunteer gardeners in action!
