Volunteering with Age Concern Cardiff and the Vale

We are looking for reliable, empathic volunteers to help support our projects and services. Giving just a couple of hours a week of your time will make a big difference to the lives of our clients.

Advocacy Services offer support to older people with issues of concern. Volunteers visit people in their own homes or work as part of the Care Homes team visiting residents in a number of homes across Cardiff and the Vale on a fortnightly or monthly basis. Volunteer Advocates listen to the concerns of older people regarding a range of issues including health, housing or difficulty accessing a service. They provide information; empowering older people to make choices and when appropriate help to draft letters, complete forms and liase with involved parties if appropriate.

As a volunteer you need to be an empathic listener and have good verbal and written skills. Volunteers must be available to work during office hours (9am-5pm) for approximately 3 hours a week depending on client needs and your own schedule. The ability to travel is useful.

Ageing Well Programme encourages older people to participate in social and physical activities that promote good health and wellbeing. The project runs events, activities and courses in the community and within residential care homes. In the Senior Health Shop in Barry volunteers provide a healthy eating snack bar, information and a listening ear. Other volunteers throughout Cardiff and the Vale become Activity Leaders such as Extend Class teachers or Walk Leaders. There is also the oppportunity for volunteers to become Senior Health Mentors; offering advice and information about living healthily and communicating with clients, volunteers, staff at Age Concern and other agencies. We also need volunteers who can give talks on topics relevant to healthy ageing, assist with general administration and support the team at events.

All volunteers need to have good interpersonal skills, be interested in healthy living and have the ability to work alone and within a team. Between 2-4 hours per week is required from most volunteers

Social Singing Clubs
The Ageing Well project is establishing regular sessions of singing and music for older people in care homes and the community.

The clubs are not passive and do not involve sitting and listening to others performing, instead everyone joins in with a range of musical activities including singing, percussion, hand chimes and gentle chair based exercises. There are no auditions and everyone is welcome.

Most of the music and songs will be familiar to the people involved and many songs are used because of the power to evoke memories.

Volunteer Roles: Vocalists / Singers / Musicians.

Do you want to lead or support a song group?

Are you looking for experience as a musical director?

Do you enjoy socialising with older people?

Can you inspire people to join together and sing?

The time commitment varies between 2-4 hours a week for most opportunities. Training is provided.

Charity Shops provide vital financial income to support the Organisation and the services we run and are lively and interesting place to work. Volunteers assist in the shop, serving and attending to customers and creating displays. They also work behind the scenes preparing and presenting stock. Many older people also seek information or advice in the shops as they like to speak to a friendly face rather than a voice on the phone. There is also an exciting opportunity to help us raise even more funds by getting involved with our Ebay Project. Volunteers are needed to take photos, write descriptions of donated goods and add them to our dedicated Ebay wwebsite as well as helping to send out goods to winning bidders.

Volunteers need to be reliable and have good communication, numeracy and social skills. Time commitment is very flexible within shop hours Monday-Saturday (9.30-4.30) .

The Ebay Project
Alongside the Charity shops Age Concern also runs its own Ebay shop. This enables the Charity to sell and auction specific items that have been donated to the Charity to reach higher prices than they would reach in the Charity shops.

Volunteers can assist with researching items over the internet, taking photographs, writing descriptions of goods donated and adding them to our dedicated Ebay site, dispatching goods, organising and preparing stock.

Volunteers need to have good computer skills and an understanding of Ebay. Photography skills would also be an advantage.

Time Commitment is flexible within shop hours which are 9.30 - 4.30pm Monday to Saturday.

Please visit our ebay shop: stores.ebay.co.uk/Age-Concern-Cardiff


Counselling Service provides support for older people who are experiencing emotional difficulties such as loneliness, anxiety, adjusting to retirement, depression or grief. The counselling is delivered in client’s homes or in Care Homes.

Volunteers need to be studying for, or have already completed counselling training to at least a recognised diploma level. We ask that volunteers are in a position to take at least two clients at any one time, are able to commit for a period of at least 6 months and can give us 1 months notice of intention to cease volunteering. An approximate figure of 7-8 hours per week is needed but this includes supervision time and note-writing. This service is only available to clients living in Cardiff.

Good Neighbour Schemes provide both emotional and practical support. The Schemes aim to provide social contact through volunteer befrienders visiting people in their own homes, listening to problems and concerns, giving information, helping with small practical tasks around the home such as changing light-bulbs and doing a bit of light shopping. Volunteers are also needed to provide transport and escort people on hospital visits, operate a telephone link (ringing up a list of clients on a monthly basis to check how they are).

Volunteers need to be good listeners, empathetic, reliable, and trustworthy. Time commitment varies from a couple of hours a week upwards

Welfare Rights Service raises awareness of benefits available for older people. Volunteers give general benefits advice, help clients to complete benefit forms and make referals to other projects and services as appropriate. There are also opportuntiies to assist with office administration and to help promote the service by giving talks to relevant groups.

As a volunteer you need to have good administrative skills, the ability to develop knowledge of benefits and be prepared to accept essential on-going training. Generally one half day per week of your time will be needed, plus the ability to travel.

Age Concern Insurance and Products. are specifically designed for older people, such as utility services, insurance and Aid Call emergency response units. The money raised goes directly to support our other projects and services. Volunteers are required to help with the general administration for this service, answering the telephone, photocopying, writing letters, making promotional packs and maintaining displays.

Volunteers need to be enthusiastic, trustworthy and have good communication and administrative skills. Time commitment of about 4 hours a week is required.

Administration and Promotion of Age Concern Services - Sometimes volunteers are required to assist with a range of office based tasks such as photocopying, typing, answering the phone and helping to create publicity material.

There are also less frequent volunteering opportunities available, such as helping to send out our quarterly newsletter mailings. We also require volunteers to help promote our events and services by displaying information in your local area (e.g. doctors’ surgeries and libraries) perhaps doing occasional leaflet drops or even attending events or road-shows throughout the year.

Age Concern Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan provide a one day induction sessions for all new volunteers to welcome you to the organisation and once you have started you can expect on-going support, additional training if required and the opportunity to attend volunteer meetings.

Copyright © 2001. Age Concern Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. (Registered Charity No 260189)