VOLUNTEER
Who can volunteer?
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All adults are welcome to apply regardless of age, gender, race, nationality or ethnic origin, religion, disability or sexual orientation.
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For insurance and safeguarding reasons, we are unable to accept volunteers under the age of 18 while Christmas Care is running.
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For young volunteers, we need to be confident that they have the skills and maturity to be able to cope with any challenging issues that arise.
Volunteers' Personal Data
Please read our privacy policy to learn how we use your personal data, in line with current legislation requirements.
Christmas Care 2026
Applications to volunteer for Christmas Care 2026 are now open until 1st November. Volunteers need to complete the form attached below. All applications are very welcome and we will slot you into our rotas according to your skills and preferences.
What does volunteering involve?
Our volunteers play a vital role in supporting guests who may be homeless, vulnerable, or experiencing loneliness over Christmas. We work in organised shift teams, each supported by an experienced Shift Leader, to ensure a calm, safe, ad supportive environment.
There are two main volunteer roles:
General Volunteers
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Welcoming guests
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Supporting guests throughout the day
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Helping with serving food and drinks
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Assisting with setup, cleaning, and general tasks
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Offering a friendly, empathetic presence
Kitchen volunteers
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Preparing and cooking homemade meals
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Working safely in a busy kitchen
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Supporting food service and hygiene standards
Each day (8:30am - 6pm for volunteers) is divided into three shifts, each about three hours long. Volunteers may do shifts on every day that we are open, but we don't allocate more than one shift per day.
If you are new to volunteering
Please read this Guidance for New Volunteers, to help you to understand what is involved.
Do volunteers need to have particular skills?
No formal qualifications are required.
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General volunteers need to be good team players, willing to help with anything that's needed, empathetic with our guests and mindful of the issues that can arise. If you have any previous experience which demonstrates these qualities, please include details on your application form.
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Kitchen volunteers need to be comfortable preparing and cooking homemade food, able to operate safely in a busy shared kitchen space and work as a team. We do also welcome volunteers with formal commercial catering / food hygiene skills/experience.
We do also appreciate volunteers with first aid skills and experience in relevant areas of counselling and social work, although these are not required.
If you have any queries about volunteering, please reach out to us on our Contact page, and we will respond as soon as we can.