Volunteer Role: Activities Volunteer (Gardening/ Cooking/ Arts and Crafts)

Location: Luton Women's Single Homelessness Accommodation Pathway (SHAP)

About the Role

We're looking for friendly and enthusiastic volunteers to help run social activities for women living in our Luton Women's Single Homeless Accommodation Pathway (SHAP).

By helping to deliver engaging group activities, you'll support women to build confidence, develop new skills and interests, and enjoy meaningful social connections in a welcoming and supportive environment.

Activity groups that we are hoping to run include:

Gardening group
Cooking sessions
Arts and crafts activities

While we’re looking for a proactive volunteer who is happy to take the lead during the activities, you won’t be on your own. Our staff team will always be available to provide support, guidance and encouragement whenever needed.

Whether you have a particular hobby to share or simply enjoy bringing people together, we'd love to hear from you!

What is the Commitment?

We’re looking for a volunteer who can commit to two afternoons a week for at least six months. This consistency helps you build meaningful relationships with residents and make a lasting impact.

Volunteering takes place between 1pm and 7pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays. We’re flexible about the number of hours you can give within these times and will work with you to fit volunteering around your availability.

About You

Luton Women's SHAP is a female-only service due to the nature of the support that we provide. We are looking for female volunteers who are friendly, reliable, non-judgmental and empathetic, aligning with our trauma-informed approach to support.

Beyond this, we are very open to what you can bring to the team!

What You Can Expect From Us

To support you and set you up for success in your volunteering role with us, you can expect that we will:

Work with you to find a volunteering arrangement that works for you and for the service. We will be as flexible as we can!
Reimburse you for agreed expenses relating to your volunteering.
Welcome you warmly into our team and support you to get the most from your experience.
Recognise and celebrate your contribution to the team! We can provide references to confirm your achievements and contributions upon request.
Provide the training and guidance you need to understand the context of our services and to keep you and residents and participants safe
Provide regular supervision and opportunities to provide feedback on your experience
You will be eligible to register with Blue Light Discount Card.

About Social Interest Group (SIG)

SIG is a not-for-profit organisation providing thousands of people with good-quality support and care in residential, drop-in centres, community floating support settings, probation settings, and hospitals. We do so across London, Brighton, Bedfordshire, Luton, Kent and Liverpool. Our goal is to transform lives through empowering change.

We believe good care and support improves lives with the vision to create healthier, safer, and more inclusive communities. Join us on our mission to empower independence through trauma-informed solutions and dynamic partnerships that keep people out of prison, out of hospital, and off the streets.
Want to know how we work? Watch our short Theory of Change video to see how we support people towards a brighter future: Theory of Change Further details can be found on our website here: Theory of Change - Social Interest Group - Social Interest Group.

Additional Information

This role may close early, for a better chance to be considered, we recommend applying as soon as possible as we screen on an ongoing basis. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact us on the details below. If you need support with making your application, for example, due to learning needs or a disability, please email volunteering@socialinterestgroup.org.uk or call our central office on 020 3668 9270 to request a call back. Please note that this will take you through to our Central Administration team, who will then communicate your enquiry with us and we will arrange to call you back.

For information about our volunteer recruitment processes, please see our website and Volunteer Recruitment Policy.