Buckinghamshire Volunteer Matching Service

The Buckinghamshire Volunteer Matching Service matches registered volunteers to roles where they are most needed in the county.

To register as a volunteer,  complete the short registration form and the Volunteer Matching Service team will look for roles which suit your preferences. If a match is found, we will get in contact to find out if you are interested in the identified role(s), and if so, how to proceed. Have a look at a range of examples of current roles below.

Register as a volunteerRegister your organisation’s role(s)

Don’t have time to complete the volunteer registration form?
Click on the clock icon to receive the registration form by email to complete at a time that is convenient for you.

2000th volunteer matched

We are delighted to announce that the 2000th volunteer has been matched in Bucks by the Buckinghamshire Volunteer Matching Service! Find out more on our news webpage and our case study webpage to read more about Evie, our 2000th volunteer.

Examples of volunteer roles currently available

The Volunteer Matching Service matches registered volunteers to the most suitable role for you. Below is a list of some of the current roles on offer. This list does not include all roles but is updated regularly.

If you are interested in any of these types of roles, please register as a volunteer using the Volunteer Matching Service registration form. A member of the Volunteer Matching Service team will then be in touch to tell you more about the role and how to proceed or, if that role is not suitable, let you know about other current opportunities.

Example roles:

Frontline/ Emergency Response 

  • South Central Ambulance Service – Community First Responders – Join the local Bourne End scheme and attend medical and trauma emergencies, often providing vital intervention and support before the arrival of the ambulance crew. 

Befriending and Mentoring:  

  • St John’s Ambulance – Volunteers to help young people develop confidence, teamwork skills, and self-discipline, encouraging them to strive to be their best  
  • Age UK Bucks –Befrienders to provide regular social interaction to elderly people, Discharge Support volunteers to help people transition from hospital to living independently at home, and BOOST volunteers to befriend and support older people in tackling social isolation and loneliness.  
  • Bucks Mind – Both face to face and telephone befrienders county wise. Or volunteer gardener to look after the premises located in Chesham.  
  • Mediation Bucks – Mediators who will be able to facilitate meetings and provide a framework that gives all those involved in disputes an equal chance to voice their concerns.  
  • The Young at Heart Club – High Wycombe & District, is looking for befriender volunteers to support their Saturday lunch & entertainment group sessions.   
  • Bucks Vision – Walking group guide helping visually impaired people get active and healthy, ensuring walking is friendly and safe.  
  • Rennie Grove Peace Hospice – Supporting Hands volunteers are needed to offer support, companionship, and respite care to adults and children with life-limiting illnesses.  
  • One YMCA – Support them at their hostel in High Wycombe as either Befriender or Evening Café Host. 

Involving Young People:  

  • Youth Concern – Volunteers will support their Drop-in Centre in Aylesbury, offering a range of activities like pool, music studios, or IT. They offer refreshments and occasional meals.   
  • Adviza/Prince’s Trust Team Programme – Aylesbury – Volunteers helping deliver group or one-to-one sessions to the young people; admin & general support. 
  • Burnham Youth Club – Support the running of the youth club on Friday evenings, for young people aged 8-17.  
  • Spark2life – School transition mentors or children year 6 moving into year 7 in Aylesbury and High Wycombe schools.  
  • 1st Radnage Scout Group – Volunteers to lead the Scouts, Cubs and Beavers sections.  
  • Bourne End Junior Sports Club – Sports assistants are needed for basketball and swimming sessions during term time to support the Sports Leaders. 
  • Cressex Community School in High Wycombe – Fundraiser volunteer, supporting the school in raising funds for the student’s extracurricular activities. Work can be done remotely. 

Outdoor Activities:  

  • Active In the Community – Volunteers to help run inclusive cycling sessions for their Wheels for All project. Sundays in Aylesbury & Marlow over the summer months (May – Oct) 
  • Garden Ninjas – A gardening volunteer group that helps with looking after the Stoke Poges Memorial Garden on Mondays and Thursdays.  
  • Chiltern Society – Volunteer for the Community WildBelt Project, a conservation project in the Wendover and surrounding parishes.   
  • The Conservation Volunteers – Volunteers needed to undertake practical conservation tasks at the Buckingham and/or Woodham sites.  
  • Sport in Mind – Run sports activities for those experiencing mental health problems. They are looking for volunteers in High Wycombe to help run badminton sessions on Fridays.  
  • P3 Charity – Hoarding Support volunteers to help clients in South Bucks on an ad-hoc basis. 

Foodbank/ Food Service Roles:  

  • Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – Front of House volunteers to serve customers at The Grange Restaurant & Gift Shop.   
  • Iver Parish Council – Serve tea, coffee, and refreshments to the seniors’ coffee morning group members on the 3rd Thursday of every month.   
  • Garden Organic & Buckinghamshire Council – Waste Reduction Volunteers for the ‘Waste Busters’ programme.    

Transport: 

  • Friends of Wendover Health Centre – Volunteers are needed as Patient Transport Drivers to drive patients from their homes to medical appointments, and back again.  
  • Hazlemere & Widmer End Good Neighbours Scheme – Volunteer drivers to transport elderly patients who are unable to use public transport to and from medical appointments.  
  • Chiltern Rangers Wildflower and Tree Nurseries – looking for minibus drivers and support with gardening.   
  • Pitstone Community Car Scheme – Drivers to take patients in the Pitstone and Ivinghoe area to doctor’s surgeries, hospitals, etc.  
  • Winslow & District Community Bus – Volunteer Minibus Drivers are needed to help run all the scheduled services, excursions, and hires of the bus. 

Other Community-based Roles: 

  • WheelPower – Communications volunteers to support with creating content for newsletters and social media.   
  • Repair Café – Repairers volunteer to join a community group to help the climate crisis by enabling people to reuse and repair rather than throw away!   
  • The Film Place – Volunteer with The Film Place to support with the running of this community cinema in Buckingham.  
  • Burnham Community Association – Join the volunteer team to provide support to older members of the community during the Monday Club.  
  • Friends of the University of Buckingham – service for students, are looking for Media Officers or Leader volunteers to help with their media and promotion.  
  • Child Bereavement UK – Help raise money for the charity by becoming a Collection Tin volunteer and organising the placement of collection tins with businesses in your local area.  
  • Wycombe Arts Centre – Volunteer Co-ordinator as member of the management team; and volunteers as secretary or admin support for their Trustee Board 
  • The Vegan Society – Organisers and advocates volunteers – county wise    
  • Guide Dogs – Puppy Raiser Volunteers providing a puppy with the vital foundation for its future role as a guide dog. Looking after a puppy for 12-16 months in own home.    
  • Chalfont St Peter Community Library – Volunteers to help organise school visits or support at their Monday Movie screenings, or desk volunteers to use the library software to issue books, log returns, and make reservations.  
  • Amersham Museum – Front of house volunteers, welcoming visitors to the museum, accept and process admission and events payments and retail sales. 
  • Buckinghamshire Railway Centre – Woodworking, gardening, painting, engineering, customer-facing in their gift shop or cafe, steam train crew/platform staff, etc. 

 

Charity Shop Support:  

  • Woodgreen Charity Pet Shop – General shop support in Aylesbury  
  • South Bucks Hospice – Hazlemere and Bourne End shop volunteers and volunteers with experience in catering services to support the running of their Bistro on Wednesdays.  
  • South Bucks Hospice are also looking for volunteers to support their online selling, and to support patients with various activities throughout the week. 

 

Community Impact Bucks also posts volunteer vacancies which are not registered with Volunteer Matching Service on our Vacancies and Opportunities webpage. If you are interested in any of these roles, please contact those organisations directly.

Under 18? Volunteering options for 13-17 year olds

Buckinghamshire’s Volunteer Matching Service: the Buckinghamshire Volunteer Matching Service matches registered volunteers to roles where they are most needed in the county. If you are 16+ years, you can register with the Volunteer Matching Service. (If you are under 16 please register with us when you have turned 16.)

Aylesbury Youth Action:  a place where young people can further develop their skills. Volunteers can register interest on their online form.

Wycombe Youth Action: many of Wycombe Youth Action’s current volunteers have been involved with Wycombe Youth Action (WYA) and are committed to helping young people just like them. By encouraging development of their natural skills, these volunteers are now the leaders and confidantes of WYA’s young people. Find out more on WYA’s website.

Duke of Edinburgh: you can find a list of volunteering ideas and opportunities for young people on the Duke of Edinburgh website:

VInspired: you can find general volunteer roles suitable for young people (aged 16 – 30) on the VInspired website.

Do-IT: Do-IT is a national online database of volunteer opportunities. If you see a role you like but it is for those 18 or over, it is worth contacting them to see if they would be happy for you to do it if a parent/ guardian accompanies you.

Other ideas:

Opportunity Bucks: get involved in Wycombe, Aylesbury and Chesham

Buckinghamshire Council want to make sure that everyone in Buckinghamshire has the same opportunities to reach their potential and live happy, healthy lives. As part of its Opportunity Bucks programme, the Council has identified ten wards across High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Chesham where people are experiencing the most hardship, and where it aims to improve everyday life and generate more opportunities.

Opportunity Bucks roles

  • Do you have new ideas for your areas? Ward partnerships have been established within the 10 wards, bringing together key community partners and residents to identify local challenges and opportunities. No experience or knowledge is required, just the motivation to make a positive impact and collaborate with other residents to plan, organise or support activities, events and projects. If you would like more information, contact communities@buckinghamshire.gov.uk.

More opportunities in Aylesbury Wards (North, North-west, South-west):

There are plenty more ways to help out. To get involved in any of these roles, please register with the Volunteer Matching Service:

  • FoodCycle Aylesbury – Support the Cooking, Hosting, or Project Lead teams providing weekly community meals using donated surplus food.
  • Barbara Bus – Volunteer Demonstrator needed in Aylesbury on an ad-hoc basis to teach users how to safely secure a wheelchair in their specially adapted vehicle.
  • Woodgreen Charity Pet Shop – Various shifts are available at the new pet shop in Ayelsbury.
  • Aylesbury Vale Child Contact Centre – support parents and children who come to visit the centre on Saturdays.
  • Spark2life – volunteer as a mentor to support young people transitioning from primary to secondary school.

More opportunities in Chesham Ward:

There are plenty more ways to help out. To get involved in any of these roles, please register with the Volunteer Matching Service:

  • Calibre Audio – A volunteer driver is needed to transport a member of the monthly book group to and from the session.
  • Chesham Leys (Fremantle Trust) – Gardeners willing to spend 3-4 hours a week on weekdays looking after the gardens at the Chesham Leys Care Home.
  • Chesham in Bloom – Improve the way that Chesham looks and how people feel about their town by undertaking various gardening and clean-up projects.
  • National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) – Support and befriend a young person under Local Authority Care, arranging activities and outings, as part of the Independent Visitors Service.

More opportunities in High Wycombe Wards (Abbey, Booker Cressex & Castlefield, Ryemead & Micklefield, Terriers & Amersham Hill, Totteridge & Bowerdean, West Wycombe):

There are plenty more ways to help out. To get involved in any of these roles, please register with the Volunteer Matching Service:

  • T&T News – Volunteers to help distribute the magazine around the Totteridge and Terriers area of High Wycombe four times a year.
  • Wycombe Arts Centre – A volunteer co-ordinator is needed to support the management team with recruiting and training volunteers across various projects.
  • High Wycombe Shopmobility – Various shifts during the week to help operate its service loaning out mobility scooters at the Eden Centre
  • Horizons Sports Club – Provide one to one support during various sports classes.
  • Action for Children – Various roles to support the Bucks Activity Project. They are looking for: Disability Support volunteers to take children aged 0-19 on outings and Office Support to assist with admin tasks; Disability Support volunteers, gardening volunteers, and minibus drivers at their Residential Short-Break Services in High Wycombe.
  • Wycombe Youth Action – Session support volunteers to work with project officers to deliver various activities across groups.
  • Hills Café – help provide the local community a space to meet and socialise by volunteering as a server.
  • St Andrews Lunch Club – help serve lunch and refreshments for retired people every Wednesday.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the Buckinghamshire Volunteer Matching Service (VMS)?

A: The Buckinghamshire Volunteer Matching Service (VMS) helps people who want to volunteer in Buckinghamshire find the right role for them and helps organisations find the volunteers that they need.

Q: How does the VMS work?

A: Volunteers register with the service on the Community Impact Bucks website, providing some basic information about their location, availability and volunteering preferences.

One of the VMS team (who are all volunteers themselves) then telephones each volunteer to talk through current volunteering opportunities, which organisations have asked the VMS to help them fill. If the team member can’t reach the volunteer by phone, they will try to contact the volunteer by email.

If one of those opportunities is suitable, the VMS emails the volunteer with the contact details of the organisation that they are matched with. The volunteer then contacts the organisation direct to find out what the next steps are to volunteering in the role.

If there is no current volunteering opportunity that is suitable for the volunteer, the VMS will keep the volunteer’s details on record and bear them in mind as new requests for volunteers come in.

Q: What kinds of volunteer roles are available?

A: The range of opportunities available through the VMS changes all the time.

Here are some examples recent volunteering opportunities:

  • Volunteer Drivers
  • Shop Volunteers
  • Volunteer befrienders
  • Volunteer mentors
  • Gardening volunteers
  • Administration volunteers
  • Youth Club volunteer helpers
  • Volunteer museum stewards
  • Hospital volunteers

You can see many of the current opportunities listed on the Examples of volunteer roles currently available.

 Q: Does the VMS have any age restrictions?

A: The VMS is primarily for volunteers who are 16 or over. The Service does not process new registrations from volunteers under 16.

Q: How much time does volunteering take up?

A: The time commitment depends on the volunteering role. VMS team members always try to establish how much time each volunteer can offer and on which days and would only suggest volunteering opportunities that fit with those hours.

Q: Can I be matched to more than one volunteering role?

A: Yes. If you have the time available and like the sound of more than one role suggested by the VMS team, you can be matched to each of them.

If you have come to the end of a volunteering role and would like another, the VMS help find another match – just email us on volunteermatching@communityimpactbucks.org.uk.

Q: What happens once I am matched?

A: You will receive an email from the VMS giving you details of who to contact in the organisation which has requested volunteers for that role. The next step is for you to make contact with the charity direct to say that you are interested in the volunteer role.

Because of data protection rules, the VMS does not provide that organisation with any of your details aside from your name and, in with your permission, what you have told us about any DBS check you may have had i.e. the level of DBS check and who would verify the check.

Q: Can I leave if the role I am matched to isn’t for me?

A: Yes, of course. There’s no obligation to stay in a role if it isn’t right for you. Speak with your volunteer supervisor in the organisation and let them know how you feel.

If you would like the VMS to find you a new role, just email us on volunteermatching@communityimpactbucks.org.uk .

Q: Can the VMS help me find a paid job with a charity or voluntary organisation?

A: No, the VMS only helps people find voluntary, unpaid roles.

Q: Can I volunteer if I have a disability?

A: Yes, many organisations can provide a variety of access and support needs. The VMS can help with initial questions you may have about any particular role, as we are already in contact with the organisation.

Q: Do I need a DBS check?

A: Whether you need a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check or not will depend on the volunteer role. The VMS will tell you whether or not a DBS is required when discussing volunteering opportunities with you, and some organisations will carry out their own DBS checks when you are matched with them. You can find further information on DBS and volunteering on Disclosure & Barring website.

Q: Can I volunteer if I have a criminal conviction?

A: Many people with a criminal conviction do volunteer, however, it may limit the roles you can do depending on the nature of the conviction. The VMS can help you find a suitable volunteering role. 

Do you need volunteers?

If your organisation needs volunteers, please read this information sheet – About the Volunteer Matching Service – and follow the link to the volunteer request form where you can provide details of your volunteer requirements.

If you are looking for a group of volunteers, our Team Volunteering webpage provides information about some of the Bucks-based opportunities that are available.

Community Support for Ukrainian refugees in Buckinghamshire: If your organisation needs volunteers to help deliver a service that supports Ukrainian refugees in Buckinghamshire, complete the volunteer request form and the team will be in contact when suitable volunteers are found.

If you are a charity, voluntary or community group or social enterprise, and need help with your volunteering activities, or know of one who does, Community Impact Bucks can provide tailored advice, guidance and bespoke support. Please complete our support request form and one of our team will contact you to discuss the bespoke help we can provide.

Further support and guidance for your organisation can be found by selecting ‘MENU’ at the top of this webpage, and look under the heading ‘Support for Groups’ for a list of options.

If you would like to the opportunity to network with other organisations in Bucks, Community Impact Bucks is hosting a series of online forums for Bucks-based charities, voluntary and community groups, and social enterprises to share information and collaborate on the local issues that matter most. These free forums – Local Voluntary Sector Networks – provide an informal space where not-for-profit organisations can discuss local needs and explore opportunities for change in their communities. Find out more on our Local Voluntary Sector Network webpage. 

If you would like to receive our regular bulletins, Bucks Charity News, with latest guidance, funding opportunities and useful advice, join Community Impact Bucks’ free membership scheme by registering on our Membership page. 

How data is processed

The purpose of the data collected through the volunteer request form, volunteer registration form, and subsequent email/phone contact is for the provision of the Volunteer Matching Service in supporting voluntary groups and volunteers. We will store this information for the purpose of placing volunteers in volunteer roles where they are most needed in Buckinghamshire. The contact information will not be used for any other purpose than offering support to voluntary groups and volunteers. The full details are in our privacy statement.