Volunteering in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire offers a wide variety of volunteering opportunities. You can volunteer for all types of work, including maintaining footpaths, being a sports coach or helping organise activities for children.
It doesn't matter how much time you can spare, we would love to hear from you.
Volunteering can give you the skills and experience you need to further your career.
You can find out more about the range of volunteering opportunities below. Also, Community Impact Bucks provides a free and confidential service to help match your skills and interests to local opportunities.
Volunteering opportunities
View opportunities and find out who to contact about them.
Buckinghamshire Archives is home to the memory of Buckinghamshire. We collect, care for and present the written and photographic history of the county. We need volunteers for a wide range of tasks, including working with our historic collections. Volunteers need to be able to give at least 3 hours a week.
The Buckinghamshire Community Transport Hub is a countywide community transport information and advice line. It provides information on Dial-A-Rides, community car schemes, minibus hire and wheelchair accessible taxis.
visit: Community Transport Hub
Volunteers are essential to conservation management in Bucks.
Working with the Conservation Volunteers, we have established a number of Community Conservation Groups.
Buckingham Railway Walk Conservation Group
Buckingham Town Council together with TCV have established a group to maintain the Railway Walk in the town. The group carries out clearing and conservation work at the site, which runs along Station Road. Tasks can include wildlife surveying, vegetation management, pond work and looking after the fruit trees.
The group meet on the first Saturday of each month in the University of Buckingham car park on Chandos Road, sessions run 10.30am to 1.00pm.
Contact Katherine on 07740 899634 or [email protected]
Woodham Compressor Site Volunteers
TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) run weekly volunteering sessions to maintain and improve the land on this site for wildlife.
Woodham Compressor Site includes meadows, woodlands, hedgerows and bridleways. There is no public access except for the bridleways. As such, it’s a wildlife haven with many species recorded including black hairstreak butterflies.
The group meets every Wednesday to undertake tasks such as meadow management, wildflower seed collection, wildlife surveys and woodland improvements. Sessions run 11am to 3pm.
Contact Katherine on 07740 899634 or [email protected]
Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards are looking for volunteers to assist us with our consumer protection work. There are various volunteering opportunities from Scams Marshal to Food Sample Test Purchaser. For some of the roles, volunteers work from home.
visit: Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards volunteer opportunities
Help to manage and restore the county's country parks and manage vital habitats. We run regular practical sessions each week and are often looking for people to help with events such as open air theatre and cinema during the summer season. Practical tasks vary with the seasons and we provide all the tools and instruction you need. You will need to wear suitable clothing.
visit: Country Parks email: [email protected]
The Vale Countryside Volunteers group (VCV) was launched in 2003 with a £40,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
VCV’s aim is to care for and protect the wildlife and countryside of the Vale by carrying out practical conservation work using traditional crafts and skills.
The group meets most Wednesdays from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
visit: Vale Countryside Volunteers website email [email protected]
Children's centres provide fun activities and services for all young children. They give extra support to children who may be at a disadvantage for a variety of reasons. Volunteers are needed to help support their activities. Contact your local centre directly to volunteer, you can find details on the Family Information Centre website.
visit: Family Information Service
Food banks, community fridges and other local initiatives help provide food to those who need it and reduce food waste.
They rely on the goodwill of volunteers in order to keep running.
You can offer to volunteer at a local food bank or community fridge.
You can also help by setting up:
- your own community fridge
- a food collection point on your street (Food Champions) - to collect donations from your neighbours
- a Grow to Give food donation scheme
Help us record information for the vital Sites and Monuments Records.
email: [email protected] telephone: 01296 382072
Buckinghamshire Libraries are fortunate to have the support of many volunteers across all our libraries. We value our volunteers for the additional services they help us to provide, the experience and skills they bring to their roles, and for their enthusiasm and commitment.
Contact your local library to find out about opportunities.
Home Library Service
The Home Library Service helps to keep Buckinghamshire residents connected to reading and to their local community. Many residents find it difficult to visit a library due to age, illness or disability. Volunteers are matched to clients in their local area. They will choose books for clients, based on their preferences, and deliver these to their homes once a month.
visit: Home Library Service email: [email protected] telephone: 01494 475573
Community libraries
If you would like to get involved with your local community library, you can make contact directly.
visit: libraries and opening hours
We are seeking volunteers from all backgrounds who are interested in education and would like to serve on the Independent Appeal Panel (IAP).
What the IAP is
The IAP is made up of 3 unpaid, independent members who hear admission appeals made by parents who have been refused a place for their child in a preferred school.
The IAP is trained and supported by the Appeals Team and Clerks.
It:
- reads appeal papers provided by parents and schools
- listens to cases during online hearings
- follows the statutory decision-making process to reach reasoned decisions
- ensures that appeals are fair, transparent and impartial.
Skills required
Panel members must be able to:
- communicate effectively with a wide range of people
- ask relevant questions calmly, and employ active listening skills
- analyse information, identify key points and assess evidence
- respect the need for confidentiality
- demonstrate commitment, integrity, and punctuality
When appeals are heard
Appeals take place on school days in term time. We ask for a minimum offer of 15 days a year, particularly between the peak period of May and July.
Enquire now
To apply or for more information, contact [email protected] .
If you want to make a real difference in your community, you could become a school governor. Anyone over the age of 18 can be a governor and you do not need to be a parent.
School governors set the school's strategic vision and direction and make sure the budget is being properly managed. Typically, school governors attend at least 6 meetings each year and give 5 to 8 hours each month. They do not get involved in day-to-day running of the school, but they do hold the senior leadership team to account. Contact us to find out more.
telephone:01296 383030 email: [email protected] visit: Become a school or college governor
If you enjoy sports and want to pass your enthusiasm on to others, there are plenty of volunteering opportunities. You could be a coach, official or a committee member in a local club.
telephone: 01296 585215 email: [email protected] visit: Leapwithus
Help others to be more active and enjoy gentle walks throughout beautiful Buckinghamshire. Full training and support provided. Visit the Simply Walk pages.
The Rights of Way team organises two route surveys each year. We need volunteers to go out with a map, check that the paths are easy to use and report back. You will need a car to reach the walk area and walking boots. To help with annual route surveys, contact: 01296 387695
Join the Local Access Forum to ensure community views are taken into account when we are managing and developing the county's public access routes and land. Find out more about the Access Forum.
We need volunteers to work with young people at local youth centres across Buckinghamshire. You could pass on a skill, for example craft, cookery, art or drama. Alternatively, you could help run a coffee bar, organise an outing or event, or assist with a project or activity.
telephone: 01296 382583 email: [email protected] visit: Buckinghamshire Family Information Service
Offer volunteering opportunities
Community Impact Bucks offers a range of services, including training, to support organisations who need to recruit volunteers. We can assist with advertising and promoting existing roles, or help you develop new volunteer opportunities.