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Welcome to Trafford Volunteer Centre
Cadman House
Wharf Rd
Sale
Cheshire M33 2AF

Trafford Volunteer Centre was established in 1996 and is the only accredited Volunteer Centre in the borough.

Volunteer Centre Co-ordinator: Mike Hall

Opening Times: 10am - 5pm Monday to Friday (Evening and weekend appointments available)

Please do make an appointment before coming

Tel: 0161 976 2447 Fax:0161 976 2433Email enquiries@traffordcvs.org.uk

What does Trafford Volunteer Centre do?

• Provides information and support to anybody who is in interested in volunteering n Trafford and parts of Manchester.
• Recruits,selects, and places volunteers in voluntary work in the local community.
• Keeps an up to date data base of all current voluntary opportunities.
• Works with national volunteering organisations `do-it.org.uk` and `timebank`.
• Provides support, information and training to local voluntary/community organisations to increase and develop their voluntary opportunities.
• Works to increase the number of hard to reach groups of people accessing voluntary opportunities - people in pockets of disadvantage, minority ethnic groups and people with additional needs e.g. mental health problems or learning disabilities.
• Publicises and markets voluntary opportunities and recruit volunteers at job fairs and large events.

Who volunteers?
People from every walk of life choose to volunteer. Volunteering is about being inclusive and we help people with additional needs e.g. mental health problems and learning difficulties. These groups require assistance and support in finding suitable voluntary work.

Why people volunteer?

To gain work experience- Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found people that undertake voluntary work increase their employability. Volunteers gain new skills, e

To change career- Voluntary work gives people the opportunity to explore new and interesting opportunities. This can be useful for people who may be wishing to change career. Some types of voluntary work are available in the evenings and weekends.

To start a return to work- Voluntary work can be a good way for people to get back in to the workplace after an absence. It can provide structure to the day, enable individuals to refresh skills and provides a reference.

To further a career- Having some voluntary work experience is often necessary to get on to a university course and can provide practical experience to students during their studies.

There are many other reasons why people choose to volunteer:
To get involved in community developments
To help and support a particular cause
To meet new people and keep active
To improve self-esteem and build self-confidence.

What kind of Voluntary work is available?
We currently have approximately 250 charities and community groups registered with us that take volunteers. All of these organisations benefit from increased participation from the local community, which is vital and allows them to continue to provide their services.

We have good links and have placed numbers of people with organisations such as Trafford Youth Offending Team, Citizens Advice Bureau and Victim Support as well as many smaller organisations.

A selection of the kinds of volunteer opportunities we can offer:

Animals/Art/Culture/ Children/Youth/ Disability/Drugs/ Addictions/Environment/Conservation/ Heritage /Mental Health/ Museums/ Elderly/ Race/Ethnicity/Refugees/ Womens groups/ Admin/Office work/ Caring/Catering/Business Management /Community work /Fundraising/Charity shops/ Teaching/Training/ Computers/Technology/Prisoners/Ex-Offenders/ Health/Hospitals/Hospices/ Advice work/ Counselling/Trustee/Committee work/ Driving/ Finance/ Practical work/D.I.Y.

Who does Trafford Volunteer Centre work with?

• We work with the Job Centre and `Skills for Life`
• We also have good links with `Next Step` project working with people who have experienced mental health problems and those with learning difficulties.
• We work with Next Step Careers Service who refer people to us who are looking to change career and/or make themselves more attractive to potential employers.
• We are members of Skills for Life and E.S.O.L. steering groups (Trafford).
• We work closely with the Learning Disabilities Partnership Board, local L.S.P., Trafford's Mental Health Strategy and we have good links with local colleges.

How do I get involved?
Contact us by telephone or email. We usually ask people to make an appointment to come into our office for a chat. This is to find out what you are interested in and why you want to volunteer, and to register you with us.

If people are unable to come in during office hours, evening and weekend appointments are available upon request. We can also offer telephone appointments.

If you are not sure what possibilities are available we can offer ideas. We then try to find a placement within a suitable organisation. We also list curent volunteer opportunities on the national volunteering website do-it.org.uk

Useful Links

www.do-it.org.uk

www.timebank.org.uk

www.mev.org.uk

www.volunteeringengland.org.uk

www.milleniumvolunteers.gov.uk