Around 400 volunteers oil the wheels of our children’s hospice, quite literally keeping us running. We simply couldn’t manage without them. They contribute in so many ways, helping to ensure we can keep supporting more children and families.
The benefits of volunteering with us
Make new friends
Be part of a friendly team and meet lots of new people!
Learn new skills
Gain work experience and new skills that will look great on your CV
Make a difference
You’ll make a valuable contribution to the care of local children and families
Types of volunteering
If you’re looking for a regular commitment with lots of variety, volunteering in one of our shops could be perfect!
From bag packs and bucket collections to helping out at an event, could you spare a few hours once in a while to help us raise vital funds?
Could you be the welcoming smile that greets our visitors, keep our garden tidy or help our care and family support teams?
Volunteering FAQs
Got a question about volunteering with Forget Me Not? You might find the answer below. If not, drop an email to volunteers@forgetmenotchild.co.uk and we'll come right back to you!
To volunteer in one of our shops, you’ll need to be aged 14 or over.
To volunteer at our hospice, you’ll need to be aged 18 or over, unless you’re volunteering at a fundraising event at the hospice.
We’ll ask anyone under the age of 18 to complete a parental consent form and we’ll complete a young person risk assessment.
There is no maximum volunteering age as long as you can make a useful and safe contribution, the activity is suitable for your age and won’t harm you in any way.
If you are a UK citizen, you are entitled to volunteer. If you are not a UK citizen, please contact the UK Borders and Immigration Agency to find out if your visa allows you to volunteer.
This depends on the role. For some roles, such as volunteer counsellors, we ask you have a relevant qualification and/or experience. For other roles, we might be looking for someone who can just get stuck in. The requirements for each role are outlined on the role description.
We will not normally invite you to volunteer with Forget Me Not if you currently have a relative or friend being supported by us.
We will also usually only invite volunteers to volunteer at our hospice 12 months after a bereavement.
We do have other volunteering opportunities not based at the hospice where we will accept volunteers who have suffered a recent bereavement, if they feel ready.
However, this can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Employee volunteering is a great way of team-building while also helping Forget Me Not and we welcome enquiries. Volunteers always get a warm welcome and are very much appreciated.
You might be undertaking tasks such as helping to set up for our events, support on the day of our events (usually weekends), gardening projects, skills sharing, making up fundraising packs, supermarket bag packs and working in our shops.
To support Forget Me Not through corporate volunteering please call 01484 411040.
Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from volunteering with us; this will depend upon the nature of the volunteering role and the circumstances and background of your offence.
This varies depending on the role. For some roles such as bag packs or bucket collections in supermarkets, you can do as little or as much as you’d like. For other roles such as in our shops, we may ask for a minimum of 4 hours per week. Each role description shows what time commitments are required.
Yes, but what this training looks like will be different for different roles. Once you start your volunteering, we will let you know of any training requirements. No matter what the role, your supervisor will give you a thorough induction so that you are confident in what we are asking you to do.
We treat our volunteers very much like our team members. And just like our team members, your achievements and loyalty will be recognised, you’ll have the opportunity to benefit from training and career development (in fact, many volunteers go on to join us in paid roles), and we’ll look after your wellbeing.
Your supervisor will update you with any news relevant to your role. We would also like to tell you about news, updates and opportunities across Forget Me Not via our monthly volunteer e-newsletter. If you’re happy to receive this, please let us know when you join us as a volunteer. For information on our privacy policy please refer to our Privacy Policy.
We hold regular events to say thank you for the time, energy and commitment that our volunteers give us. These are always sociable, informative, and hopefully fun! Dates will be advertised in the newsletter, on posters, and through your supervisor.
We give long service badges to volunteers who have completed 1, 3, 5 and 10 years of volunteering service.
Additionally, we often celebrate our volunteers across our social media channels and feature case studies. Please let us know if you would like to be featured!
Forget Me Not’s liability Insurance covers all volunteers.
However, the insurance policy does not cover volunteers aged under 16 or over 70 for personal assault when undertaking cash handling activities such as using a till, bucket collections or manning a tombola. This means that you would not be covered for any injury caused to you in the unlikely event of a robbery. Therefore, for your protection, you cannot undertake cash handling activities if you are under 16 or over 70.
For some volunteer roles, such as complementary therapy, we may ask you to arrange your own professional indemnity insurance.
Yes, we offer volunteers the opportunity to claim expenses in line with our volunteer expenses policy.
Yes! If you’re already registered with us as a volunteer and you’re interested in another role, please contact the volunteer team or email volunteers@forgetmenotchild.co.uk. You will not be required to complete another application form, however further checks may be done, depending on the role.
All our volunteering opportunities are listed here. Once you’ve found one that interests you, fill in the form and we’ll be in touch to discuss what happens next.