Volunteers help us run support groups such as Crafty Club, they help us campaign and organise events, they offer an immense foundation for our counselling services and they even run Nottingham Women’s Library!
Volunteers are an integral part of the work of the Centre and without them we wouldn’t be the organisation we are today.
We work to support them to work towards their goals such as developing work-based confidence, meeting new friends, gaining practical skills or progressing into a career. We know it can be daunting to return to work after spending time bringing up children or having a period of time away. Volunteering helps many women develop new skills, maintain skills during periods of unemployment and increase overall confidence.
I’ve been working with the Volunteers since January 2020 and have been amazed by their passion, dedication and love for the Centre. I feel very lucky to work with such wonderful women. I’d like to say a massive thank you to each and every one for everything you’ve done for Nottingham Women’s Centre and our women.
Rebi, Volunteer Coordinator at the Centre.
Hear from our volunteers!
Current volunteer opportunities
Sadly, due to high levels of demand we are unable to accept general applications to volunteer with us. However, we do post details of any available volunteering opportunities on our Facebook page and other social media channels whenever they arise.
Volunteer food delivery during the pandemic
Throughout the pandemic, we monitored the issues impacting local women and supported many who faced crisis during lockdown. A common problem identified was a struggle to access food. Here’s what we did…
Before the pandemic we’d collected surplus food from supermarkets to take into the Welcome Space at the Centre where it was enjoyed there or taken home. When we had to close our building but still had food available, we looked at an alternative way to get it to women in Nottingham.
We worked with many women who didn’t meet the criteria for food banks yet still found money tight, as well as many women with children at home who found access to food becoming more complicated. Some women had to self-isolate and couldn’t go shopping, while single mothers were having to shop with their children in tow.
We wanted to address these issues, so decided to set up a regular food delivery service to help women who were struggling across the city.
We did a call-out to our amazing volunteer team and asked if anyone who could drive was available to help out. These volunteer drivers collect the food from staff members’ homes, where it had already been split into parcels (taking into consideration size of family and dietary requirements) and then they left them on the women’s doorsteps every Tuesday. We usually received bakery goods, fruit and vegetables, but one week we were donated Peppa Pig cakes which were lovely to give to households with children!
We received really positive feedback from the women receiving the food, one woman said: “We are so happy for it – we’re having sandwiches in the garden this afternoon.”
It’s a great example of just how hard the volunteer team works to support women in Nottinghamshire, and how important their roles are.
Thanks to: Tesco, Lidl, Neighbourly and The Hygiene Bank which all generously donated to support our delivery service and which continue to do fantastic work!