Here are a selection of volunteering opportunities in Calderdale, compiled by the VSI Alliance – email them using the address at the foot of the story if you’re interested.
Vaccination volunteers:
Plane Trees Group Practice need volunteers for vaccination clinics on the 8th and 15th October. Volunteers will be a friendly face of encouragement, marshalling arrivals at the entrance to the building, showing patients where to go, and helping those with limited mobility.
Hospitality Volunteer:
Friends of Heptonstall Museum will be open as a contemplation space for the Sylvia Plath Festival on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd October. They will be providing a space with comfortable seats and Sylvia Plath poetry for people who are attending Festival events. They need volunteers to welcome people and serve tea or coffee.
Happy Days are hosting a charity ball on 19 November at Dean Clough. They need 10 volunteers to answer questions about the charity (training to be given prior), collecting raffle money and assisting with auction lots.
Pack Collation Volunteer:
Holiday Activity and Food Programme have had Hub Volunteers help for the last two years with pack collation. This involves putting together activity packs for all the children attending the programme; this time for the winter break. I have been part of this myself and it can be quite therapeutic to go down the assembly line! The dates this will be taking place is 21 November, 23 November, 28 November and 30 November at The Shay Stadium. The lady who coordinates the programme will be there from 9am – 3pm and you are invited to join anytime, for as long as you would like to assist. Lunch will be served each day at 1pm so you are very welcome to join if you are there at that time.
Gardening volunteers:
Both Mytholmroyd Bowling Club and OSCA Foundation need gardeners.
OSCA (more info on the foundation below) have an area of paving – approx 5 metres by 5 metres, which became overgrown during COVID. They need volunteers to clear the space which now has some overgrown weeds!
Mytholmroyd Bowling Club would like to tidy and replant the planters between the bowling club and the church in Mytholmroyd. Both of these opportunities are very flexible with time and can be arranged around your availability.
DIY Volunteer:
Sowerby Bridge Fire & Water have taken on a large project of turning ten buildings into community, arts and event spaces – including the old Sowerby Bridge Fire Station and Swimming Pool. Part of the site has hosted events already but there is still a lot of work to do. At the moment they have builders in during the week but volunteers have been working on weekends to do smaller DIY jobs.
Research Volunteer:
Friends of Heptonstall Museum need volunteers to help with research into the Coiners. The museum is set to reopen next Spring and plan to have an exhibition on the coiners. This will coincide with the planned date for the BBC drama “The Gallows Pole”, which tells the story of the Cragg Vale Coiners, and also had portions filmed in the museum itself.
If you are interested in any of these missions please email Kate.hornby@vsialliance.org.uk
