Volunteering

Volunteering at the Refuge

Without the help, support and dedication of our volunteers, the Refuge would not be able to offer such a high standard of service. Our volunteers find helping at the Refuge very rewarding and the time and assistance they give so freely is greatly valued.

If you would like to be a volunteer

The Refuge provides opportunities for many different types of volunteering:

• Helping in the front office at both our residential properties and at For Women, our Outreach Centre in East Street, Colchester on a rota basis. Duties include dealing with general telephone and reception enquiries and other administrative tasks.

• Helping in the Children's Activity Room, where we have Ofsted registered pre-school provision and out of school activities. This may include setting up, tidying away and maintaining resources for play sessions.

• Helping with Floating Support and Outreach projects.

• Helping with coffee mornings, gardening and housekeeping.

• Fund-raising. We welcome enquiries from anyone interested in fund-raising by becoming a 'Friend of CTWR.'

• We are keen to utilise any other skills that volunteers may be able to offer.

If you would like to learn more about these volunteering opportunities, please contact Annie Lewis, Volunteer Co-ordinator, on 01206 500 585, option 4 or download an application form here. Please either email your completed form to a.lewis@colchester-refuge.org.uk or post it to Colchester & Tendring Women's Refuge, PO Box 40, Colchester CO1 2XJ.

Other types of volunteering require professional skills and a different level of commitment:

• Becoming a Trustee. The Trustees constitute the governing body and are responsible for formulating policy and the overall management and administration of the Refuge. Being a Trustee means learning about the nature of domestic violence and the principles which underlie the services the Refuge offers. As members of the charity's governing body Trustees must also be prepared to learn about and take responsibility for controlling the organisation's overall management and administration. The Charity Commission's leaflet on being a Trustee is available and we offer Trustee induction. We can also arrange for one of our current Trustees to speak to any potential applicant.

• There are also opportunities to help with large scale fund-raising, publicity, writing and copy-editing. The Refuge welcomes anyone who can offer these skills.

To find out more about these volunteering possibilities please contact Ann Taylor, Executive Director, on 01206 761352.