Volunteering FAQs

All our volunteering opportunities are advertised on our website. You can also sign up to receive email updates about upcoming volunteering opportunities.

Each role is different. For many roles, enthusiasm is the most important thing! If a role does require specific skills, they’ll be outlined on the role profile. Whatever your experience, there are many different ways you can make a difference through volunteering. Get in touch with us and we'll help find the right role for you!

All our volunteers need to be over 18, except for Fundraising Event Volunteers (for challenge events such as the Leeds 10k or Yorkshire Marathon), who can volunteer if accompanied by an adult.

Time commitments vary depending on the role and will be clearly outlined in its description. Whether you’re available for a single day, a handful of hours every few weeks, or regularly each week, we offer flexible opportunities to fit your schedule!

Micro-volunteering is short term or one-off volunteering. It might be for a few hours on a specific project that doesn’t need much supervision, like proofreading. Micro-volunteers don’t receive the same onboarding and training as our regular volunteers, making it quick and easy for people to help with the time they have available.

For our regular volunteering opportunities there will be an informal interview process to help us find out more about your experience, any support you require to do the role, and for you to learn more about the role and the charity.

Regular volunteers receive general induction training and role-specific training. All volunteers have regular catch-ups with their volunteer supervisor, who will be your main point of contact if you have any questions. You’ll also receive regular information and support from the HR and Volunteering Team.

We want to remove as many barriers as possible to volunteering so we reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket travel expenses in line with our Volunteer Expense Policy.

We don’t offer volunteering opportunities on the wards. If you are specifically interested in volunteering in the hospital, please contact Leeds NHS Trust.

This will vary depending on the role. Some roles are based at our family support centre or office in Leeds city centre. Other roles might be in communities across Yorkshire. There can even be opportunities to volunteer from home! The location of each role will be listed in the description.

We recognise that many people supported by Candlelighters want to give something back through volunteering and their personal experiences, knowledge and perspectives make them ideally suited to many volunteer roles. Some roles however, may not be suitable. If a role is unsuitable for a family member, this will be noted on the role description. This is to reduce any conflicts of interest and protect all parties involved.

Volunteering shouldn’t affect your benefits providing you follow the appropriate guidelines. Please check the Government website for more details.

All our regular volunteering roles are subject to a DBS check. We'll coordinate this with you as part of your induction. Micro-volunteering roles may not require a DBS check. If a DBS check is needed, this will be noted in the role description.