WORDPRESS CREATOR NEEDED
We need help from a volunteer who can create a simple WordPress website.
More details.
DISCOVER VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
Our display of volunteer opportunities has now moved to the former Jolie Fleurs shop in the St Mary Centre. Do stop as you pass to see the wide variety of opportunities available.
Our Volunteer Fair on 10 September was a great success! Full report and pictures.
New volunteering opportunities are listed below.
We’re now on Instagram. Why not visit and give us a follow? We’d love to see you there.
What we do
We help individuals find volunteering opportunities that suit them best. We work with local organisations to find volunteers for recurring and one-off projects. We advise organisations about creating schemes that give employees the opportunity to volunteer. We provide advice, support and training.
New opportunities
New opportunities are also posted to our Facebook, Instagram and X pages. You can search all opportunities by visiting this page. Feel free to get in touch with us — details at bottom of page — for further information or advice.
WORDPRESS CREATOR Here at the Volunteer Centre we are seeking a volunteer able to create a simple three-page WordPress website. We need a site that we can easily maintain and update. Would suit a student or someone with an interest in IT who is willing to help. Contact us for details.
GRIEF VOLUNTEER To support others in their community experiencing grief at weekly in-person meetings run by trained volunteers. No qualifications or previous experience required as training is provided. More details.
SUPPORT FIREWORKS DISPLAY Volunteers needed on 7 November to assist an annual community fireworks display with set up, preparation and serving food, selling drinks, and stewarding. More details.
FIRST AIDER A volunteer trained/qualified first aider is needed at a community fireworks display in the early evening of 7 November. Contact us for details.
SOCIAL GROUP FACILITATOR Friendly individuals sought to help facilitate a social group for people with sight loss. You will greet members and welcome new people, make teas and coffees and ensuring everyone is involved. More details.
SCHOOL GOVERNORS Seeking volunteers with a passion for education & special needs to be governors of a new school in the Thornbury area. You will support and challenge the head teacher and her team and ensure the school’s smooth opening. More details.
LANTERN TRAIL VOLUNTEERS A local wildlife charity is running a Mystical Marsh Lantern Trail at various dates in late October. It needs enthusiastic volunteers to be a friendly face, answer questions, steward the event or run craft activities. More details.
SWIMMING VOLUNTEERS To transport stroke survivors from home to Leisure Centre for the medical swim on Mondays, 9.30am to 11am. Females urgently needed to assist ladies in the changing rooms and in the pool. Car expenses paid. More details.
DRIVERS On Thursday afternoons (2pm to 4pm), transport stroke survivors to and from Jubilee Hall, Alveston, where they enjoy arts and crafts and group social events. Car expenses paid. More details.
SUB-EDITOR Entails editing the News Around items for seven out of the ten issues each year of a local magazine with the guidance of the editor. Home based, 8-10 hours per issue, full training given. More details.
REFRESHMENT SERVER Friendly, sociable and organised people are needed to serve tea and coffee at a busy cafe for older people in the centre of Thornbury. By chatting to customers you will liven up a dull day or provide a lifeline for somebody lonely or bereaved. More details.
MAMMAL SUPPORT You will help look after Asian small-clawed otters and Back from the Brink exhibits and engage with the public in understanding more about these species and the conservation threats they face. More details.
OUTREACH VOLUNTEER You will assist outreach workers to engage with rough sleepers in street settings, support clients to access appropriate support and record information. More details.
COORDINATORS Motivated and friendly individuals needed for the 2025 Postcard Art Auction, whose proceeds will support children with life-limiting illnesses. More details.
GARDENERS wanted as part of a team helping with groundwork: weeding, mowing, keeping flower beds tidy, bulb planting, pruning. More details.
GENERALIST ADVISERS This rewarding role involves helping people with a wide range of problems, including benefits, debt, housing and employment. Full training given. More details.
HELPLINE VOLUNTEERS are needed to offer empathy and non-judgemental listening support to women contacting the helpline. Full training given. Contact us for details.
Volunteer Fair 2025
On 10 September we hosted our annual Volunteer Fair in the St Mary Centre. Eleven local charitable and community groups took stalls with the aim of recruiting volunteers, promoting their organisations and in some cases raising funds. Thornbury Radio played throughout the morning and Town Mayor Cllr Helen Ball visited and spoke to all the stallholders. It was a very social and successful morning which attracted many visitors, resulting in at least 25 potential volunteers coming forward, with many more people taking away information. Our thanks to the St Mary Centre Management team and South Glos Council for their support of this event.
Placements for UWE students
UWE would like to hear from organisations who may be interested in connecting with Master in Psychology and Master in Business and Organisational Psychology students seeking short-term volunteering placements for autumn and winter.
As part of their practical module, some students are required to complete 60 hours volunteering work with an organisation.
To support students to find opportunities, UWE are creating a list of organisations interested in hearing from them and potentially offering a volunteering experience. This initiative allows students to gain valuable real-world experience while contributing meaningfully to your organisation’s work.
By joining their list of interested organisations, you are not making a commitment but simply expressing an interest in being contacted by students seeking opportunities.
For further information please contact us.
Be a volunteer!
Volunteering is about giving your time to a good cause. You don’t get paid, but you do get the chance to use your talents, develop new skills, and experience the pleasure that comes from making a real difference to other people’s lives, as well as your own.
Who can be a volunteer?
Anyone. Whatever your age, background or work experience, you will have a skill someone needs. No matter how busy you are, there will be something you can do. It can be trickier to find volunteer roles if you are under 16, but not impossible. Just ask us.
What can I do?
Anything. (Almost.) More than 100 different volunteer roles are available in the Thornbury area, from driving to gardening, fundraising to shop work, befriending to administration. There’s something for everyone.
How do I get started?
Search our opportunities to find one you like, then follow it up with us. Or you can ask us to suggest an opportunity that inspires you. (Contact details are at the bottom of the page.) Either way, it’s best to register with us first so we know a little about you and your interests. See also our frequently asked questions page.
Find a volunteer!
Every month, new people register to volunteer with us from all walks of life. We provide a range of services to help you to find the volunteers you need.
More than just great volunteers
With nearly three decades of experience, we know that finding a volunteer is only the start. Planning is essential to successfully place and retain volunteers. That’s why we can also provide you with good practice advice, resources, support and training and help you provide successful experiences for both yourselves and your volunteers. We can also help you set up an employer-supported volunteering scheme.
Getting started
To start recruiting volunteers, you need to complete our organisation registration form and register your volunteering opportunities so that we can promote them for you. For information and advice at any time, get in touch with us. (Our contact details are at the bottom of the page.) See also our frequently asked questions page.
Summer Award lunch
On Wednesday 11 June, as part of our celebrations for Volunteers’ Week, we welcomed more than 70 representatives and volunteers from 33 volunteer-involving organisations to a lunch in the United Reformed Church Hall, Thornbury.
This lovely summer event allowed us to say thank you for the hard work and commitment this section of the community has given, and continues to give, to the Thornbury and district area. It also provided guests with the opportunity to meet other volunteers and organisations and share experiences.
We welcomed guests to the event, sponsored by Thornbury Lions Club, and treated them to a delicious lunch generously prepared and donated by Sandra at The Swan.
We were joined by guest speaker Mark Cardwell of Citizens Advice South Gloucestershire who gave a highly informative talk on the services it offers to the community.
The annual Alan Hudson award for volunteering achievement was awarded to Thornbury Radio for their outstanding contribution to the local community. The award was presented by Julie Kent, MBE, High Sheriff of Gloucestershire.
We presented the Clare Fardell award to Kinsley Hawkesford for her outstanding voluntary contribution to Thornbury parkrun. The award was presented by Thornbury Town Mayor Cllr. Helen Ball.
Follow the links for more details about the award winners and their contributions to the community.
The Town Hall, 35 High Street, Thornbury, Bristol, BS35 2AR. Telephone: 01454 413392. Or use our Contact form. Open Monday to Friday, 10.30–12.00; closed on public holidays.
We’re also on social media:
Thornbury Volunteer Centre is a registered charity, number 1180775. This site © Thornbury Volunteer Centre 2016-. Site design by Michael Quinion. Page last updated 1 Oct. 2025.