Volunteering

While volunteering is a selfless act and is a vital part of building strong communities, many people don't think about the personal benefits they can get by volunteering.

As well as benefiting your community, volunteering provides you with a range of advantages including:

Creating a feeling of community spirit and belonging
Promoting an active mind and body
Increased activity and improved health
Meeting new people and making new friends
Learning new skills
Having fun!

There is a wide range of volunteering opportunities in Sunderland. Have a look at some that are available at the moment:

Volunteering Opportunities in Sunderland brochure

We support Friends groups and volunteers in the community who are committed to looking after the city's public space.

Potential benefits of doing voluntary work include:

Benefiting the environment by improving the visual quality of the surrounding area.
Personal satisfaction from making a difference to your neighbourhood.
Depending on the activity you choose, it is possible to develop new interests, knowledge and skills. Or you can use those you already have, but work with them in unfamiliar environments and contexts.
Meeting new people and establish new social networks.
Increased activity and health benefits.

We're committed to providing our volunteers with the best possible experience because we value the time that you give. To enable you to make a real difference in your neighbourhood, when you volunteer we can offer the following support:

Information on health and safety / Risk Assessments
Appropriate equipment / materials such as litter pickers, refuse bags, disposable gloves, high-visibility waistcoats, graffiti wipes etc.
Arrange for any rubbish collected to be removed at the end of your session subject to prior arrangement

Getting involved is easy

There are many individuals and groups volunteering in the city, however, you must be over 18 years of age or supervised by an adult. We don't expect you to give a huge amount of time as a volunteer; we just hope that you can commit some regular time to make a difference to your neighbourhood.

You would like more information
You would like details of existing groups in your area or would like to have your group added to our list
You are a school, group, business or local residents and are interested in undertaking a one-off cleansing project

Email: Commercial.services@sunderland.gov.uk

Voluntary Sector Alliance

If you are a VCS organisation member there is a whole host of support for you to access via the Sunderland Voluntary Sector Alliance. The Sunderland Voluntary Sector Alliance has been formed by the sector themselves, working in partnership with services across the city - including the council, Gentoo and the Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group. The Alliance is in place to ensure the VCS in Sunderland is supported to grow and is resourced.

Find out more about the Alliance:

Sunderland Voluntary Sector Alliance link