Volunteer with Demelza

We’d love to welcome you to our community of over 1,100 dedicated volunteers who make a real difference to children with serious or life-limiting conditions and their families. Whether you have just a few hours to spare or more time to give, there’s a role for you at Demelza.

To apply, simply get in touch with our voluntary services department by emailing volunteering@demelza.org.uk. They’ll talk you through the wide range of opportunities available, from helping in our charity shops or supporting fundraising events, to assisting with family services, gardening, admin or even driving.

You can also view current volunteering opportunities on our website.

There’s no limit – it's completely up to you. 

All our volunteers help for different amounts of time depending on what fits their schedule. 

Get in touch at volunteering@demelza.org.uk or on 01795 845170 for our current vacancies.

Registered volunteers at Demelza need to be over 16 years old, and there's no upper age limit. Some of our opportunities do have age restrictions because of the type of role, or because of our insurance requirements. The voluntary services team will discuss any restrictions with you during your informal chat, to help with any decisions.

Yes. All volunteers are required to undertake some mandatory training every three years, usually via e-learning, to ensure you are up to date with the health and safety, safeguarding and data protection information you need for your role. Some hospice-based roles require further training, such as food hygiene for our catering volunteers and care training for volunteers helping directly with families.

Demelza will always try to support volunteers with additional needs. The voluntary services team asks all applicants how we can best support you and whether there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to improve your volunteering experience. 

We will discuss your needs and liaise with department managers to find the best opportunity for you. This may cause a slight delay in confirming a volunteering position and we appreciate your patience. 

In some circumstances, we may not have the resource available to provide a fulfilling and safe experience so may be unable to support you to undertake a role. However, we strive to offer suitable placements to all applicants wherever possible.

This depends on your volunteer role.  

Everyone volunteering at our hospice sites on a regular basis needs an enhanced DBS before starting. Volunteers that help directly with families and children, like our care and practical support volunteers, have a higher-level check undertaken that includes the adult and child barred lists. Volunteers supporting our retail shops or events will not need a DBS.

Demelza believes in people’s ability to move past and learn from mistakes. Having a criminal record will not necessarily stop you from volunteering with us. We are committed to being an inclusive organisation to all people and comply fully with the Code of Practice set out in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Demelza doesn't ask applicants to disclose any details of convictions or cautions at application. One of our trained voluntary services officers will give you the opportunity to declare any relevant convictions during our informal chat. Unless the nature of the role allows Demelza to ask about your entire criminal record, we'll only ask about unspent convictions and pending prosecutions, as defined in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Yes, Demelza will always pay volunteer expenses, as long as they have been agreed by your department manager first. These can include reimbursement for travel to and from your place of volunteering, such as petrol, bus or train fares, as well as out of pocket expenses such as postage, equipment purchased etc.

We would be sad to see you go but understand that circumstances change. We would be happy to talk to you about any other volunteering opportunities that may suit your circumstances better.

Yes, you can with certain roles. Although a lot of our opportunities are for individuals, there are some opportunities to help alongside others you know. A lot of our events and fundraising in the community can be done as part of a group, the more hands the merrier!

If there is space in our shops, there may also be the opportunity to help on the same shift.

We are always happy to have a chat with anyone about volunteering, so please do get in touch with a member of the team. Our main volunteering phone line is 01795 845170 or you can email volunteering@demelza.org.uk and a member of the team will contact you.