VOLUNTEERING

Volunteer Coordinator: Richard Craig

At Link Leisure we rely on the support we get from our volunteers and always have great opportunities for anyone of any age!

Christmas Party!                      Playing pool                             Chilling out!                         The annual water fight!

 Drinks in the pub!                    Making rafts together                     Dressing up!!                Adult members donutting!

Link Leisure volunteers support all our weekly activities, and work with all our different age groups. Most of them are teenagers and young adults but we do need more mature volunteers at the moment to help support our ever-expanding adult membership.

Our members have a very wide range of abilities and behaviours, and we need skilled and versatile helpers to give them the support they require. We give our new volunteers an induction training that prepares them for the challenges they might face, but there is no substitute for enthusiasm, a willingness to make friends, patience, and the ability to remain calm.

A lot of our volunteers come to us because they have an interest in the caring professions and want to learn more, but many come to us because they have heard, from friends who already volunteer with us, how much fun it can be. A quick look at the rest of the website will show you the kinds of activities we do, and we are always keen to hear new ideas too. Link Leisure volunteers work mainly in a supporting role, so sports skills or music skills, etc, are not essential, but often our helpers will bring their skills to what they do with us, and can end up running activities based around their own interests. You can make the role your own…

Skiing with the adults        Climbing with teenagers     Supporting the special care kids

     
Special care children.     Volunteering at our nightclub.      EuroDisney.              Going on rides at Thorpe Park

We provide all of our volunteers with support and training and volunteers can also work towards receiving a Millennium Volunteers Award or a Duke of Edinburgh's Award. 

Training

We run induction training sessions for new volunteers which cover:

• Link Leisure policies, procedures and guidelines

• Child Protection

• Disability Awareness with a special focus on Autistic Spectrum Disorders

• Communication inc the use of Makaton, symbols and PECS.

In addition we organise additional training in the run up to holiday schemes and in specialist areas such as epilepsy management.

***Please note: an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure is required for all volunteering/paid positions.***

© The symbols used as navigation buttons in this web site are from the Mayer-Johnson PCS Symbols and Widgit Rebus Symbol Collection and are protected by copyright.  Additional symbols have been designed by Luke Martin for sole use by Link Leisure.

Last updated: 30/06/2008