My work allows some time for public duty, the most obvious being a school governer, but, there is a whole bunch of other duties that you could do, such as membership of a health authority, education body, local authority, environment agency, pension scheme trustee etc….

I’m looking for giving something back to the community and some personal development….

Is there anywhere you can find out about these sorts of things and where roles are advertised? Or is it word of mouth?

Anyone involved in this type of activity and have some advice?

My council have a page with useful links on it:

https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/life-events-and-communities/community-and-voluntary-sector-support/volunteering-brighton

Worth seeing if your LA do the same.

Alternative: find something that enthuses or interests you and look for opportunities in that area by contacting charities/interest groups in that area?

LAF (Local Access Forum)

Bit of a talking shop and toothless tiger. But you can stand up for cyclists and as I’m the only mountain biker on ours, I can correct a few of the mistaken assumptions made by some of the other members.

Meets every quarter for couple of hours in the day. Some background reading required.

Local countryside ranger type role? – Forestry Commission, local country park and Sustrans all offer work days locally.

Volunteer Bikeability instructor?

Scout/Guide/Youth groups often need behind the scenes help as well as front line help – I’m on the Scout group executive committee, MrsMC is a trustee at the music centre the kids attend.

Anything locally for the homeless/food bank type groups?

What about looking into being a special constable with your local police force?

I know a guy at my work that does lowland rescue, a bit like mountain rescue but mostly searching for vulnerable or missing people in Oxfordshire. I think there are teams based all over the country.

Or you could become an on call firefighter, bit more of a time commitment but a great thing to do.

Whats your line of work? Sometimes the best thing you can do is give your profesional expertise to an organisation rather than try your hand at something new- the personal development comes from applying those skills to an organisation that has different goals and challenges to the ones you face in work. Generally the measures of success in your worklife are the profitably of the business – but what if the outcomes being strived for are ‘increased happiness’ ‘people feeling safer’ ‘better understanding’.

The volunteer sector is plagued a bit by volunteers and board members who feel like they are helping by turning up but really being carried more than they are helping.

If you really want to give something back, surely it’s in your own time?.

My old employer had a volunteer clique, it was basically an excuse to **** off for an afternoon and build a bottle greenhouse for the local schools.

And was full of self serving arseholes, YMMV. 😊