Give your time
Volunteer with us
More than forty people already give their time at the Hwb. Full training, expenses for food and travel, and a warm welcome from the first day.
Volunteering and community support
What you can expect
Whatever you can give, we can use
An hour a week or a day a month. Tell us what suits you and we will build around it. We hold the Investing in Volunteers gold standard.
Expenses paid
We pay expenses for food and travel from your very first session, so volunteering never costs you money.
Full training
Including safeguarding and food hygiene where the role needs it. No experience is required for any of our roles.
Adjustments made
Tell us what would make volunteering easier and we will try. Our staff understand trauma, mental health and disability.
Real belonging
Make friends, build confidence, gain skills and qualifications, and be appreciated for who you are.
Open roles
Find your way to help
These are the roles we are recruiting for right now. Read what each one involves, then apply for the one that fits.
FoodShare and Care
Help people in Torfaen get food and essentials, with kindness and no judgement. Weekday mornings at Woodland Road.
Youth Club Adult Volunteer
Be a trusted adult for young people in Blaenavon. Wednesday evenings only at Blaenavon Hwb.
World Heritage Youth Ambassador
Trips, projects and a real voice in your community. Wednesday evenings at Blaenavon Hwb.
Café volunteer
Help make the Hwb Coffee Bar a friendly, welcoming place for everyone. Support the café team with everyday service and help keep the space clean, comfortable and ready for our community.
What you could help with
- Welcome customers, take orders and help people feel at home
- Prepare and serve drinks, cakes and other café items, following the team’s instructions
- Help with the till and payments when shown how by the café team
- Clear tables, wash up and keep the counter and seating areas tidy
- Restock cups, ingredients and other supplies, and let the team know when things are running low
- Follow the team’s food hygiene, allergen and health and safety instructions; refer questions you cannot answer to a member of staff
- Work kindly and respectfully with customers, staff and other volunteers
What you bring
A friendly manner, reliability, a willingness to learn and an interest in helping your community.
Contact Ashleigh to discuss available shifts, the tasks that suit you, training and the steps needed before you start.
Ask about café volunteeringRole · 18 and over
Adult FoodShare and Care Volunteer
Help people in Torfaen get food and essentials, with kindness and no judgement.
You will support the running of the Hwb FoodShare and Care by giving out food and other essential items to vulnerable people in Torfaen. The role asks you to respect the people who use the service, to show kindness and empathy, and to take a non-judgemental approach. The Lead Volunteer makes referrals if someone needs extra support.
What you would do
- Run the FoodShare and Care shop at Woodland Road, giving out food and product parcels
- Open and close the shop, and take in deliveries
- Talk to everyone who uses the service in a friendly but professional way, keeping what you hear confidential
- Take part in training such as food hygiene and safeguarding
- Support the Lead Volunteer with records of attendance and activity
- Possibly drive to collect or deliver food parcels, subject to a licence check
When and where
Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm at Woodland Road Community Hwb. You choose which sessions you come to. Other times are decided by the team on site in response to events through the year.
Role · 18 and over · Enhanced DBS
Youth Club Adult Volunteer
Be a trusted adult for young people in Blaenavon.
You will support Hwb youth clubs in Blaenavon, helping young volunteers at our clubs and in community activity. You will be part of a team of volunteers, staff and apprentices who deliver heritage, wellbeing and life skills workshops to children and young people across Blaenavon and beyond.
What you would do
- Help run the youth clubs by delivering activities
- Support all our young people, and particularly those who are disadvantaged
- Be a role model for the young people on the volunteering programme
- Represent the Hwb positively at meetings and community events
- Help keep records of attendance, activity and young people’s personal development
- Take training that helps you meet the needs of the young people
When and where
All at Blaenavon Hwb, Broad Street:
- Wednesday, 5pm to 9pm, the World Heritage Youth Ambassadors
We also run activities at weekends and in the holidays. These are optional.
This role needs an enhanced DBS check with a barred list check. We apply for it and we pay for it. Any convictions relating to children, young people or adults at risk will prevent you from volunteering in this role.
Role · Ages 10 to 17
World Heritage Youth Ambassador
Trips, projects and a real voice in your community.
Volunteering with the Youth Ambassadors is fun. You will be with a group of young people who want to make a difference for themselves, their community and the World Heritage sector.
We do lots of different things: learning about the world, arts and crafts, helping local people such as running a weekly food share, and looking after our heritage. We go on trips, and you can even go on holiday for free with us.
You can get involved in community projects like World Heritage Day, create exhibitions for museums, represent youth voices in community groups, or make videos and posters about things that matter to you. It is down to you. The only limit is your imagination.
When and where
Wednesday, 5pm to 9pm at Blaenavon Hwb, Broad Street. We run activities at weekends and in the holidays too, and those are optional.
What we look for
- You like helping other people and working in a group
- You can talk to lots of different people, or you are willing to learn how
- You are willing to try new things and stand up for what is right
- Kindness and compassion for others
A parent or guardian needs to give their permission before you start. The application asks for their details and we contact them to check they are happy.
The process
How it works
Five steps from first interest to first session. Nothing about it is a test.
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Pick a role and apply
The form takes about ten minutes and saves as you go, so you can stop and come back. It asks who you are, when you could come, why you would like to volunteer, and for two people who can give you a reference.
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We get in touch
An informal chat by phone or email, usually within a week. This is where you ask us anything you want to know.
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References
We contact the two people you named. This is usually the part that takes longest, so please let them know to expect us.
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Checks, where the role needs them
We apply for your DBS check and we pay for it. Under-18s are not DBS checked.
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Induction, then you start
Your volunteer lead runs your induction, gives you the handbook, your lanyard and your name tag. Expenses for food and travel are paid from day one.
Being straight with you
About criminal record checks
We do not ask about criminal records when you apply. Nobody should have to disclose that to a form.
If we offer you a role that needs a check, we will talk it through with you first, and then send you to the official checking service. That way we only ask the question of someone we already intend to appoint.
- A criminal record does not automatically stop you volunteering. We look at what it was, how long ago, and whether it has anything to do with the role.
- We apply for the check and we pay for it.
- Under-18s are not DBS checked. Nobody under 16 can be.
- If something is worrying you, say so at the chat, or email us before you apply. It is a conversation, not a test.
The safety of children and adults at risk comes first in everything we do, and no volunteer is left unsupervised until both a cleared DBS check and the required safeguarding training are complete.
Your first month
What induction looks like
Your volunteer lead runs your induction. The core is the same across the Hwb; only the role-specific tasks differ.
Welcome and paperwork
- The Volunteer Handbook, talked through with you
- Signing the Volunteering Agreement and the Code of Conduct
- Signing the Induction Form, which your lead keeps
- Your lanyard and name tag
- A volunteer expenses claim form
- Being added to the relevant group chats
The essentials
- Who your supervisor is, and your role
- Training, support and supervision
- Confidentiality and safeguarding basics
- The Hwb ethos, values and background
- How expenses are claimed
- Site orientation, health and safety, introductions
Settling in
- Time to settle in and understand your role
- An informal review at the end of the settling-in period
- Safeguarding training completed within the first month where the role requires it
The one hard rule. No volunteer is left unsupervised until both a cleared DBS check and the required safeguarding training are complete.
Prefer to talk first?
Talk to a person
You never have to start with a form. Email or call and we will talk it through.