Celebrating Volunteers in Argyll! - Volunteers' Week - 2nd June - 8th June

The Grab Trust
Volunteering with The Grab Trust in Argyll & Bute offers a meaningful way to support environmental sustainability and community well-being. Volunteers assist with recycling initiatives, educational outreach, and local clean-up events, helping to reduce waste and promote greener living. It’s a chance to make a tangible impact while gaining new skills, meeting like-minded people, and connecting with the beautiful local landscape. Whether supporting schools or sorting recyclables, every role contributes to a cleaner, healthier environment. The Grab Trust provides training and support, making it an ideal opportunity for anyone passionate about the planet and looking to give back to their community.

 

The GRAB Trust
Email : info@grab.org.uk

Website : www.grab.org.uk

 

Lochaber Hope
Volunteer drivers play a crucial role in enabling service users to attend appointments, participate in group activities, and access essential services, thereby fostering greater independence and social inclusion.This opportunity is ideal for individuals who can spare a few hours each week and are looking to make a tangible difference in their community.  If you have a valid driving licence and a compassionate nature, Lochaber Hope would welcome your support. Your contribution could significantly impact the lives of those in need within the Lochaber area.

For more information or to express your interest, please contact them at 01397 704 836 or email admin@lochaberhope.org.uk.

Website : www.lochaberhope.org.uk

 

 

Befrienders
Our goal is to create and cultivate nurturing and positive relationships for young people. We train and support adult volunteers to act as befrienders for children and young people aged 6-18 who need a little extra social and/or emotional support for various reasons. All young people need secure positive relationships to develop their self-esteem and social skills. We help young people by carefully matching them with a suitable adult.

 

Argyll and Bute Befrienders

Tel : 01546 603144

Website : www.befrienders.scot

 

Home-Start Lorn
Home-Start Lorn has been supporting families with young children throughout the whole of the Oban and North Argyll area, including the outlying villages since 1988 and on the Isle of Mull since 2012. Through our home visiting volunteers, one to one support and group work, we offer a unique service providing practical and emotional support to parents/carers with one or more children under 5 years old.

 

Home - Start Lorn

Adress : 12 Stevenson Street, Oban, PA34 5NA
Tel : 01631 566749

Email : admin@homestartlorn.org.uk

Website : homestartlorn.org.uk

 

Mid Argyll Transport Volunteers
MATV was set up in Ardrishaig in 1994, with the aim of helping patients get to their doctors’ appointments. It has grown over the last 30 years and now has 31 active drivers and over 500 clients. It provides a ‘door to door’ service to those in Mid-Argyll, North Kintyre and Tarbert who struggle to get to their NHS appointments. Our volunteers cover over 10,000 miles each month transporting patients locally and to Oban/Glasgow. Our services are in high demand - new drivers are always welcome.” At the May meeting of the Mid-Argyll Transport Volunteers (MATV) they welcomed three new members onto their committee Andrew Milne (Chairman), Jean Whittaker (Secretary) and Gordon Stewart.

 

Mid Argyll Transport Volunteers

Tel : 07377 663582

Website : matvscot.org/

 

Voluntary Action Lochaber
It is estimated that over 3,000 people Volunteer in Lochaber, making a notable contribution to our economy and helping to make our communities safer and more inclusive. Volunteering provides individuals with new skills, confidence and leads to more empowered communities. Voluntary Action Lochaber can work with organisations to support their volunteers and help individuals identify volunteering opportunities.

 

Voluntary Action Lochaber

Email : admin@valochaber.org

Tel : 01397 706044

Website : valochaber.org

Volunteer with The GRAB Trust

The GRAB Trust has been supporting the environment and communities across Argyll and Bute for over 25 years! Our award-winning volunteers are a huge part of our success, contributing across all programmes. Share your time and talents through The GRAB Trust!

 

Spotlight on ReMake Argyll – we love seeing how different volunteers shape project delivery. Every person who generously shares skills with their community has something different to offer, whether this is machine sewing, textile repair, fruit preserving, tool maintenance, foraging, or bike maintenance. This diversity means we adapt workshops to suit the needs of communities whilst honouring the experience and skill of our individual volunteers.

 

David Hayter, lead repair café guide and 2024 Mid-Argyll Regional Hero award winner said, “Volunteering at the Repair Café is deeply satisfying. Saving useful items from being discarded, demonstrating how often a simple fault find and repair can be learned to save the item. The positively warm atmosphere in the Café community gives a small sense of hope in an era of rampant consumerism.

 

Spotlight on LORI – long-established Lorn and Oban Reuse Initiative, operated by The GRAB Trust and open 7 days/week helps  communities in and around Oban to waste less and reuse more! LORI operations divert around 80 tonnes of household items from waste every year. Our talented volunteers help repair items and test electricals, sort and grade donations for display, collect and deliver large furniture and help the team at LORI thrive!

 

Long-standing LORI Volunteer Ryan Macphee, winner of the Oban and Lorn Regional Hero Award in 2023 is a stalwart of the LORI Van Team. Ryan volunteers with LORI two-days/week. His role gets him out and about, meeting customers and loading the van with furniture donations or delivering goods to their new home and always with a ready smile! 

 

Spotlight on Beaches and Marine Litter Project – more than 1,500 volunteers support beach cleans and community litter picks across Argyll every year. In the last 12-months 850+ bags of waste weighing over 3 tonnes were collected by 1510 volunteers, including community volunteering by 1064 under 18-year-olds. Get in!!!

 

GRAB prides itself on meeting volunteers where they are at and striving to provide them with the support and flexibility, they need to feel empowered. We encourage new volunteers to team up with others or shadow experienced volunteers to grow confidence. Across all teams we are united in one common goal - care for the environment. There is no minimum commitment and no skill too small, GRAB has opportunities across Argyll so come and volunteer with us today! 

 

 

Home-Start Lorn 

Supporting families with young children throughout Oban, outlying villages and North Argyll since 1988 and on the Isles of Mull and Iona since 2012. Meet our team and volunteer with us today

 

Caroline - Home-visiting Volunteer

I’ve been volunteering with Home-Start Lorn for around 4 years and absolutely love it. I had retired during Covid and decided I’d wanted to continue in a supporting role working with kids (having previously been a Child Care & Education Worker). I saw the ad for recruiting volunteers on social media and decided to inquire. I find that families face a number of struggles these days, whether single parenting, being far from local family, or just needing someone to talk to or give them a break for a while, so I find helping in any of these areas really fulfilling. I enjoy working with the kids, love the nurture and developing aspect as well as the contact with parents, helping to get them involved in the local community and of course in overcoming any challenges they may have.
I volunteered with one young lad who was very shy and quiet at first, hiding behind his mum on my first visit before eventually opening up a bit, introducing me to his toys and then after a period, finally being confident enough to be able to come on short trips away to give his parents a short time together. I find that the Home-Start groups are always really well organised and friendly and super welcoming for both mums and dads. I find the Bookbugs groups in particular, excellent places for parents and carers to meet and greet, often in locations that they might at first, not normally feel comfortable going into. 

 

Andrew
Administrator (occasional Fundraising Volunteer)
I’m Andrew and I’ve been the administrator here for the past 5 years. I started working here in March 2020 and was very grateful to find a role that connected me so closely to the local community. HomeStart Lorn is a wonderful organisation that makes a real difference to the local area and I’ve seen so many families positively affected by their interactions with the service. I enjoy helping the community and meeting people and some of the volunteer work our volunteers offer coincides with that as they do things like fundraising or “hosting” our “find out more” table at local events and in local supermarkets.
Not all of our volunteers are Home-visiting volunteers, some like to host groups or offer classes on specialised subjects like gardening, arts & crafts, handling bereavement, reflexology, Makaton and other specialised areas that volunteers have experience in.

 

Mark
Chairperson (Trustee Volunteer)
If asked about my role, I would say I spend a couple of days a week with the board and team, monitoring our progress and efficiency and having overall responsibility for the service. I closely monitor financial matters and ensure we have sufficient resources to achieve our goals.
I’ve taken up the baton of chairing Home-Start Lorn from several predecessors, all of whom have shown immense dedication and commitment. It’s a demanding yet rewarding experience and I’ve been delighted to make sure the service is a very active part of the community and that it does all it can to help all young families in Lorn and on Mull.
Regarding the nomination, I was thrilled to be nominated for the recent Volunteer Trustee of the year award. It was a testament to the hard work and dedication of Home-Start Lorn and all its stakeholders. We are always
seeking additional trustees, particularly those with experience in financial services or human resources and are particularly interested in recruiting new trustees on Mull and Iona. I would be more than happy to talk to anyone interested in joining our busy team.

If you would like to volunteer with any of the organisations or for more information, please see below.

 

The GRAB Trust
Email : info@grab.org.uk

Website : www.grab.org.uk

Home - Start Lorn

Adress : 12 Stevenson Street, Oban, PA34 5NA
Tel : 01631 566749

Email : admin@homestartlorn.org.uk

Website : homestartlorn.org.uk

 

Argyll and Bute Befrienders

Tel : 01546 603144

Website : www.befrienders.scot

 

Voluntary Action Lochaber

Email : admin@valochaber.org

Tel : 01397 706044

 

Mid Argyll Transport Volunteers

Tel : 07377 663582

 

Lochaber Hope

Tel : 01397 704836

Email : admin@lochaberhope.org.uk

 

To learn more about events and opportunities during Volunteers’ Week 2025, visit the official website at volunteersweek.org or contact local organisations like the Argyll and Bute TSI - www.argylltsi.org