Staff standing in front of a table outside a Co-Op during a Volunteers With Us awareness drive

Volunteering for a charity is a great way to spend your spare time, use your existing skills and experience to help others, meet like minded people and perhaps pick up some new skills too! You can volunteer with York Carers Centre as little or as often as you’d like. Our committed group of volunteers are an important part of our work supporting unpaid carers in York.

Volunteers are involved in many ways, including helping at groups, helping with workshops / activities for young carers, young adult carers and adult carers, supporting fundraising and awareness-raising events, making one-to-one welfare and telephone listening calls, providing counselling and helping with office/admin tasks. 

We have a number of roles that we advertise for regularly. In addition, we are always keen to have a chat with volunteers about specific skills and experience and will do our best to match volunteers to existing roles or perhaps develop something new!

To find out more please get in touch withSam Sollitt, Training and Volunteer Officer on volunteering@yorkcarerscentre.co.uk. 
Sam standing in front of Volunteer With Us banner

Sam Sollitt

Training & Volunteer Officer

In my current role at York Carers Centre, I support the organisation by finding and matching volunteers to assist our young carer, young adult carer, and adult carer teams. I also empower carers to take on “carer champion” roles.

I spent my childhood as a young carer and have worked in the charity sector for most of my career. I joined York Carers Centre in 2012. I began my working life in administration before moving into training and development roles, where I taught administration NVQs, as well as life skills, employment skills, and basic literacy and numeracy. I have always enjoyed learning and motivating others to discover hidden talents.

Later, I worked in prisons, where I helped offenders consider employment, training, and education options while they were in prison. I also supported them in securing volunteering, training, and employment opportunities upon their release.

The best part of my work is the autonomy and variety it offers. I enjoy thinking outside the box, developing innovative ideas, and teaching and inspiring others to make positive changes in their lives.
I particularly love bringing volunteers together to celebrate and share their achievements and to thank them for their hard work and commitment to the centre.