Volunteering as a Professional Volunteer

Articles in News

BuDS aims to be an expert and professional charity in its field, and we rely on the support of our professional volunteers. Professional volunteers provide confidential, independent, and expert advice and insight to our Trustees and project teams. This can be done either as an active member of a project team or as an occasional informal consultant on an ‘as-needed’ basis. Our professional volunteers are both retired and currently practicing people.

We are currently seeking professional volunteers with the following background and experience:

Covid-19-related

e.g. clinical, public health, virology, epidemiology and similar areas

Welfare Rights

e.g. benefits, housing, debt, social care, council services

Mental Health

e.g. mental capacity, mental health, psychology, psychiatry

Planning & Architecture

e.g. local authority or private planners, architects, designers

Criminal Justice

e.g. lawyers, prosecutors, victim support, police

Events

e.g. event organisational professionals, local authority licencing officers

Communications

e.g. PR practitioners, designers, website professionals, editors, and proof-readers

Express an Interest in Volunteering as a Professional Volunteer

Project Volunteers

January 2, 2022January 3, 2022 Ben Clark

BuDS has more than 20 different projects and each project is run by a team of volunteers, supported by staff. As a project volunteer, you help BuDS’ work move forward and support people across Bucks and beyond. Being a project volunteer is like having an unpaid job but working with lovely friendly supportive people and for an organisation which really cares about you.

Project teams work in an organised way and every project volunteer has their own specific role within the team. This could be keeping in touch with other organisations like Bucks Council or the NHS, doing research, writing e-mails or articles, working with statistics, helping process applications or keeping databases up to date. Our ‘housekeeping’ projects do things like fundraising, accounts, HR and safeguarding and there are opportunities to get involved in this work too. Your volunteering role is arranged to suit your availability, interests, skills and experience and we provide all the induction, support and training you will need.

Here are the project volunteer roles currently open:

Fair4All Attitudes & Disability Hate Crime

Are you interested in the public’s attitude to disabled people and how people can be better informed and educated about disability? Or would you like to work with Thames Valley Police and others to combat disability hate crime? Maybe you have a background in this area? Then this new project is for you – we have opportunities for researchers, analysts, communications and liaison volunteers.

Fair4All Services

Are you interested in the social care, health, housing, and other support services provided for disabled people? Would you like to work to find out how good these services are and how they could be improved? Maybe you have worked in the NHS or council or for a housing association? Maybe you would like to be part of a team focusing on learning disability issues. This project needs researchers, analysts, communications and liaison volunteers.

Fair4All Public Spaces

Are you passionate about making places inclusive and accessible for disabled people? Would you like to influence the design of new buildings and places and get involved with making parks and green spaces more open for disabled people? Maybe you have worked in accessibility or in planning or design? This project needs researchers, analysts, communications and liaison volunteers.

Fair4All Events

Would you like public events and venues to be inclusive and accessible for disabled people? Would you like to work with event organisers to help them make their events and functions more open for disabled people? Maybe you have worked in event organising or planning? This project needs researchers, analysts, communications and liaison volunteers.

Fundraising

Would you like to help BuDS raise much needed funds by organising fundraising events and functions or encouraging people to donate? We are looking for community and event fundraisers to join our small fundraising team.

Express an Interest in Volunteering as a Project Volunteer

Current Volunteer Opportunities

January 2, 2022January 2, 2022 Ben Clark

BuDS has a number of current volunteering roles available, across all parts of the charity. Read on for more about these, and how to apply. If you don’t know what sort of role might suit you best, please e-mail us to express a general interest and we will arrange a no-strings informal chat.

Covid-19 Risk Assessment Week Ending 27 December 2021

December 27, 2021December 28, 2021 Ben Clark

Omicron infections in Bucks are incredibly high, with 1 in every 26 people now infected. If you live a ‘normal life’, you WILL catch Omicron. However, the percentage of infected people going into Bucks hospitals with Covid has DROPPED since Omicron started to spread, which has delayed the impact on local hospitals. Our key message remains that everyone needs to take action NOW to keep themselves safe. Read on for more…

Good News – A Smaller Percentage Of People Catching Omicron Need To Go To Hospital

December 23, 2021December 23, 2021 Ben Clark

We are delighted to have some cautiously good Covid-19 news for you! A study has found that, so far, people catching Omicron in the UK have gone into hospital less often than people catching the Delta variant. This suggests that Omicron so far is making a smaller percentage of people seriously ill, compared to Delta.

Unreliable Reported Covid-19 Case Numbers Over The Next 3 Weeks

December 21, 2021December 21, 2021 Ben Clark

Reported Covid-19 case numbers are going to be very unreliable over the next three weeks, with big daily changes both up and down. The reasons for this are to do with how the system works, not because the number of infected people is actually going up and down as shown by the published results.

Covid-19 Risk Assessment Week Ending 20 December 2021

December 20, 2021December 20, 2021 Ben Clark

The Omicron wave is sweeping across Bucks, with 1 in every 37 people now infected – the highest total ever seen. If you live a ‘normal life’, it’s now inevitable that you will catch Omicron. Our key message remains that everyone needs to take action NOW to keep themselves safe. Read on for more…

New Covid-19 Automatic Treatments for Some Disabled People

December 20, 2021December 20, 2021 Ben Clark

The NHS has announced that some disabled people and some people with certain medical conditions will be automatically offered antibody or antiviral medications as soon as they test positive for Covid-19. These antivirals will be reserved for people at highest risk of getting seriously ill with Covid-19.

Covid-19 Risk Assessment Up To 16 December 2021

December 17, 2021December 20, 2021 Ben Clark

The Omicron wave has arrived in Bucks, with more infected people in the County than ever before. 1 in 43 people are now infected and the pandemic in Bucks is becoming ever more dangerous as we approach Christmas. Our key message remains that everyone needs to take action to keep themselves safe. Read on for more…

Managing Mental Health at Christmas

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 Ben Clark

Christmas can be a time for eating, drinking, spending time with family and friends, and generally getting into the holiday spirit. The Christmas season, however, can be especially tough for those who have a mental health issue.

Articles in Author: Ben Clark