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BuDDies

BuDDies are volunteers who befriend lonely or isolated disabled people and support them with regular contact by phone, videocall or social media messaging (possibly by face-to-face contact too when Covid-19 permits). Working within our professional and fully safeguarded team, and with support from both staff and other volunteers, this role would suit empathic, understanding and caring people who can help others in a non-judgemental way and have the time for a regular contact. You may have counselling or mental health experience. Full training provided.

To read more about the BuDDies project, click here.


Express an Interest in Volunteering as a BuDDy or BuDDies Support Volunteer

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    Support Volunteers

    Support volunteers work directly with disabled people to help them with their individual needs and remove barriers which prevent them from moving forward. This work suits empathic, caring and committed people who want to help others in a professional way.

    We are currently recruiting the following Support Volunteer roles:

    Volunteer Team Enablers

    Working inside BuDS as part of the wider ‘HR’ team, you would support BuDS volunteers to help them move forward in their volunteering and personal journey. This could include mentoring young people in their first working environment, supporting people who are anxious or insecure, and encouraging team work and peer support.  This role would suit patient and caring people with life and working experience who are keen to share their skills and help others to move forward.


    Reach4Work Mentors

    Many BuDS volunteers are disabled people looking to get a job or move closer to work. Some are young people finding their way forward, others are people who have acquired a disability recently and having to rethink their future. As a Reach4Work mentor, you will be paired with one or two of our jobseeker volunteers to support them through regular mentoring sessions. This role would suit caring people with experience of the world of work who are keen to support others to move forward in their careers and work journeys.


    Enquiries and Advocacy Volunteers

    Disabled people contact BuDS with a wide variety of issues, and we try to help them with information, advice, guidance and where necessary advocating on their behalf with service-providers, employers and public bodies. As an enquiry and advocacy volunteer, working within our professional and organised service, you will be able to choose the enquiries or people you can best support. This role would suit determined and compassionate people who know how the world works, who want to support others and remove barriers which prevent people moving forward.


    Welfare Rights Volunteers

    Disabled people must fight for the support they are entitled to from the DWP, housing providers, councils and the NHS. BuDS wants to support disabled people with the difficult problems which other agencies like CAB cannot easily help with. This role would suit people with a good knowledge of one or more aspects of the welfare rights system who want to support others and help people get the help they are entitled to.


    Express an Interest in Volunteering as a Support Volunteer

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      Professional Volunteers

      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

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        Project Volunteers

        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

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          Back in the Saddle – Update 18

          In my last update I said that I hoped to get to the next checkpoint before the end of the year and I have actually managed it! Just got to Sheffield. If things had gone to plan, I would only be about 25 days away from finishing, but at least I am now making better progress again now. Every turn of the pedals gets me that little bit further from Land’s End and a tiny bit closer to John o’Groats. My next stop is the Peak District National Park and I believe it’s only about 21km away, so shouldn’t take me too long to get there.

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          Covid-19 Risk Assessment Week Ending 27 December 2021

          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…

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          Back in the Saddle – Update 17

          I know it’s not been long since my last update, but I’ve actually made it to the next checkpoint. I am now managing between 3 and 4 km a day, so things are definitely improving. This checkpoint is Sherwood Forest, which is 45% of the way through the virtual route from Lands End to John o’Groats. The next stop will be Sheffield. You never know, if I keep going at the rate that I am, I might even get there before 2022! We shall see…

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