The Supported Volunteering Project here at Action Point is the longest running program of its type in the area.

We operate between Keighley, Shipley/ Bingley, and Bradford and aim to find fun, interesting and relevant volunteering placements for Adults with Learning Disabilities, based on their interests, availbitity and personal abilities. Everyone's different!

We currently have around 80 supported volunteers on our books, and are hoping to place a further 20. We receive regular referrals for the service all the time so this number will increase.

Our aim is to develop confidence and independance through volunteering, and so offer a short term support for up to 8 weeks. Not all our supported volunteers need the full 8 weeks, and so we assess the client's needs on an individual basis.

The support work you may be offering could be Travel Training where you show a client how to travel to their placement, on the job training whilst they find their feet and feel comfortable and confident in their new team,  and regular reviews with our clients to ensure they are safe, happy or in need of further support.

You may also liaise with the placements themselves to check they're feeling happy with the placement. Volunteering goes both ways!

Volunteering is a powerful tool to help develop independence, self-confidence, learn new skills, meet new people and increase general wellbeing by offering people a sense of structure, purpose and achievement

Some of our clients have gone on to find paid jobs and others have called their volunteering work a "lifeline," whilst regaining confidence in themselves.

The Supported Volunteering Project has successfully opened doors for people that are often left behind, managing to work with different organisations to create new opportunities. For example, a lovely gentleman with a learning disability and a vision impairment wanted to experience working in an office, and now helps as a receptionist at a community centre once a week.

Others need something to get them out of the house to keep occupied, but by doing so have learned new skills. One client they placed now helps at a food bank café and spoke of how pleased he was after helping to prepare a meal. He'd "never cooked for other people before".