About the team
Our Volunteering Team can help you find an opportunity that fits in alongside your other commitments and is appropriately matched with your relevant skills and experiences, as well as your reasons for volunteering.
Click here to view some of our frequently asked questions.
Click here to register your interest in volunteering.
We are happy to answer any queries you have about joining our team at Action Together. For more information, call us on 0161 339 2345 or email our team
Meet the Volunteering team
Here are our Oldham-based Volunteering Team, click their photos to find out more about them!
Josie: Volunteering Development Coordinator
What is my role?
Volunteering Development Coordinator
My role involves working to ensure that the importance of volunteering is recognised across the locality, offering support to VCFSE groups to strengthen their volunteer programmes, and providing a platform to enable more individuals to contribute to their communities through volunteering.
What drew me to work at Action Together?
Action Together play a fundamental role in championing the importance of volunteering within the local community, working collaboratively and connecting people and organisations. Action Together’s mission to create positive social change, combined with my commitment to promote the value of volunteering and to break down barriers to access is what motivates me in my role.
What excites me most about this role?
I am passionate about the way volunteering can empower individuals, transform lives, and strengthen communities. I feel privileged that each day in my role I am able to work collaboratively with amazing VCFSE, public and private sector partners to strengthen the volunteering offer in Oldham.
My hopes for Oldham are?
In line with our Volunteering Strategy 2023-28 my hope is to ensure that volunteering is inclusive and reflective of the diverse community of Oldham, and that volunteering programmes are innovative and responsive to the ever-changing needs of the community.
Alishia: Volunteering Support Officer
What is my role:
Volunteering Support Officer – Oldham
I’m Alishia. I’m the Volunteering Support Officer in the Oldham team. My role involves connecting individuals and local groups together. I help people find volunteer roles that matches their interests, skills, knowledge, experience, and (or) hobbies. I work closely with local groups in Oldham such as charities and community groups, helping them to advertise, promote and share the benefits of volunteering.
What most excites me about this role:
I love how it makes me feel knowing I’ve helped someone in their volunteering journey. For example, I speak to people who can be experiencing isolation, boredom, low confidence, anxiety and more. Hearing that volunteering has made an impact in their life is so inspirational to hear. However, knowing that I’ve been part of their journey, really makes me feel proud that my role is really making a difference to support someone else.
What drew me to work at Action Together:
To be honest, I didn’t know much about Action Together back in 2011 when I first started. At the time, my job centre advisor recommended their admin placement which had a series of training alongside the role. Reading the role description and researching what the organisation did really attracted me because it was a stepping stone for me to develop myself personally, including my confidence and skills. I also liked that the organisation helped people in their local community to volunteer, its sounded interesting and something different from what I’ve done before. During the placement I learnt so much about Action Together. Then after the 6 months I stayed on as a volunteer and not long after, secured a paid position with them. The organisation has supported me to develop myself, from assisting with admin to providing training, managing volunteers, planning events, advising people about volunteering in their local community and much, much more. It’s been an amazing journey and I can see why people apply to work here. It’s a great team and organisation. I’ve been here for a long time now and I’ve seen the organisation grow and grow. Every day is different and this is what keeps me drawn in!
My hopes for Oldham are:
I want to keep inspiring people about how they can make a difference in their local community no matter how much time they have. Everyone deserves to feel part of their community in their own way.
Aga : Volunteering Officer (Oldham based in Jobcentre)
What is my role?
Volunteering Officer - Oldham, based in Jobcentre
My name is Aga. I’m the Volunteering Officer in the Oldham team, I am based at the Jobcentre, focusing mainly on 50+ clients, although everyone is more than welcome. This is a new partnership role between Action Together and Jobcentre and it’s funded through Oldham’s Poverty Network. The idea is to show volunteering as an important step on individual’s employment journey by gaining new skills and experiences, boosting their confidence, having that sense of purpose, routine and social interaction.
What drew me to work at Action Together?
My own journey, as I am also here to share my story, story that is sad but with an amazing ending! I became a volunteer while deeply depressed and going through bereavement too, I cannot put in words what difference did it make, getting out there, meeting people like me, somehow disturbed, but fighting! So I fought too! With support aside, but supporting community at the same time. Amazing feeling I have to this day. Not only I am a volunteer, Action Together has given me the opportunity of sharing all that experience and inspire others, to make a difference.
What excites me most about this role?
I know how it makes me feel when I’ve helped someone, therefore this is an excellent opportunity to be there for others, to help them in their journey, to inspire them. There is plenty of people out there who experience difficult time, are in position where help and support is needed. I have an opportunity to hear them out and hopefully, help them chose new and exciting path of volunteering that could really change their lives…
My hopes for Oldham are?
I would like people to know that they can make a difference. Not only to their community but to themselves too. You don’t need great experience, you don’t need to have plenty of time, every little thing you do might be a huge thing for your community. You have nothing to lose. You never know, it might just become an amazing part of your life, it did to me.
Sean: Volunteering Officer (Oldham)
What is my role?
Volunteering Officer - Oldham
My role is to recruit and support members of the public into volunteering with community organisations and charities within Oldham. My role is also to promote the volunteering service to the public at events and functions, and to support organisations themselves with recruiting and supporting volunteers. I also hold ‘volunteer hubs’ outside of the town centre with the aim of reaching more people in person, in addition to telephone 1:1s and regular support over email.
What drew me to work at Action Together?
I applied for the role at Action Together supporting volunteers because it’s similar to role I did before at Bradford College some years ago, a role that I thoroughly enjoyed (and missed). More importantly though I was keen to do the role in a different location and with a different audience, so when I saw the role available it was an easy decision as to whether to apply. I also enjoy working in an environment that involves supporting people directly, and watching them grow and gain confidence over the course of their journey, so being able to be a part of that, and working alongside others doing the same, has been very satisfying.
What excites me most about this role?
I’m passionate about creating an environment and a set of volunteering opportunities that’s accessible to all, or at least as many people as possible. So being able to work on projects and build upon ideas that help expand the scope of what we do and who we can involve is exciting and satisfying. While I’ve only been in this role a few months I also enjoy working with people who feel the same way, and equally want to achieve the same outcomes.
My hopes for Oldham are?
Currently with the cost of living crisis and the continuing economic woes, many people are finding it harder to give their time for free to volunteer. I hope the crisis will subside soon so people are less fraught and anxious, and so we can work with communities that are happier and feel more comfortable being able to volunteer.
Lauren: Volunteering Officer
What is my role?
Volunteering Support Officer (Oldham)
The title of my role is Volunteering Support Officer and I am based in Oldham. I support individuals within community who are interested in volunteering as well as work closely with different groups, charities and organisations wishing to engage with and recruit volunteers. This includes being involved in things like; 1:1 support with people looking to volunteer, being out in the community promoting volunteering and helping advertise volunteer opportunities for groups. The goal is to support the journey and spread the word of volunteering, and all the positive benefits that come from that.
What drew me to work at Action Together?
I was most attracted to the organisational values; Believe it’s possible, Strengthen others and Be true. These really resonated with me because of how empowering, encouraging and genuine they felt. I believe these are values that we should demonstrate not only at work but in our everyday lives, and because they had such a positive feel about them, this really drew me to want to work at Action Together.
What excites me most about this role?
The thing that excites me the most about this role is being able to get out in the community and interact with people and groups, to help support them in achieving something really valuable. The benefits of volunteering are huge, it can help grow your confidence, help you learn new skills, improve your social life etc. Not only this, but volunteering brings the community together and provides much needed support to the groups and charities in our local area. To be part of such positive work really means a lot to me!
My hopes for Oldham are?
I hope that as many people in Oldham who want to make a difference through volunteering get the opportunity to do so, and the support where needed. I want Oldham to continue creating and strengthening relationships between the members of its community and the different groups and charities out there. Volunteering helps connect us with others and the better connected we are with our community, the better we can support each other. This all in turn has a positive impact and influence on a community which I hope Oldham can continue to experience and grow.
Volunteer Hubs
We have developed a Volunteer Hub model, which aligns our accredited Volunteer Centre brokerage service to 'place' .The model brings the Volunteer Centre offer closer to the heart of communities across the 5 districts and includes:
Brokerage: Online and in-person volunteer brokerage to 100's of volunteering opportunities delivered from Community Volunteer Hubs supported by our volunteering team and Volunteer Ambassadors.
Training: Training for volunteers to get ready for volunteering and training for groups and organisations to get them ready for volunteers!
Events: Our volunteering team will be popping up at local events to promote volunteering, see where they are popping up next just below.
To visit our volunteering team at your local Volunteer Hub please see details below...
Monthly Volunteer Hubs
Oldham Central Library | Greaves Street, OL1 1AL
These sessions take place on the first Tuesday of the month. See below for our upcoming dates:
- Tuesday 3 December, 10am - 1pm
- Tuesday 7 January 2025, 10am - 1pm
- Tuesday 4 February 2025, 10am - 1pm
Drop-in and speak about volunteering with Alishia and Volunteer Ron.
Royton Leisure Centre | Byron Street, Oldham OL2 6QZ
These sessions take place on the third Monday of the month. See below for our upcoming dates:
- Monday 16 December, 10am - 1pm
- Monday 20 January 2025, 10am - 1pm
- Monday 17 February 2025, 10am - 1pm
Drop-in and speak about volunteering with Lauren.
Job Centre Oldham | Tweedle House 75 Union Street OL1 1LH
Book through your Job Centre Work Coach, appointments available on the following days..
- Tuesdays face to face appointments
- Thursdays phone call appointments
Appointments available to speak to Aga about volunteering ideas to help your employability.
Booking Only Volunteer Hubs
the below sessions are booking only:
Failsworth Library - Failsworth Town Hall, M35 0EJ
Email volunteering@actiontogether.org.uk to meet at Failsworth Library
Chadderton Library and Wellbeing Centre - Burnley Street, Chadderton, Oldham OL9 0JW
Email volunteering@actiontogether.org.uk to meet at Chadderton Library
Lees Library Community Hub - Thomas Street, Lees, OL4 5DA
Email volunteering@actiontogether.org.uk to meet at Lees Library
Online Volunteer Hubs (Booking Only)
Contact the team to book your day and time on Zoom or Microsoft teams.
Email: volunteering@actiontogether.org.uk
Call: 0161 339 2345
Text: 07719056797
Texting and Email Service - Volunteer Hub
Speak to our team by text message on 07719056797
Or you can email volunteering@actiontogether.org.uk
What volunteering means to us
We asked our voluntary member organisations what volunteering meant to them… here’s what they said!