Volunteers Open Day - Wigan & Leigh Hospice

Tuesday, 20th Feb, 10am - 3pm, at Wigan & Leigh Hospice, Kildare St, Hindley. WN2 3HZ

Find out about volunteering opportunities within the hospice and out in the community.
Meet staff and talk to volunteers about their experiences and why they enjoy what they do.

There's a wide range of roles available including:

• Supporting patients on the Inpatient Unit, such as making them drinks
• Hospice In Your Home befriending service – regularly visiting a hospice patient at home
• Working on the hospice reception desk
• Working in the hospice shops
• Supporting the fundraising team

If you have any questions please email the Volunteering team on: v@wlh.org.uk

Links: www.wlh.org.uk / Facebook / FB Event / @WL_Hospice

@WL_Hospice
Join us on Feb 20th in our Woodview Centre at the hospice to find out more about the various volunteering opportunities both at the hospice and out in the community

you do know that people get penalised for doing voluntary work if they are on benefits . they will lose everything because the DWP use it against them even if they would like to do volunteering work ? .

If they dont get paid I suspect they wont. If they get paid its treated as income just like any other job.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/volunteering-while-benefits

Mindar's link: www.nidirect.gov.uk (Northern Ireland)

In general you can volunteer without benefits being affected, but you must check what applies according to your individual circumstance.

How volunteering affects your benefits - Citizens Advice Overview

yes they will . a friend of mine's son did some volunteering in the wigan help the aged shop without any pay & got sanctioned as a result.

That's awful, Whups.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations - Volunteering and Benefits:

You must follow the rules for the specific benefit you are receiving and any plans or agreements you have in place
Make sure you are clear on this with your job coach or benefits adviser and be upfront about your intention to start volunteering.
If they (your work coach) have been informed about your volunteering and it’s built into a plan to enable you to meet your other responsibilities, then it *shouldn’t be the cause of sanctions or penalties.

*"Shouldn't" isn't as reassuring as "won't".

your right because they will use that against you & say your "not looking for work" so they sanction you .

Whupsy is reet

To claim JSA yoo have to be available and looking for work, if you are doing voluntary work, you are not available and looking for work, because you can't do both...

From joanne's link


Does volunteering count as taking ‘reasonable action’ to find a job?
Yes, it can count towards up to 50% of the time you are expected to be looking for a job.*

This means that:

if you are required to spend 35 hours a week looking for a full-time job, half of this time (17.5 hours) can be spent volunteering
if you only volunteer five hours a week, then you will be required to spend 30 hours looking for work
if you are looking for part-time work, eg 16 hours a week, you can volunteer for up to eight hours and spend the rest of the time looking for work.
* This will not apply to you if you are in the no requirements, work-focussed interview or work preparation category.

Does that mean I can’t volunteer for more than 17.5 hours a week?
There are no restrictions on how many hours you can volunteer, but you will be required to spend at least 17.5 hours a week job seeking if you’re looking for full time work, or half the expected number of part-time hours if you’re looking for part time work, as illustrated by the examples above.

I would imagine that if a person is claiming invalidity / sickness benefit, and they are working as a volunteer, they will have the benefit stopped. And so they should!

Shared Reading Volunteer Information Day - Link

Friday 23rd February, 10:30am - 12pm
The Oak Centre, Wigan & Leigh Hospice, Kildare St, Hindley WN2 3HZ

'We’re looking for passionate volunteers to join our Shared Reading movement and share their love of reading with others.

In Wigan & Leigh, while we are keen to meet anyone interested in bringing Shared Reading to their communities, we would love to speak to anyone who is interested in reading with people living with dementia.'

Interested? Pop in and speak to The Reader team!

Wigan and Leigh Hospice inviting residents to volunteers open day - Leigh Journal (14th Feb)
Volunteering gives me a purpose - Wigan Today (16 Feb)