Community Volunteers

Do you have a few hours or days a month to spare? Do you want to help people with their energy bills, and reduce the number of cold homes in your community? There are four main roles that our volunteers fill: outreach, home visits, advice line and office help. We give each volunteer a role that's suitable to their experience, interests and the amount of time they can give. You might help with home visits to resolve local residents' energy issues, you might run a local energy advice event, give a talk to a group, or help older people take advantage of grants. We'd also like some help in the office with phoning people to help evaluate the work we’re doing. Whatever you’re doing we aim to make it fun and rewarding for volunteers. David, a volunteer in Bristol, said “Friendly atmosphere, supportive staff, engaging work. It felt like I was making a difference by being there.” And you’ll join a sociable team of volunteers - there are currently 26 of them - with regular team meetings and one-to-one support. If you're interested in finding out more about volunteering, please email [email protected] or call us on 0117 934 1400. Here's what our volunteers say: As a volunteer, Jenny gets involved with a range of activities including home visits, presentations and promotional events. She also leads on carrying out evaluation phone calls to people who have been to our events or taken part in a CSE project. She says, "I get great satisfaction from volunteering with CSE, mainly because I am using skills obtained throughout my working life. I am a retired nurse, experienced in home assessments and telephone interactions, having been a nurse advisor with NHS Direct. I am always made so welcome at the CSE office that being there is a pleasure!" Volunteer Rob helped with home visits to give energy advice to householders, he helped run a campaign to support people switching energy suppliers, and transcribed some videos for us. He says, "I've learnt a lot, met some interesting and lively people, and I think I've done some good. I particularly enjoy the home visits - people are very welcoming and you can usually give them some direct practical help keeping their homes warm and comfortable. It gives me an insight into the real problems people face." Helen had to stop volunteering with us due to family commitments. For over two years she provided support with home visits and outreach events. She said "It’s great to be working with people whom you know broadly share your values and concerns, and I was delighted with the thoughtful support and organisation offered." There are no time commitments - anything you have to spare - a few hours a week or days a month. We give each volunteer a role that's suitable to their experience, interests and the amount of time they can give.