Volunteering with our Winter Night Shelter

Our Winter Night Shelter provides emergency accommodation to those who are homeless during the coldest, wettest and darkest months of the year- offering a safe place to sleep and a hot meal seven nights a week.

Our shelter is volunteer run and guests are referred in through our advice service, having been fully risk assessed before they are offered a space- due to the nature of the shelter we cannot accept guests with drug or alcohol addictions, severe mental health disorders or those with a history of violent or other forms of criminal behaviour.

Our shelter can only run through the support of our volunteer teams (always a minimum of two people in each team), who are at the shelter from the time it opens at 6pm in the evening until it closes at 9:30am the following morning.

There are three different roles, with volunteers needed either in mornings, evenings or overnight during the week or at weekends- so these roles may suit people looking to volunteer around their full or part time jobs, or other commitments.

Ideally volunteers will be able to do a minimum of once a fortnight, but we aim to be as flexible as possible as we know some volunteers may work shifts, or not be able to commit to the same days each time.

The three teams are shown below:

BREAKFAST TEAMS

Breakfast volunteers help our guests get ready for the day ahead and will be helping to ensure they start their day in the best possible way.

We need people to help prepare a simple breakfast for the guests, interacting with guests and helping them pack their belongings and prepare for departure (at 10am).

Breakfast Team volunteers will be required from 7am – 10am.

COOK TEAMS

Cook team volunteers play a crucial role in ensuring that guests receive nutritious and tasty meals. We will be providing meals for 5-7 people.

We are looking for people who will be able to help us with the following:

Cooking: Preparing and cooking meals for guests according to the planned menu, ensuring food safety and hygiene standards are met.

Meal planning: Working with shelter staff to create balanced and nutritious menus that cater to the dietary needs and preferences of the guests.

Cook Team volunteers will be required from 6pm – 9pm.

SLEEPOVER VOLUNTEERS

Sleepover volunteers make sure that our guests feel safe overnight when sleeping in the shelter.

They will need to:

+ Welcome guests, check them in, and ensure they understand the shelter’s rules and policies.

+ Help guests complete any necessary registration forms and distribute any relevant information or materials.

+ Ensure the dining area is clean and set up for meals

+ Ability to engage and communicate with guests during the shared meal.

+ Monitor the well-being of guests, paying particular attention to those who may have health issues or specific needs.

+ Be present throughout the night to ensure the security of guests and the facility.

Sleepover volunteers will be required from 7pm – 7am.

Onboarding Process

Our Winter Shelter Season ended on 31 March 2025 and we are not currently operating.

We will be reopening in Winter 2025, if you would be interested in volunteering with us in the next season, please complete our registration form and we will be in touch.

Once you have registered, we will be in touch to request a personal reference and arrange time to go through our training. (including food hygiene training for Cook volunteers)

We will also ask to see a DBS certificate for Overnight Volunteers only (if you do not have a certificate issued within 3 years, we will arrange for a new DBS check to be completed).