What’s Happening in the Third Sector?
Volunteering on Christmas Day: Opportunities Across the UK
As the festive season approaches, many organisations are calling for volunteers to help make Christmas Day brighter for people facing homelessness, loneliness or hardship. From national charities to small community groups, there are plenty of ways to get involved if you’d like to give a little time on the day itself.
Opportunities range from supporting programmes such as Crisis at Christmas, volunteering with local night shelters, churches and community meal projects, or helping organisations like The Salvation Army and Age UK with everything from serving meals to providing companionship. Many areas also run community-led Christmas dinners for older people, care leavers or anyone spending the day alone, and these events often rely on local volunteers to cook, deliver, or simply offer a friendly presence.
If you’re interested in helping out, national charities list options online, while smaller community groups may welcome support even if they’re not actively advertising. And while Christmas Day volunteering can be particularly meaningful, it can also be a route into longer-term involvement with causes close to your heart.
Read more on how you can help at Christmas here.
Charities Continue to Oppose Mandatory Volunteering Plans for Migrants
Charities across the UK are still (rightly) pushing back against government proposals linking voluntary work to settlement rights. More than 300 organisations have already signed a letter rejecting the idea of ‘mandatory volunteering’.
New details released by the Home Office set out a 10-year qualifying period for settlement, with the possibility of reducing this by 3-5 years through volunteering. The consultation notes that volunteering “should always be a free choice” but asks charities to assess how easily applicants could evidence their contribution and what impact such a system would have on their organisations.
Sector leaders say the updated proposals offer little reassurance. Additional concerns include heightened safeguarding risks, with groups such as Reach Volunteering warning that migrants might feel unable to report poor treatment if their immigration status is tied to volunteering. Organisations also highlight that many migrants already volunteer willingly, but others – particularly those working multiple jobs or facing health issues – are unable to.
Charities argue the plans would create substantial administrative, logistical and reporting burdens, and risk pressuring traumatised people into unpaid work. The sector remains united in insisting that volunteering must remain voluntary, and many are calling on the government to focus on removing barriers to participation instead.
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