The Meet and Eat Group aims to provide an opportunity for our residents to meet, prepare food and eat together.

The volunteer will be there help residents follow recipes, measure out ingredients and then to cook the food before eating together and chatting about what the group have made.  The residents will be expected to contribute to the clearing and washing up at the end of the meal.

Our projects provide move on accommodation for those people who have struggled with homelessness.

Within move on accommodation residents are at the last stage of their journey back into community, and are actively working with support to find permanent accommodation.

Some residents may need one to one support at points during the group.  The volunteer will need to be someone who understands that this is a fully co-produced programme which has been initiated, named, and planned for by clients and that the group itself will be encouraged to participate fully in every part of the process including creating the menu.

A volunteer with an interest in cooking is great but not necessary, but a willingness to allow clients to engage as fully as possible and not to do ‘for’ but ‘with’ them is key.

Turning Tides offers volunteers training so your time volunteering is the best it can be, is as safe as possible, and of course adds value to your experience and to Turning Tides.

Every volunteer regardless of role will have their initial induction.  During this induction you be taken through a PowerPoint presentation and be issued with volunteer handbook and code of conduct. The induction will cover Professional Boundaries, Safeguarding and Equality and Diversity and be a chance for you to ask any questions.

It is Turning Tides’ hope and expectation that as a volunteer you will:

• Be inclusive and welcoming
• Communicate with staff on duty
• Be flexible to the needs of the staff member on duty.
• Abide by the Confidentiality, Professional Boundaries and Health and Safety Policies at all times

Monday – Sunday 5pm – 7pm flexible one evening per week or per month. For continuity, we prefer that volunteers commit to a minimum of a 6 week period for this session, however we aim to be flexible.

You’ll need to fill in the two applications forms, and all of Turning Tides’ roles require two character references. These references do not need to be employment references, however, we cannot accept references from family members.

If you have any further queries please contact Isobel on 07749 491285 or volunteering@turning-tides.org.uk