Make a difference days
Public engagement
Volunteering
Enrich your University experience by making a positive difference to others and develop an abundance of new skills through volunteering. Play an invaluable role through participating in rewarding one-off and short-term volunteering in the local community. There are also unique online opportunities, where you can make an impact nationally and globally.
Make a Difference days are opportunities for students and staff to volunteer, help others and support causes that impact the local community. These one-off and short term activities don’t require ongoing commitment, giving you the opportunity to gain experience and support your personal development, well-being and sense of community.
Upcoming volunteering opportunities
World Robot Olympiad Event Volunteer
Friday 3rd July 2026
Space Park, Leicester, LE4 5SP
The World Robot Olympiad (WRO) UK Final is coming to Leicester Space Park and the team are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists, innovators and problem-solvers.
WRO is one of the world's largest robotics competitions, bringing together young people from across the UK to design, build and programme robots to solve real-world challenges.
You do not need any robotics experience to get involved.
Volunteer roles include:
- Registration and welcome team
- Competition field assistants
- Team support and guidance
- Judges' assistants and runners
- Photography and social media support
By volunteering you will:
- Support young people pursuing STEM careers
- Meet professionals from across Leicester's innovation ecosystem
- Gain event and volunteering experience
- Be part of an international robotics programme
Whether you can offer a few hours or a full day, the team would love to hear from you.
Register your interest or email Chazia Cassamo: chaziacassamo@stempura.org if you have any questions.
Leicester Mela 2026 Event Volunteers
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August 2026
Abbey Park, Leicester
The Leicester Mela is a 2 day Indian arts and culture festival, taking place this summer in Abbey Park. This year the celebrations are set to be bigger than ever, across two exciting days of music, culture, food, arts and entertainment.
The Leicester Mela Team are looking for enthusiastic volunteers aged 18+ to join the festival team and gain hands-on experience working at one of Leicester’s biggest cultural events. No previous experience is required. Just bring energy, reliability and a willingness to get involved.
Volunteer roles include:
- Backstage Management (DBS required)
- Arts and Activity Support
- Event Set-Up and Breakdown
- Festival Runners
- Social Media and Content Creation
- Photography and Videography
- Ushering and Audience Support
- Visitor Information and Direction
- Clean-Up Crew
Apply by Friday 17 July 2026.
Volunteer as a School Reading Buddy
Make a positive impact in schools while gaining valuable experience for your CV.
We're looking for enthusiastic, friendly and reliable students to become Reading Buddies and help local children build confidence, improve their reading skills and develop a love of reading.
This rewarding and flexible Reading Buddies role will involve working with children in small groups, listening to them read and providing encouragement and support that can have a lasting impact on their learning and self-esteem.
Help a child discover the joy of reading and gain valuable experience along the way.
Why get involved?
- Gain practical classroom-based experience working with children
- Develop transferable skills including communication, mentoring and time management
- Enhance your CV and future job applications
- Make a meaningful contribution to your local community
Commitment
- Volunteer weekly or fortnightly during term time
- Minimum commitment of 12 reading sessions between November 2026 and May 2027
- Each session lasts up to 2 hours
- To ensure consistency for the children, volunteers are asked to commit for at least 6 months
Location and DBS Check
Volunteering will take place at Uplands Junior L.E.A.D. Academy. All volunteers will require a DBS check, which will be arranged and funded by the school. No previous experience is needed.
How to Apply
Complete the Reading Buddies Application Form by 9.00am on 14 October 2026.
You will then be invited to attend a 30-minute Reading Buddies Information where you'll learn more about the role, meet the team and can ask questions. The school will also be running an Induction and Safeguarding Session, which you will be sent further information about closer to the time.
Please email volunteer@le.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Ygam Volunteer Student Ambassador
Ygam is a UK charity that’s focused on preventing gaming and gambling harms among young people through education, awareness, training, and research.
Ygam is seeking UK university students to join its Volunteer Student Ambassador Team, helping raise awareness of gaming and gambling harms across campuses.
In this role, you will:
- Advise Ygam on student needs and experiences
- Support content development
- Organise campus activities
- Represent Ygam at events and awareness campaigns
Ygam is looking for outgoing, confident individuals who enjoy engaging with others and can offer insight into student experiences related to gaming and gambling.
Please apply for the role if you're interested in volunteering during the next academic year.
LOROS Volunteer
Volunteering with LOROS Hospice offers you the chance to make a meaningful impact in your local community while developing valuable skills.
As a Shop Volunteer, you’ll help operate the till, serve customers, sort donations, and keep the shops organised. This role is perfect for gaining retail experience, developing customer service skills, and supporting hospice care.
If you prefer a more social environment, consider joining the LOROS Café (Peppercorns) in Abbey Park or based at the Hospice café on Groby Road. You’ll provide a warm and friendly service, prepare food and drinks, handle cash transactions, and ensure the café remains clean and welcoming.
Alternatively, you can make a difference behind the scenes as a Warehouse Donation Volunteer. In this role, you’ll sort and manage donations, handle Gift Aid, and advise customers with queries. It’s a great way to develop organisational skills and gain practical experience in retail.
If you would like to discuss opportunities, please get in touch with the Team at LOROS via email volunteering@loros.co.uk or phone (0116) 231 3771.
IntoUniversity volunteer mentors and academic support tutors
IntoUniversity is a nationwide educational charity that supports under represented young people with their educational journeys. From their learning centres, they run after-school academic support sessions and mentoring.
How can you help?
Volunteer mentors and academic support tutors are needed to help make a real difference as positive role models in the lives of the young people who need that additional help. The roles would be great for anyone who has an enthusiasm for education, strong interpersonal skills and the ability to use their initiative.
Students Union Volunteering Hub
The University of Leicester Students Union also work with a range of voluntary organisations and charities who opportunities that you can sign up to now. You can also record your volunteering hours through the Students Union online portal called the Volunteering Hub.
Visit the Volunteering Hub to view the latest volunteering roles.
Virtual and micro-volunteering
Micro-volunteering enables you to offer your time in small chunks. You can manage how often you take part in micro-volunteering activities and can fit them flexibly around other commitments. Roles are mainly virtual and can be done using a lap top or phone. Examples of micro-volunteering and online roles include:
Warning Zone
Educational tour volunteers needed for Warning Zone.
As a life skills centre for children aged 10-11 years who visit them on a school trip, Warning Zone relies on the generosity of volunteers to guide small groups of children around their interactive life skills centre.
They educate the children on how to keep themselves safe both online and offline, helping them to recognise hazards, assess risk, avoid consequences and navigate the many different aspects of growing up that they might face such as peer pressure and coercion.
Their interactive safety centre has life-like zones covering areas such as fire safety in the home, building sites, water safety, arson, road safety, railways, alcohol, knife crime, grooming, cyber-bullying, posting photos online and so much more.
To sign up, please email volunteer@warningzone.org.uk or call +44 (0)116 262 9739.
CoachBright online volunteer
CoachBright are a social mobility charity that exists to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds become more independent and resilient so they can lead the lives they want. Volunteers work with pupils in schools to build confidence through academic coaching.
Age UK day care passenger assistant volunteer
To volunteer with Age UK, all you need is some spare time and a passion for helping others.
Patient and friendly volunteers are needed to provide support within an Age UK community day centre situated on Humberstone Gate in Leicester City Centre. The role will involve assisting the day care team in delivering optimum quality of care and support to their service users. This may include assisting the minibus driver when picking up and dropping off clients from 8.30am to 10.30am and/or 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
No previous experience is needed as full training will be given. You would need to have the physical ability to help move and support older people and have good team working and communication skills.
If you are interested in applying, please email volunteer@le.ac.uk for more information.
Age UK befriender befriending volunteer
Could you spare 20-30 minutes a week as a telephone befriender to make a couple of weekly phone calls to Age UK service users who may be experiencing isolation and loneliness to offer support and companionship?
You also have the option to do regular face-to-face befriending for 1 hour a week which could be at a day centre location or in the older person’s home.
If you are interested in applying, please email volunteer@le.ac.uk for more information.
Environmental volunteering with Leicester City Council
Leicester environmental volunteers fulfil a vital role in keeping our parks and open spaces, waterways and streets clean and well maintained so that we can all enjoy them.
Make a difference in a park near you and enjoy the benefits of the wide-open spaces, fresh air and physical exercise.
Roles include gardening and horticulture, conservation, environmental improvements, litter picking and more.
Short term opportunities
Action Tutoring
Volunteering as a tutor with Action Tutoring is an easy and rewarding way to make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people living in your community. It’s your chance to give back, share your skills and boost your CV.
By volunteering for just one hour a week, you will directly support disadvantaged pupils to build their confidence and help ensure they leave school with the grades needed to build a bright future, as well as developing your own skills.
Park Run event volunteers, Victoria Park, Leicester
Park Runs are free, weekly, community events all around the world.
Volunteers make parkrun happen. They do all of the high-profile tasks at the event like marshalling, timing, result recording, setting up the running course and more, as well as all the behind-the-scenes roles too.
Whatever you want to do, there is a role for you. To volunteer during a Saturday morning Park Run, you would need to register by the Thursday before, so your name can be added to the volunteer rota in advance. Email leicestervictoria@parkrun.com to help.