Marie Curie helpers visit terminally ill people in their homes, offering companionship and support, for up to three hours each week. Although this isn't a counselling role, you'll be providing a much-needed listening ear - and your visit may also allow carers the chance to take a short break. Obviously, you'll be given intensive training beforehand. Families who request the free service can rely on a dedicated helper for weekly visits or telephone conversations, plus a few months' support following bereavement.

Find out more: www.mariecurie.org.uk

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One in eight children in England leaves primary school behind target in their reading. You can help make a difference by giving up three hours a week to become a reading helper with the charity Beanstalk. Each volunteer works with three children at a local school, seeing them twice a week for half an hour at a time, for three whole terms. The reading sessions are relaxed and fun, and allow kids to learn to read at their own pace. Beanstalk also holds regular coffee mornings, book swaps and end-of-term meetings for its helpers.

Find out more: www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk

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Knit for Peace is an initiative of the Charities Advisory Trust. The philosophy? Knitting for others is fun, therapeutic and brings people together - so provides benefits for both the knitter and the recipient. Ways to volunteer? You can join an existing knitting group in a local community, university, school or prison; set up your own group; or simply knit in your own time and send in knitted products to be donated to good causes. Knit for Peace currently distributes to more than 80 outlets, including hospitals, hospices, women's refuge centres and developing countries.

Find out more: www.knitforpeace.org.uk

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Home-Start is a family support charity that trains volunteers to work directly with families in their homes, to help them deal with challenges such as poverty, isolation, mental health issues, poor housing and domestic violence. Each family will have at least one child under five. Following intensive training, you'll visit a local family for up to two hours each week and offer tailor-made emotional and practical support. You may, for example, help them access benefits or specialist support - or simply offer a shoulder to cry on.

Find out more: www.home-start.org.uk

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The loss of a pet - whether the animal has died, disappeared, been rehomed or stolen - can be devastating. Children can find it particularly hard to cope, as this may be their first experience of grief - and parents often need advice on what to say to them. Animal welfare charity Blue Cross offers a free pet bereavement support service by telephone and email - and is always looking for volunteers to help out. You'll be given full training in order to offer much-needed emotional support and advice to bereaved pet-owners.

Find out more: www.bluecross.org.uk

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Community gardening projects are a great way to get fit, meet new people, learn fresh skills and improve your local environment. For example, The Big Dig - coordinated by food and farming alliance Sustain - is a network of more than 600 urban community gardens, created by volunteers across the country. Fancy a taster? Saturday 21 March 2015 is Big Dig Day when everyone is invited to turn up at their local community garden to help get it ready for the new growing season.

Find out more: www.bigdig.org.uk

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Women have a lifetime risk of one in eight of being diagnosed with the condition - but the earlier it is detected, the greater the chances of successful treatment. So it's vital that women know all the warning signs to look out for, plus how and when to check their breasts correctly. Breast Cancer Care's Breast Health Promotion volunteers are trained to deliver fun, interactive workshops in local communities and workplaces to pass on the breast awareness message, as well as dispel any myths. It's a great way to brush up your communication skills, too.

Find out more: www.breastcancercare.org.uk

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Head to any UK high street and you'll soon stumble across a bustling charity shop. Staffed entirely by volunteers, these shops help generate vital funds for a plethora of good causes. An example? British Heart Foundation currently has 700 shops across the UK, where help is needed both on the shop floor and behind the scenes, sorting through the donations and getting stock ready to go out on sale. More specialist roles - such as electrical function testers in the charity's furniture and electrical stores - are also available. Some people are only able to work one day a month; others offer their services for a day or two each week.

Find out more: www.bhf.org.uk

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There are hundreds of ways to volunteer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) - including helping out on one of the charity's 200 reserves. But even if you've only got an hour to spare, you can still help make a huge difference. Join the Big Garden Birdwatch, for instance, and you simply spend an hour counting and recording the number of birds that come into your garden. When all the individual results are pooled together, it can help build a UK-wide picture of which species are under threat and need our help.

Find out more: www.allaboutyou.com/Big-Garden-Birdwatch-2015

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Can't commit to regular voluntary work, but still keen to help out whenever you can? Many charities require street collectors to assist during special events and awareness days. For instance, it might surprise you to learn that you don't have to get wet to save lives at sea. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) conducts regular collections outside shops and stations across the UK. And armed with a winning smile and a collection bucket, you could help raise around £100 in just two hours to help fund the charity's crucial work.

Find out more: rnli.org

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Boost your wellbeing with a part-time pet
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