Travel solutions: volunteering holidays

Charity needn't mean soup kitchens and rattling tins. Time Out selects three holidays where you can make a difference this summer

Splashing time: swimming's a safe bet for making a breakthrough with deafblind kids (image © SENSE)

Be a deafblind buddy
Sense (a charity working with deafblind adults and children) holidays aren’t an easy option, but do offer one of the most satisfying returns on hard work around. The holiday branch of the charity provides respite to the families and carers of deafblind people, enabling the holidaymakers to take part in activities that might otherwise be difficult, away from their families and carers. There are 25 week-long breaks over five weeks (July 20-Aug 18), and venues include country cottages in Norfolk, activity centres in Kent, a barge sailing from Apsley into London and, yes, Center Parcs.

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Sense holidays are free (excepting transport to and from the venue) and often in excellent accommodation in peaceful surroundings, although rooms are usually shared with one or two other volunteers. The groups vary in size, with holidaymakers either comprising children, adolescents or adults. Volunteers are primarily there to keep the holidaymakers company: to ensure they have everything they need, enable them to participate in activities as far as possible and, if necessary, help with eating or personal care. There’s plenty of support on hand and a preparation day (usually in London) where training is on offer; a Criminal Records Bureau check is also compulsory. Activities depend on the venue and the individual’s needs, but swimming is a safe bet, as are sensory parks, play centres and outdoor activities such as abseiling and boating. If you’re with over-18s, the pub is always an option, too.

Volunteers are usually paired with a holidaymaker for the week, which allows plenty of time to form a real and lasting bond. It can be an intense experience and will almost certainly be frustrating on occasion for both parties, but support is ever-present and volunteers can take time off when they need it. The rewards, too, are massive. However much of a struggle it can be to communicate initially, the first breakthrough is tremendously satisfying; volunteers often find a rapport surprisingly easy to establish.

Location Across the UK.
Cost Travel to and from venue only, bed and board free.
For more information Contact Hannah Watson (020 7561 3306) or visit www.sense.org.uk/involved/volunteering/holidays.

Preserve heritage
The National Trust was coaxing members of the public into painting lighthouses and planting forests years before Anneka Rice bailed out of her ‘Treasure Hunt’ chopper and into televised community work. The first NT ‘working holiday’ was 40 years ago; volunteers now contribute to around 450 residential conservation projects on more than 100 sites across the UK. These holidays range from two to seven days on projects as varied as archaeological digs in Hertfordshire, dry-stone walling in South Wales and herding goats on the Isle of Wight; the common thread is the beautiful surroundings.

Enjoying the great British countryside can be an expensive business when you live in London, but volunteering for the National Trust gives an insider’s view at a fraction of the cost of a full-price holiday of some glorious monuments and scenery. There are 12 different branded holidays to suit all ages and abilities: some offer outdoor activities along with the conservation work, others involve organising and running an event at an NT venue.

From £65 per week participants get hostel-type bed and board, and are expected to help out with a few domestic chores. The holidays comprise about a dozen people of mixed sex and age sleeping in dormitories, although a ‘premium package’ offers twin en suites for around £150pw. The physical exertion is reasonably high, but it is in the fresh air and most holidays offer the chance to learn a new skill. Everyone gets a day and an evening off during the holiday. And, as an extra incentive, all participants receive free entry to National Trust properties for a year.

Location Across the UK.
Cost From £65 a week.
For more information Contact National Trust Working Holidays (0870 4292 429/www.nationaltrust.org.uk).

Take city kids to the farm
Founded in 1894, the Children’s Country Holiday Fund was originally titled ‘The Country Holidays Fund to Provide Fresh Air for Ailing London Children’, and its aims remain the same. Volunteers help disadvantaged children, all aged between seven and 13, who would otherwise have no chance of a holiday.

Almost all the holidays are based at Stafford House in West Sussex, at the foot of the South Downs and in four acres of farmland. Beaches, farms and wildlife parks are all within striking distance for the 30 or so kids and ten volunteers on each holiday. The emphasis is on getting outdoors and giving the children access to new activities and experiences. Volunteers are there to set up and lead activities. Some children may display challenging behaviour, but there is plenty of training and support beforehand to prepare you.

Location Stafford House, West Sussex.
Cost Travel costs, if in excess of £20.
For more information (01273 847 771/www.childrensholidays.org.uk).

For more volunteering holidays, visit www.volunteering.org.uk

Gabriel Tate