Get involved in your community

Discover ways to volunteer, connect and make a difference across North Yorkshire.

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Get involved

Fancy joining with others in your community to make a positive difference across North Yorkshire? Whether you want to share your skills, connect with others, or simply be part of something local, there are plenty of ways to get involved with our work and the communities we support.

From local networks and campaigns to creative and community‑led projects, we can help you find activities that match your interests. However you choose to get involved, you’ll be strengthening communities, supporting local organisations and contributing to lasting change where it matters most.

Four older adults sit around a table, chatting and smiling over drinks in a cosy, rustic room with stone walls, wooden beams, and a noticeboard with colourful notices in the background. Green plants are in the foreground.
A group of people wearing green polo shirts stand and talk on a grassy field, with trees and houses in the background, enjoying a sunny day outdoors.

Volunteering in North Yorkshire 

Volunteering is at the heart of thousands of charities and community groups across North Yorkshire. 

The essential help that so many groups give to young people, families, older residents, people with disabilities and wider communities simply could not happen, in most cases, without volunteer support. 

And in return, volunteers get the chance to discover a whole new side to life – experience new things, meet different people, share skills and make a difference. It’s rewarding, flexible and there’s something for everyone. 

Whether you’re a charity or community group looking to recruit volunteers, or you’re someone ready to explore new opportunities, we’re here to help you take the next step.

I want to volunteer Right Right I want our volunteer programme to thrive Right Right

Advertise your job

We connect with a network of over 10,000 voluntary sector organisations and individuals across North, South and West Yorkshire. If you want to get your message out there, we can help. Here’s how.

Find out more about advertising your job Right Right

Find a new job

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A colourful kingfisher bird sits on a branch against a white background, with the text Looking for a new perch? in blue letters on the right.

North Yorkshire: Young Carer Worker, Carers Plus Yorkshire

A giraffe eating leaves looks at the camera against a white background. Text in the top right reads, Reaching for new heights? in brown letters—perfect inspiration for any Skipton Head of Programme.

Middlesbrough: LocalMotion Middlesbrough Community Worker, MVDA

A colourful kingfisher bird sits on a branch against a white background, with the text Looking for a new perch? in blue letters on the right.

North Yorkshire: Adviser to Unpaid Carers (Veterans), Carers Plus Yorkshire

Community projects

Climate action with Village GreenThe Age Friendly NetworkOur digital inclusion programme Tools Tools Bringing men together Men’s Sheds Megaphone Megaphone Our projects across North Yorkshire
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A group of people garden together on a grassy area in front of stone houses, with some planting flowers and others holding tools. The scene is framed by a person raking in the foreground.

Climate action with Village Green

Village Green is led by Community First Yorkshire in partnership with Howardian Hills National Landscape, North Yorkshire Sport, North Yorkshire Together, North Yorkshire Youth, Rural Arts, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and Yorkshire Energy Doctor.

Together, we’re helping communities across North Yorkshire take meaningful climate action by making it relevant, achievable and part of everyday life. Through creative, practical activities — from arts and sport to youth projects and community events — the programme will inspire over 8,000 people to build sustainable habits, reduce energy use and lower carbon footprint.

Visit the Village Green website
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Age Friendly Network

The Age Friendly Network is helping make North Yorkshire a place where everyone can enjoy healthy, active and connected later lives.

We’re working with North Yorkshire Council to create a network that gives older people across the county an independent voice and an opportunity to help shape services and policies that matter most to older residents.

Explore the Age Friendly Network Right Right
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Our digital inclusion programme

We’re helping community groups across North Yorkshire bring digital skills to life with funding of up to £20,000 to set up local digital hubs.

These welcoming spaces help people build confidence online — from accessing services to staying connected. Delivered in partnership with York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, North Yorkshire Council and York CVS, the fund also offers free training for Digital Champions and practical guidance to help every hub thrive.

Learn about our digital inclusion programme Right Right
Four men are in a workshop filled with tools. Two are working with wood at a bench, while two others stand and talk in the background. The workspace is cluttered with tools, wood, a mug, and a notebook.

Men’s Sheds

A Men’s Shed is a bit like a shed at the end of a garden. Some of the activities are the same, but the space is often bigger and for the benefit of a community of local men.

When men come together to connect, converse and create, they stay healthier for longer, both mentally and physically.

Invariably Men’s Shed activities involve making, mending or repairing things, such as bikes, cars, woodworking, engineering, or boat renovation etc. Similarly reclamation, reuse and restoration all feature strongly (some say this is true for the men too!).

We work in partnership with local organisations to support the development of a number of Men’s Sheds across the region. Our Development Officer, Andy Ryland, is currently supporting the development of Men’s Sheds in the Bradford District Council area.

Find out more about Mens Sheds Right Right
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Other projects

Our projects bring together partners, communities and organisations to respond to local needs and create positive change across North Yorkshire.

From supporting specific groups and places to tackling wider challenges, each project is shaped by listening to communities and working collaboratively to deliver practical, meaningful outcomes.

Together, these projects reflect our commitment to strengthening the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, amplifying local voices and building more resilient, connected communities. While each project has its own focus, they are all united by a shared aim – to help people and communities thrive, now and into the future.

Find out more about our other projects Right Right

Our networks and forums

A meeting room with wooden tables and chairs, papers and folders spread out, notebooks, printed documents, and three mugs of tea or coffee, suggesting a work or planning session. Shelves and display boards are in the background.

Finance forum

Four people sit around a table in a cosy café, discussing papers and charts. Laptops, notebooks, and juice bottles are on the table. They appear engaged in a friendly conversation or meeting.

Community business network

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Volunteer coordinators network

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Community buildings network

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VCSE voices

Five adults stand in a garden, talking in a relaxed group. Two women and three men, some with grey hair, are dressed casually. A stone house and trees are visible in the background on a cloudy day.

Age friendly network