VOLUNTEER
All Aboard Club wouldn’t exist without our wonderful volunteers. They help to run our play sessions and also work behind the scenes to keep this train running!
Many have personal or professional experience of helping children with additional needs. They may be autistic/ADHD themselves, have neurodiverse children in their families or work with SEN families. Others are studying medicine, psychology, childcare or training to become teachers.
As an All Aboard Club volunteer, you will gain a better understanding of autistic, ADHD and SEND children by helping them play together. You will learn about the challenges they face, their sensory difficulties, and why they ‘stim’.
Could you be our next volunteer?
You will fit right in if you have:
- An interest in working with children who have additional needs such as autism and ADHD.
- A few spare hours once a month
- A calm, friendly approach
Why volunteer?
- Help children have fun
- Gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by children with additional needs
- Use your expertise to help others
- Give back to your local community
- Add experiences to your CV (we’re happy to provide references)
- Meet new people and make new friends
"All Aboard Club is a fun playgroup to volunteer for and is flexible. What I enjoy the most is seeing the children experience joy while playing.
I've worked on my commitment and overall confidence. Sometimes being around so many people, especially new people, can be nerve-wracking. Despite my struggles I have tried my best to attend and help out with as many sessions as I could."
Frequently asked questions about volunteering
No. As the children’s parents and carers are also at the play session, our volunteers don’t need DBS checks.
Most of our volunteers give up to 3 hours per month at one of our play sessions. But you can do more by helping at different venues.
We’d be happy to help you build the track before the families arrive. During the play session, the volunteers just need to keep an eye on the trains and track. This gives you an opportunity to chat to the All Aboard Club staff and learn more about autism, ADHD and the challenges faced by the children and their families.
Yes, we are happy to pay reasonable travel expenses.
Definitely! Many of our staff and volunteer team are neurodiverse themselves. This gives them a much better understanding of why we run the sessions and what we do to make it easier for the families.
No. The children will probably be very knowledgeable and want to tell you about the trains themselves. So you may get to know a LOT about Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends!
Start your volunteering (train) journey
To get the process started please fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch.