HIVE Directory: Volunteering

It’s over 70 years since Action Hampshire was set up and it’s been supporting voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to deliver great services to local people and communities ever since; speaking up for the changes they would like to see; and shaping the future of where they live and work.
We support groups and individuals.

Some of our services are free of charge but we also have a paid-for membership service which gives access to more of our support. For more details, please see our website or get in touch: https://actionhampshire.org.uk/get-support/ and https://actionhampshire.org.uk/get-involved/member-network/

The Community Cycle Centre is a project which recycles, repairs and distributes bikes back into the community.

Welcome to the natural history museum of Portsmouth
You can take a walk through the A-Z of Natural History, get up close with a huge dinosaur, and visit our wonderful Butterfly House.

Cumberland House Natural History Museum is free to visit.

The Mary Rose Academy is a special school for 181 pupils aged 2-19 years, situated across three sites in Portsmouth. We provide a highly specialist, personalised curriculum for young people with the most profound, severe and complex learning difficulties. In addition, the majority of pupils have co-occurring needs including: Autism Spectrum Condition, severe physical disabilities and highly complex medical conditions.

The idea behind Gig Buddies is that we enable people with a learning disability and / or autism to enjoy everything great within their community.

To enable and support people to do this, we recruit volunteers from within the community who are then paired with individuals based on their likes and interests so they can attend events, socialise and enjoy a number of activities together.

By matching people with the same interests and passions this in turn develops into a genuine friendship and begins to diminish social isolation.

Each participant is matched with a volunteer and then plan to meet once a month to go to a gig, concert, theatre, football, cinema or a catch up in the local park or down the local pub. Group activities are planned monthly whereby everyone can get together and share their stories and make new friends.

By being paired with a gig buddy, not only are real friendships made but the experience increases self-confidence, teaches new skills, increases independent travel, expands social networks and enables people to have lots of fun.

We're a group of local residents who run, walk, or cycle to help out community projects and older people in Portsmouth.

From hanging curtains for Mr H because he can't manage it on his own, to shovelling a tonne of compost for the Food Growers Group so they can grow vegetables - every GoodGym session is different.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts, all standing up for the natural world. Together we are the nation’s most active and influential nature conservation partnership, protecting wildlife in every part of the British Isles. Each Trust works within its local community to inspire people and bring about change.

Hampshire Search and Rescue (HANTSAR) is a voluntary organisation which works alongside the police in searches for vulnerable missing persons in Hampshire.

HIVE Portsmouth is the city's dedicated volunteer centre, bringing communities together through the power of volunteering. As a citywide partnership, we inspire, connect, and support individuals and organisations to make a lasting impact across Portsmouth. Whether you're looking to volunteer or seeking volunteers, we're here to help you make a difference.

OpenSight is dedicated to supporting individuals living with, or at risk of, visual impairment. Whether you're looking for support for yourself or a loved one, we’re here to help.

OpenSight offer a range of services for those with visual impairments, ranging from low vision assessments and benefits advice to family support services and social clubs. We’re passionate about ensuring you’re able to remain independent.

We collaborate with you, your family, colleagues, and friends to navigate the practical and emotional aspects of vision impairment together.