ALABARÉ Volunteers Provide 19,000 Hours of Support to People at Risk of Homelessness

Homelessness charity ALABARÉ can reveal that its volunteers have collectively given up almost 19,000 hours of their time over the last year.

The 180-strong group of supporters range from school pupils to retirees, veterans to priests, accountants to scientists, each with their own personal reasons for helping the charity’s mission to break the cycle of homelessness.

Across ALABARÉ’s retail stores, drop-in centres, supported living accommodation, wellbeing activities, development centres and more, the volunteers provided the equivalent of 51 hours of support every single day.

The numbers are being shared during Volunteers Week (1 – 7 June 2026), as the charity sector celebrates the millions of Brits who do their bit to support worthy causes and organisations.

A celebratory tea party has been held at ALABARÉ’s Riverside Sanctuary to allow the charity to honour the hard work of volunteers and formally recognise their efforts.

During the event, some volunteers shared their stories of why they support ALABARÉ and encouraged others to do the same.

John Broadley, a volunteer chaplain since 2018, and at the age of almost 90, says he has no plans to give up, citing a need to ‘keep going’ to help others.

Phil Rood began helping with the charity’s Boots on the Ground wellbeing programme for veterans four years ago and was awarded Bronze at the English Veterans Awards 2025 in the Volunteer of the Year category.

He said, “As a veteran myself, I wanted to stay within the veteran community. But I get a sense of satisfaction, a sense of pride, and I just like giving back to people; I get a buzz out of it.

“It’s really nice to see a smile on someone’s face and how a simple thing like sitting down and having a cup of tea and a chat with them can make a massive difference. When we’re checking in with each other and saying ‘how was your day’, I probably get more out of that than the guys do. I feel great when I come away from it. If you want to volunteer, it’s a very fulfilling way to give back to the community, if you have the time and the energy to do that.”

The Three Ms of Volunteering – Manageable, Meaningful, and Mutually Beneficial

Gill Turner-Callis, Senior Chaplain and the charity’s Wellbeing and Inclusion Lead, said, “Volunteers are integral to our work. Our staff are focused on the day-to-day support for clients, but the volunteers can offer so much more in terms of wellbeing and meaningful activities, and providing the ‘nice to haves’ of their care that we take for granted.

“The opportunity to share your passion, your skills or your abilities with clients and build relationships brings an enormous sense of achievement to someone who can really value it.

"It’s really important that volunteers are willing to bring their experiences and be themselves. It may be that you come thinking you want to be a volunteer for young people and then discover that you actually have an affinity for people with learning disabilities. We want the best for our clients, but also for our volunteers, so come and try it out and see whether you’re the right fit for that service.”

Volunteering opportunities are available across ALABARÉ’s services to suit all skill sets and interests. Visit https://alabare.co.uk/homelessness-get-involved/volunteer/ to find out more.