Befriending Volunteer

MS Society
VO101952

Are you a good listener?

More than 150,000 people live with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK. Every one of them shares the uncertainty of life with MS.

People are most likely to find out they have MS in their thirties, forties and fifties; news that can be worrying and heart breaking. MS can get steadily worse, or symptoms can come and go unpredictably throughout someone’s life.

Could you spare one or two hours a week to provide support to those affected by MS? If so, the MS Helpline team would love to hear from you.

We’re the UK charity for people with MS. We’re fighting for better treatment and care to help people with MS take control of their lives, and we’re funding research that we believe will stop MS for good. We’ve already made important breakthroughs, and big advances in MS treatments are possible within our lifetimes. With your support, we will stop MS.

Time and Commitment

All of our MS Befriending Volunteers will carry out their volunteering from home. You will provide weekly friendly phone calls to people affected by MS, at a time convenient to you.

We are looking for volunteers who can offer one or two hours a week, providing one or two phone call sessions. There will also be an annual volunteer event and regular volunteer support sessions you will be asked to attend.

You’ll receive role specific training and the training sessions will be delivered remotely on Zoom.

About you

We do not ask for previous experience although we are looking for people with good listening skills and a clear, warm telephone voice. You will have good IT skills as the role will require use of Microsoft Office Outlook, and online call handling system which you will receive full training on.

We also ask that you have access to a confidential and comfortable working space, to carry out your phone call sessions.

What will you get from volunteering with us?

A chance to learn new skills
Meet new people
Be part of a supportive, caring team
Ongoing support for your development as a volunteer
A rewarding role supporting the MS community
Before applying please ensure you will be able to meet the following considerations:

If you are shortlisted, there will be 30 minute interview on Zoom w\c 9th December. Successful candidates will then need to attend a 2 hour group training session on Zoom w\c 16th December

Application closing date – Sunday 8th December

If you think you meet the criteria and would like to apply, please click here to find out more. If you would like to speak to someone for further information, please contact Ahra An, Helpline Services Volunteer Manager at ahra.an@mssociety.org.uk or on 020 8438 0704.