Can you make all the difference by volunteering to help in any of the following ways?

Production

Join our small group of volunteers who help for occasional short periods (one or two days) in dealing with a large run of printing. The work is semi-skilled, skills that can be easily learnt on the job and involves working with book binding processes.

This role would suit someone living locally to Market Harborough. We would like to build up a team of 3 or 4 people who could be called on, and share this work.

Holiday and Retreat Centre - West Sussex

This centre provides holidays, primarily for visually impaired people. Volunteer support is required mainly between Easter and September to cover a multitude of tasks involved in running this centre.

Volunteers often spend a week or more with us providing general support and sharing in the exciting experience of holidays with our guests and friends.

Specific tasks include ...

General assistance in supporting blind guests on outings and around the house.
Assistance in the kitchen and with catering, waiting on guests at meal times etc.
General housekeeping duties.

Library

Most of this work will need to be undertaken at Torch House. Torch have transcribed some 3000 books and commentaries into various media including audio, giant print and braille.

Voluntary assistance is of immense help in ...

Reviewing and re-vamping catalogues,
Standardising descriptions
Researching costs
Sorting damaged and unavailable items
Correcting and updating the database (could be undertaken away from Torch House)

Voluntary work can be undertaken on a regular basis i.e. one day a week or for short term assignments.

Transcription

Our Transcription department is responsible for the preparation of material ready for the Production department to produce on-demand and in quantity.

Volunteers are required:

1. To work at Torch House to ...

Read books for audio recording

2. Working at home throughout the UK ...

Copying reel-to-reel recordings on to digital media
Reading books on to mini disc
Proof reading in audio, text and braille
Editing audio recordings using PC software
‘Styling up’ – structuring documents to enable them to be produced in other formats – for example giant print and braille
Formatting documents to prepare them for transcribion into giant print

The Editing, Styling up and Formatting process require a sound knowledge of IT applications.

Fellowship Groups

There are around 130 Torch Fellowship Groups throughout the country serving visually impaired people in the locality. These groups provide an opportunity for people with a passion for people to meet, enjoy fellowship, share joys and sorrows and support one another.

As a member of a Fellowship Group you will enjoy being part of a team working together to set up the meeting, provide transport, make and serve teas etc. and most importantly to create friendships that develop and encourage visually impaired people.

Logistics

This department deals with the packaging and distribution of literature. Volunteers are able to help with ...

Sorting audio tapes
Packaging literature in braille, giant print and audio for posting
Receiving and packaging orders
Selecting and sorting library materials

International

People who can help sort and pack clothing and goods boxes for Aid Africa and/or who can knit and sew specific items for our work in Malawi.

For more infomation or to express your interest in volunteering, email DOsomething@torchtrust.org