Volunteer

"It's so rewarding to see excited faces waiting by the door for our call - carrying books to return as they anxiously probe in our rucksacks for more treasure. Opening a book together is priceless."

Alex, volunteer in Fulham for 4 years

Doorstep Library volunteers visit the same 5 families every week with backpacks full of books and two little stools to share their love of reading.

Our volunteers don’t just read stories though; they do the silly voices, hand pick the books, and give special recommendations. By making it fun first, we get to watch children transform into budding readers and we love parents to get stuck into the sessions too.

Sometimes though, we’re just there to give a bit of extra support, whether we’re passing on information about a local family activity, lending an listening ear, or even just being a friendly face. Then, before we go, we leave behind a selection of books for each child to borrow for the week.

If this sounds like the role for you, here are the basics:

Where do we work?

We currently run projects in Hammersmith and Fulham, Westminster and Lambeth, with a fourth location coming soon (sign up to our newsletter below and we’ll keep you posted).

In Hammersmith and Fulham we start at 3.45pm and finish at 6.30pm. We also have a brand new project in Shepherd’s Bush that starts at 4.30pm on Tuesday afternoons.

In Westminster and Lambeth, we start at 4.30pm and finish at 7 pm.

Doorstep Library projects run on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

You can view our full list of locations here to find the project that’s right for you.

 

 

Book an info session

How can you get involved?

There are three different ways you can get involved as a Home Reading Volunteer with us:

Regular Home Reading Volunteer:

As a regular reader with us, you’ll have the chance to visit the same five families each week. So the families get to know the same volunteers, we ask our regular readers to be available on a set day every week during term time only. We also ask that our volunteers make a commitment of at least 9 months so that we can slowly build up relationships with the families we visit over time.

Founding Home Reading Volunteer:

With brand new projects launching in Tulse Hill, Brixton and Edgware Road, we’re looking for founding home reading volunteers to get them off the ground. As a founding member, you’ll have the chance to build relationships with families from day one and watch them grow over time. With full support, you’ll go door knocking to find new families and spread the word about our work, before settling into a rhythm of weekly visits.

Stand In Home Reading Volunteer

Our projects wouldn’t run on a weekly basis without the support of our invaluable stand in volunteers, who fill in for our regular readers when they’re away. Stand in volunteers only cover reading sessions as and when they’re available and so don’t need to make a weekly commitment. They also have the chance to work with different volunteers and meet lots of different families.

There are so many benefits to volunteering with Doorstep Library, we could write a book full of them! You can check out some of them here.

 

 

  • What’s the next step?

    Hear more about all of these roles, and find out more about the charity, by coming along to one of our monthly Information Sessions.

    You’ll meet a member of the DL team and one of our volunteers here at our office in Victoria.

    Book an info session