Volunteering and Community Engagement

Volunteering structures in Fuse universities, partner organisations and regional networks

Volunteering can act as a bridge between research and local communities, helping to create the trust, understanding and relationships that underpin meaningful public involvement and engagement.

Fuse believes that strong relationships between researchers and communities are essential for improving health and reducing inequalities across the North East and North Cumbria.

Volunteering and community engagement provide valuable opportunities for researchers, staff and students to connect with people, places and organisations beyond the university setting. By spending time in local communities, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of the issues that matter most to people, while building meaningful relationships based on mutual respect and shared learning.

Fuse blog: How volunteering at 'biscuit club' helped me build bridges between parents and researchers

Community connections help to strengthen trust. Communities are more likely to engage with research when they feel that researchers understand lived experiences, listen to different perspectives, and are committed to making a positive difference. Volunteering can also help researchers develop confidence in community settings, particularly for anyone who is new to public involvement and engagement (or simply unsure where to begin).

Many of Fuse’s partner universities have established volunteering programmes who can support staff, students and researchers to get involved. These services provide guidance, training and opportunities to connect with local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations. There are also a wide range of volunteering hubs in the North East and North Cumbria area.

So, whether you are looking to develop new skills, understand your local community better, contribute your time to a worthwhile cause, or build stronger foundations for public involvement in research, volunteering can be an excellent place to start.

Explore the opportunities and support available through regional volunteering hubs and Fuse partner universities below:

North East and North Cumbria regional volunteering hubs

Regional

  • VONNE (Voluntary Organisations’ Network North East) is an umbrella body for the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector across the North East. Useful for regional connections and intelligence.

County Durham

  • Durham Community Action: County-wide volunteering platform and brokerage service.
  • Rural Durham Community Research Network: Supports people in Weardale, Teesdale, and Derwent Valley to lead their own research into the issues that matter to them - from health and social care to public services and opportunities for young people.

Newcastle

  • Volunteer Centre Newcastle - one of the main routes into volunteering opportunities and community organisations in Newcastle.
  • Connected Voice - supports volunteering, community organisations and social action in Newcastle and Gateshead.

North Cumbria

  • Cumbria CVS - provides volunteering brokerage, advice and access to opportunities across Cumbria.

North Tyneside

  • VODA (Voluntary Organisations Development Agency) - principal volunteering and VCSE support organisation in North Tyneside.

Northumberland

South Tyneside

  • Inspire - supports volunteering, community organisations, volunteer coordinators and community development across the Sunderland borough.

Sunderland

Tees Valley

Fuse university schemes and contacts

Cumbria University

There are volunteering opportunities for students and the university works in close partnership with Cumbria CVS (covering Cumbria area). Currently limited staff-specific information.

Durham University

Volunteering information for staff and students

Staff members have allocated work time in which they can volunteer, whether this is as part of a team challenge or something they do individually.

Student queries: student.volunteering@durham.ac.uk
Staff queries: volunteering.support@durham.ac.uk
Community queries: community.engagement@durham.ac.uk

Newcastle University

General information about volunteering – students and staff

Staff Volunteering Policy (internal link)  - All colleagues can spend two paid days volunteering with a charity each year.

General volunteering info for staff (internal link)

Contact: volunteercoordinator.union@newcastle.ac.uk

Northumbria University

Student volunteering information at Northumbria: Finding Voluntary Work. Staff volunteering information not readily available.

Sunderland University

Student volunteering opportunities are available but there was no accessible volunteering information or guidance for staff.

Teesside University

There are opportunities for staff and students through Volun-Tees. Volun-tees aims to support staff, students and recent graduates from Teesside University to engage in volunteering activities both within the local community or on university-led volunteering programmes.

Contact: volunteering@tees.ac.uk

Useful references

Some useful resources can be found here, including:

If you spot something is missing, please do get in touch: eleanor.anderson@ncl.ac.uk