£1m fund to develop digital volunteering

The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) is seeking applications for funding to create "at distance" volunteering opportunities.

Surveying by the funder last year identified a desire to develop digital skills and create new post-pandemic models of volunteering.

The £1m fund aims to remove place and time constraints: "The scheme could, for example, give someone living in Scotland the chance to contribute to social media skills training for an organisation based in Cornwall," NHLF says.

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Chief Executive Ros Kerslake said "the perfect volunteer may only have a small amount of time to give", and organisations' should establish new volunteering roles to reflect that.

"Organisations will benefit from the time and expertise of people who may not have been able to volunteer in person, and volunteers will be able to share and develop their skills while supporting the heritage they love.

"It’s a win-win situation for everyone… we can't wait to see the ideas organisations come up with."