Volunteering
Tom’s Trust’s volunteers make a huge difference to what we do as a charity and to the hundreds of children across the UK who we support. Whether you’d like to take part in ad hoc activities and events, or help us regularly, we’re always excited to welcome volunteers into the team.

Current volunteering opportunities
The Big Give Christmas Challenge Week
When: Saturday 2nd of December
Where: Market Square, Cambridge
Tom’s Trust will have a stand in the Market Square in Cambridge just outside the Guildhall. The aim will be to raise awareness and funds on this day which falls during the Big Give Christmas Challenge week when all donations made to our online campaign page will be matched, meaning donations will have double the impact. We really need volunteers to help us on this day. There will be a 2 hourly rota. The approximate start time will be 9am. We will aim to pack up by 5pm.
Rotary South Cambridge Christmas Car Parking
When: 3rd, 10th, 16th and 30th December
Where: Downing College and the Chemistry Department
The second volunteering opportunity is related to Rotary of South Cambridge’s Christmas car parking event held in conjunction with Cambridge University, when all donations made by motorists when parking at Downing College and the Chemistry Department will be donated to a select few charities. We are one of the selected charities. As part of this incredible giving scheme, Tom’s Trust must be involved with volunteers to help direct motorists into parking spaces and take payments on arrival. Parking for volunteers at Downing College is provided on site (entrance is found on Tennis Court Road).
Date and time slots we need support with are:
Sunday 3rd December: 11.30am – 13.30pm x 1 volunteer needed
Sunday 10th December: 10-12.30pm x 1 volunteers needed; 12.30pm – 3pm x 2 volunteers needed
Saturday 16th December: 13.30-15.30pm x 1 volunteer needed
Sunday 30th December: 11-13.30pm x 1 volunteer needed
Why volunteer?
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never worked for a charity before, or whether you’d like to utilise your skills or do something completely different, we appreciate any help our volunteers can give us to keep our services running for our families. All you need is a bit of time, a helpful attitude and the desire to get involved.
The top reasons our volunteers offer their help:
- The time you give as a volunteer can make a direct and meaningful difference for families affected by brain tumours.
- You can use your current skills or develop new ones. We will support you on your journey and would love to be able to contribute positively to any career aspirations you have.
- You will be part of a dedicated and supportive team who are changing the world for the better. You will work with motivated people, learn about our work and get a unique insight into the not-for-profit sector.
What do we need help with? Read on to find out how you can get involved.

Volunteering in our offices or from home
There are many opportunities to become part of the Tom’s Trust team, from both our office in East Cambridge, or from home. We’re flexible with both our employees and volunteers who often do a mix of both home and office working, so whatever you prefer, and whether you can give a few hours of your time every week or fortnight or a few days, we’d love to have you on board.
Volunteering roles Tom’s Trust is looking for (but please suggest if you have other skills you think could be useful to us!):
- IT and digital
- Communications and marketing
- Fundraising (ongoing and events)
- Admin and data-driven tasks
- Finance
- Volunteering recruitment
We’re currently actively searching for someone to help us with the Tom’s Trust website, especially someone who has skills in using WordPress. If you or someone you know can help, please get in touch by sending an email to volunteer@tomstrust.org.uk
Events
There’s no Tom’s Trust cheer squad too small. For races and other sporting events this could involve being there to help our participants at the start line should they need anything, or giving directions when they first arrive. Our cheer squads will often stand at the side of a race to keep up our runners’ and cyclists’ spirits and keep them motivated at various checkpoints. Or you could be ready at the end to provide our finishers with a warm smile and a drink. We’ll guarantee you’ll have a fun day too and we’ll provide you with ample Tom’s Trust merchandise so you can proudly represent the charity on the day.
If you’ve spotted one of our events that you’d like to volunteer for, then please get in touch.

Fundraise for us
Why not volunteer to help us with fundraising? You could coordinate your own fundraising group in your area, hand out collection tins to local pubs and shops, or even do a regular fundraiser such as bag-packing at your local supermarket or doing bake sales at your children’s school. We have plenty of ideas on our fundraising page.

Raise awareness
You may wish to raise awareness for the work we do, especially around important weeks such as Brain Tumour Awareness Week. We’d love to hear from anyone who’d like to represent us at their school, workplace, hobby group, or local community. We would be able to set you up with ways to raise awareness amongst your network by providing you with information and ideas.
We now have Ambassador and Young Ambassador positions, which we award to those who have gone above and beyond for Tom’s Trust to raise awareness or fundraise.
Case studies
If you have personal experience of childhood brain tumours and feel you could help us by sharing your story with others, then please get in touch. Whether you’re happy to speak to the media or share your story in a written format via Tom’s Trust’s networks, we’re happy to discuss your options with you and give your family guidance. While we cannot do our vital work without the families we help sharing their personal stories, rest assured, your family’s wellbeing is our top priority.
For more information email jessicah@tomstrust.org.uk
Success stories
Our former Digital Campaigns Officer, Lucy Hodgkin, was employed by Tom’s Trust following her fantastic work volunteering for us. She has now moved on into a successful marketing career. Here is a testimony from Lucy:
To find out more or to offer your time to Tom’s Trust, email volunteer@tomstrust.org.uk