Overview
- Local Age UK charity shops across the UK are running coordinated recruitment under the charity's 'Act Now, Age Better' campaign to attract volunteers in the run-up to Volunteers' Week.
- Shop managers describe the roles as light, entry-level tasks such as sorting, moving and organising stock and helping customers, which keep volunteers physically active.
- Opportunities are open to anyone aged 18 or over, require no prior experience and often include taster sessions and local contact points to turn interest into sign-ups.
- Managers say many volunteers report improved happiness, confidence and social life from taking part, a claim based on volunteers' accounts rather than independent evaluation.
- Age UK is using its research—cited in local coverage as showing 47% of adults feel they are not active enough—to frame the drive as part of a wider effort to keep older people and communities engaged.