Bedside Buddies
Volunteering
Welcome to Bedside Buddies
Bedside Buddies aims to make children feel more comfortable in hospital by being a friendly face and share their time in order to alleviate boredom or loneliness.
Volunteers visit children in hospital and play games, do arts and crafts, and run a range of other fun activities. If you have a passion for working with and helping children then this society is perfect for you.
Please see our instagram for the most up to date information: leedsbedsidebuddies
Regular volunteering
Our volunteers are assigned across a couple of wards. Currently, we volunteer individually in a 2 hour volunteering slots at a time chosen by the volunteer per week. In this role, volunteers introduce themselves to children on the ward and spend time playing games and doing other fun activities.
Please note: to apply to become a regular volunteer you must have more than one year of study remaining. This is for the benefit of our volunteers due to the lengthy application process meaning that if students are in their final year of study they may only have a couple of months volunteering. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes.
Events
We also arrange events with the hospital with groups of children, for example Halloween and Christmas themed events. This role is suitable for those students who do not feel they can commit to the weekly volunteering programme or who are in their final year of study. 2-3 volunteers will attend each event.
Recruitment
Important we only have one recruitment cycle per year which occurs in September at the beginning of the academic year. Applications close typically in early October.
Regular volunteer recruitment involves an initial application form and then an interview. If successful, 2 references are required and a DBS check with the hospital.
Please be aware that this application process can take up to 3 months to complete so requires all our prospective volunteers to be committed to the role.
Socials
We also hold regular socials for our volunteers so that they can meet one another.
Contact us at leedsbedsidebuddy@gmail.com