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Welcome to our volunteer community

Volunteering is absolutely vital to what we do. Our wonderful volunteers are our voice in local communities across the UK. They raise crucial awareness of this devastating disease. And they point people who’ve been affected to us for support and advice.

Surlinder & Charlotte - edited

Become a community volunteer

What does a Meningitis Now volunteer do?

Meet our volunteers

FAQs

Become a community volunteer

Our volunteers are determined to raise awareness of how quickly meningitis can strike – and how devastating the consequences can be. All too often we hear:

“I didn’t think it could be meningitis because there was no rash”

“I thought I’d had all the jabs so couldn’t get it”

“I didn’t know my teenager was at risk, I thought it only affected young children”

“I felt so alone after being discharged from hospital, I wish I’d known about your support”

Every Signs and Symptoms card you give out, every talk you give to a secondary school or a community group, every chance conversation about meningitis and the signs and symptoms – all have the potential to be lifesaving.

You can make a difference!

What I love about volunteering for Meningitis Now is how much it feels like a family. I also love how flexible it is - the charity is truly appreciative of any time you can give. Volunteers can choose how and when they get involved, and are never pressured to do anything.
Lucy S, Meningitis Now volunteer for five years

What does a Meningitis Now volunteer do?

Our incredible network of volunteers work across the UK to help us save lives and rebuild futures. Here are just some of the amazing things our volunteers do.

Distribute our Signs and Symptoms cards, information posters and other resources. Every card, poster or leaflet has the potential to save a life.

Give our official meningitis awareness short talk. Whether virtual or in real life – you can tell your own story, or talk about a case study that we provide. We know that personal stories are the most effective way of communicating the reality of this devastating disease.

Run an awareness stand. Whether it’s at your local gym, summer fayre, car boot sale or local university – awareness stands help us to raise vital awareness in the community.

Make the area around where you live meningitis aware. Work with local universities, schools, colleges or sixth forms to make sure each one in your local area is meningitis aware. Our volunteers constantly think about new ways to keep meningitis on the agenda and to ensure the information in their local area is up to date.

Share our social media messages. Get our awareness messages out to your wider network of friends and families and amplify our voice.

Fundraise. From marathons to bake sales, direct debits to charity balls – our volunteers fundraise in amazing ways to support our vital work.

Support our events. From London Marathon to the Three Peaks Challenge to the Five Valleys Walk, our events wouldn’t be possible without our fantastic volunteers.

Share your meningitis story on our website. Sharing your experience of meningitis is a wonderful way to help us raise vital awareness.

Cheque acceptance. Across the UK, organisations and community groups work to raise funds for us. We sometimes ask our volunteers to go along to accept a cheque and say a warm thank you on our behalf.

Help with media requests. Help us keep the conversation about meningitis going by sharing your experiences on TV, radio and in the press.

It doesn’t have to take much time – whether you have minutes or days, it all helps! We expect volunteering to fit around your life and not the other way around, so you will never be pressured to do more than you are comfortable with.

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I enjoy volunteering and I always carry symptom cards. If I can save just one life, that is better than none. I do it in memory of our son Simon, who we lost at 21 months in 1977.
Diane, Meningitis Now volunteer for nine years

Meet our volunteers

Meet some of our incredible volunteers; Lesley, Ed, Heather, and Charles and find out what volunteering means to them. Watch their stories below.

Can’t find the information you’re looking for? Contact us on volunteering@meningitisnow.org and we’ll be happy to help.