Opinion: Become a volunteer to fight the January Blues

The joy of Christmas has passed, the New Year celebrations are over and January’s cold, wintry days are upon us. For many, this can be a bleak time of year, but January can also be a great time to make new choices are start doing something different.

One way to tackle the New Year blues is to take up volunteering for a charity like the NSPCC and Childline. Volunteering gives people a reason to get out the house or to connect with others in a virtual space, and to form new friendships while offering vital support to children and young people across the UK.

Volunteering can be flexible and accommodating to suit people’s different lifestyles and time pressures and there are a host of different roles to suit everyone, with a wealth of support and training for all.

We have many varied volunteering opportunities on offer at the NSPCC, such as becoming a Childline counsellor, a member of our school service team or raising essential funds with local events and activities.

There are so many ways to support the NSPCC as a volunteer, and we would greatly appreciate your support during the winter of 2025 and beyond.

To find out more about the various volunteering opportunities with the NSPCC, go to www.nspcc.org.uk/volunteer

Rachel Wallace

NSPCC Local Campaigns Manager, Midlands