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Volunteering, skills and employability This autumn, the Volunteer Academy has been out meeting people at the Lochaber High School careers fair, Work Life Highland events in Inverness and Lochcarron, a youth parliament event in Inverness and the UHI freshers’ fair in Fort William. These events have been a chance to talk with young people, students and others about how volunteering can help them explore interests, build skills and confidence, and gain experience that may suppor

New Term, New Opportunities for Young People With the start of the new school year, it has been a busy few weeks for the Volunteer Academy with lots of opportunities to connect with young people across the Highlands and explore the different ways they can participate in and contribute to their communities. Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) We have been supporting schools taking part in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), which gives young people the opportunity

Saltire Summit Winner 2026 Hannah has volunteered at Achavandra Stables since 2022, completing over 780 hours and turning her passion for horses into a role of increasing responsibility. Starting with stable and yard management, she has progressed to preparing horses for rides and is now trusted to lead rides independently, demonstrating confidence and reliability. Hannah works particularly well with children, helping them to build confidence, and is recognised as a punctual,

James has been volunteering at Lochaber Action on Disability's (LAD) Little Gem charity shop for more than 35 years and is also a valued member of LAD's board. James loves meeting new people through volunteering and having a bit of craic with everyone who comes into the shop. As his colleagues put it, "Everybody in Caol knows James!" last year, his support for LAD went even further when he completed a sponsored 10 kilometre walk using his walking frame. James raised over £3,0

Luthien and Courtney (behind the camera for HTSI) had a lovely visit to Moy Country Fair on Friday. Despite a little drizzle, it was a great day out and an opportunity to meet charities and organisations involved in work across conservation, wildlife and outdoor activities. We enjoyed chatting with the Scottish SPCA, who are looking for fundraisers. Then the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), who shared their fascinating work around wildcats. They are looking for a sm

What a brilliant weekend we had at Belladrum!We had lots of fun activities: colouring in a volunteer, Wheel of Fortune and Volunteer Quest Thank you to everyone who stopped and chatted with us, it was great to meet you all! Mollie McGoran "I volunteered with Alness Youth Forum, Highland Youth Parliament, Scottish Youth Parliament and Highlife Highland Young Leaders. It's a million percent why I have a job and the most important thing I have ever done!" Abi "I volunteer at sc

Yesterday, Luthien visited the Black Isle Show and had the pleasure of chatting with some of the fantastic charities and organisations attending on the day. Thankfully, the rain stayed away, and it was a great opportunity to connect with groups making a real difference across Highland communities. Luthien spoke with Jenny from PAMIS, who are looking for volunteer drivers to support the Pamiloo, helping disabled people with complex needs access suitable toilet facilities at ev

Volunteer mentors sought as mentoring programme launches at Thurso High School Adults across Thurso and Caithness are being encouraged to become volunteer mentors as award-winning mentoring charity MCR Pathways launches its programme at Thurso High School this August. The programme will help more young people build confidence, raise aspirations and realise their full potential through the support of a trusted adult volunteer mentor. To support the launch, MCR Pathways is now

Volunteer mentors sought as mentoring programme launches at Tain Royal Academy Adults across Tain and the wider Easter Ross area are being encouraged to become volunteer mentors as award-winning mentoring charity MCR Pathways launches its programme at Tain Royal Academy this August. The programme will help more young people build confidence, raise aspirations and realise their full potential through the support of a trusted adult volunteer mentor. To support the launch, MCR P

Hello and welcome to the summer edition of our Volunteer Academy Bulletin. It has been an enjoyable and inspiring start to the season, with Volunteers’ Week giving us a special opportunity to celebrate the people, organisations and communities that make volunteering in Highland so vibrant. We also couldn't resist in sharing one of our Happy Highland Coo pictures from the Davochfin Farm volunteer week celebrations below. One of the highlights of Volunteers week was the Pre-Lov

June’s Pre-Loved Charity Fashion Show was full of colour, creativity and community spirit. Volunteer models took to the runway wearing outfits styled from local charity shop finds, with local designers helping to bring each look to life. The event was a brilliant way to celebrate reuse, creativity and the hidden gems found in our charity shops, while also recognising the volunteers and teams who help make these spaces so valuable to their communities. Styled by Heidi Soos, a

June’s Pre-Loved Charity Fashion Show was full of colour, creativity and community spirit. Volunteer models took to the runway wearing outfits styled from local charity shop finds, with local designers helping to bring each look to life. The event was a brilliant way to celebrate reuse, creativity and the hidden gems found in our charity shops, while also recognising the volunteers and teams who help make these spaces so valuable to their communities. The first autumn collect

June’s Pre-Loved Charity Fashion Show was full of colour, creativity and community spirit. Volunteer models took to the runway wearing outfits styled from local charity shop finds, with local designers helping to bring each look to life. The event was a brilliant way to celebrate reuse, creativity and the hidden gems found in our charity shops, while also recognising the volunteers and teams who help make these spaces so valuable to their communities. First in our summer show