Our shelter van is the backbone of the Winter Night Shelter — delivering beds, bedding, and equipment to each venue so everything is ready for guests and volunteers. As a Driver, you’ll play a vital role in keeping the shelter running smoothly.
What you’ll do
- Collect the shelter van from the WHC office on Castle Street.
- Supervise the loading of bedding, equipment, and other supplies with the volunteer teams.
- Drive the van to the shelter venue for evening (by 6.00pm) or morning (by 7.30am) shifts.
- For morning shifts, return the van to the WHC office by 8.45am, off-load equipment if needed, and hand over the shelter logbook with any messages from the Shift Leader.
- For evening shifts, once unloading is complete, return the van to WHC and secure the keys in the allocated key safe for the morning team.
What you’ll need
- Be over 25 and have held a full UK driving licence for at least 12 months.
- Confidence driving a long-wheelbase van.
- Ability to lift and carry loads including bedding, food, and other equipment.
Training and support
We’ll provide all role-specific training so you feel confident with the van, the routes, and the processes at each venue.
You'll also need to do Manual Handling training (online) if you've not done it for the shelter before.
Reserve Drivers
Sometimes life happens, and a volunteer can’t make their shift. That’s where our Reserves come in - flexible, on-call helpers who can step in if someone is unavailable. Signing up as a Reserve is a huge support to the shelter and helps everything run smoothly.
What you’ll do: Be on call until 6.30pm (evening shift) or 7.00am (morning shift) and step in if a Driver is unavailable.
Please consider offering some reserve shifts if you can.
Interested?
Make sure you're registered either as a new or returning volunteer then sign up to come to one of our general night shelter training sessions. Whether you're new or returning there's essential information - some of which has changed from last year!