On Saturday 24th January 2026, we hosted local charity and community groups to share volunteer opportunities with those looking for ways to help charities or contribute to community projects.

Refreshments were kindly provided by Grace Church.

If you missed the fair, you can take a look at the groups below and find out about volunteering with them.

Volunteering is…Caring

ARCh (Assisted Reading for Children) trains volunteers to go into primary schools to support children with reading, confidence and wellbeing. ARCh Reading Helpers support 3 children once or twice a week in 30 minute 1:1 reading sessions, and then see the same children every week for a full year, meaning that over time they really get to build up a positive relationship with the children and see them thrive! All ARCh volunteers are given initial and on-going training, and ARCh provides all resources such as books and games. ARCh works in over 100 schools across Oxfordshire, so we can always find a school that is convenient for the volunteer.

Offering free, confidential, unbiased and independent advice and information to residents of Thame, Chinnor, Wheatley and surrounding areas. Giving people the knowledge and confidence to find their way forward, whoever they are and whatever their problem.

Home-Start Southern Oxfordshire offers a voluntary befriending service to families with young children who are going through challenging times. We train and match volunteers with local families who have at least one child age five years and under who need support. They may be struggling with self-esteem, isolation, multiple births, trauma or struggling to cope with the challenges of parenting in the early years. The volunteer then visits their family on a weekly basis for several months to offer friendship and support.

Our core purpose is being there for every family’, supporting families to give every child the best start in life. We do this through promoting and supporting the wellbeing of growing families and infants from prenatal advice through to pre-school familiarisation, providing practical information, emotional support, and a safe space for all. We support families through education, helping them access other services (including social care, housing, and domestic violence support) and through strengthening their local support networks.
Our universal services such as ‘Stay and Play’ or ‘Brilliant Babies’ provide families with a safe, fun, and secure place to find peer support from other families. Our more specialised sessions such as ‘Saturday Dads’ & ‘Male Carers’ group or Neurodiversity Support evening sessions enables those families to share their unique strengths and challenges and to form the key peer support groups that are so valuable to them.
We will also run several targeted services. We have our ‘Sensory Explorers’ group for families with children with additional needs and our ‘Lunch club’ which is aimed at young families and families that need extra support such as they have a history of social care involvement. We will also offer 1-2-1 support from our experienced staff team, this can be wellbeing support, development support and help filling in forms.
Through this range of services, we offer people a route out of poverty and social isolation, focusing on developing strong families and a strong community.

Our volunteers are essential to what we do.
From raising vital funds for support services to helping residents in our care homes, there are lots of ways to get involved and make a difference for the Armed Forces community. By volunteering with the Royal British Legion you’ll make a real impact on the lives of veterans and their families. As well helping to support our vital work, you will:

• Meet like-minded people and make friends
• Get involved in your local community
• Increase your confidence and self-esteem
• Learn new skills or improve existing ones
• Increase your work experience and add to your CV

Sharing Life has been a locally based charity since 2003. Its primary aim is the relief of poverty and hardship. Since 2012 we have been running a foodbank which serves Thame and many surrounding villages. We also run a Community Larder based at Christchurch Hall every Thursday afternoon. We work very closely with other community support agencies such as Citizens Advice. Our operation is experiencing a very high level of demand and we are almost entirely reliant on our great team of volunteers.

We’re Soha Housing.
We’re an award-winning, community-based housing association working in and around South Oxfordshire and neighbouring districts and counties.
We believe in excellent, local housing management and building strong and sustainable communities.
As a community mutual organisation, our Members and staff can get involved, influence decisions and shape our future.
We offer a variety of housing types for people at different stages of their lives, from rented homes, shared ownership for first-time buyers, and independent living or extra care housing for older people.

Supporting our parents and grandparents in the local community since 1986 – Thame Senior Friendship Centre including the Memories Café is a registered local charity providing a social haven for older individuals seeking companionship and entertainment. We are open for 50 weeks of the year running 5 sessions each week with experienced staff and supportive volunteers. 2026 is the 40th Anniversary Year for the Centre.
Friendship Centre members enjoy a day with friends including a two course hot lunch and a variety of activities and entertainment. Transport to the Centre is provided for all members. We are based at Thame Town Cricket Club on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.30 to 2.30.
Alternatively, the Memories Cafe provides an environment ideal for members living with dementia and also their carers. Our Dementia Coordinator provides practical and emotional support whilst our volunteers deliver a stimulating programme of activities and tea and biscuits. A safe environment to share concerns and worries but more importantly somewhere to laugh, smile and have fun together. The Cafe operates from Thame Snooker Club on Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 to 1.

Volunteering is…Environmental

21st Century Thame is an umbrella organisation supporting many local groups. Our direct work includes boosting the population of hedgehogs, wildlife-friendly garden activities, and we have also planted over 12000 trees around Thame; we have run Thame Carnival too. We run business sustainability events and host many business volunteers as well as local residents who volunteer in our biodiversity strands. We visit schools and uniformed groups like Brownies and Scouts to run workshops, including hedgehog poetry sessions to get ready for Thame’s first Hedgehog festival, Hogfest, which we will run again this year. We are always keen to have volunteers who love nature and you can opt in to many different activities. We very much welcome volunteers with disabilities and health conditions to engage with our work in ways that best suit their skills and interests. Additionally, local groups such as Community Christmas, ThamePride and many others benefit from using our event insurance and banking.

We are a friendly group of conservation-minded locals who get together a couple of times each month to look after and develop Cuttle Brook Local Nature Reserve.
We usually meet at the Southern Road recreation ground car park at 10:00 a.m. on the third Sunday and the last Wednesday of each month for a variety of manual tasks aimed at maintaining and improving the wildlife value of the reserve. Tasks vary throughout the year and range from looking after the paths, bridges and boardwalks on the reserve, to getting into the brook to carry out in-stream improvements for invertebrates and fish. You name it, we do it! No experience or expertise is necessary, just enthusiasm and a willingness to get grubby.
We can provide basic tools, training and essential safety gear, and, most importantly, coffee and biscuits, but bring your own sturdy boots and gloves, and don’t wear your best clothes!

An outdoor project for women and girls based on a farm near Thame, restoring land through climate-friendly practices that support nature recovery and strengthen community

The Plastic Free Thame initiative has been set up to help the town gain ‘Plastic Free Communities’ status. Join the Facebook group to share ideas to help reduce or eliminate single-use plastic, and find out about other ways to get involved.

2025 saw the launch of an air quality project in Thame that is working with local schools to identify the streets most impacted by poor air quality, helping students to identify the healthiest ways they can get to school without getting a lift.

The Clean Air for Thame Project aims to:
– Educate the community about air pollution – the causes and solutions
– Produce a Clean Air Routes Map with the students from each of Thame’s schools
– Reduce unnecessary engine idling (parked cars with engine running) around Thame schools and town centre by raise awareness about air quality and the impact idling can have on pollution;
– Encourage the school community, wider local community, businesses and organisations to support the campaign and provide volunteers, where possible;
– Engage with drivers and pedestrians, educate them about the impacts of idling, and encourage behaviour change

The project team with train volunteers to assist in a series of anti-idling events in the town centre and at schools across Thame. There will be a cuppa and place to chat before and after each event.

A group of volunteers who strive to enable the community to reduce landfill by repairing, or re-using/re-purposing items that are broken or worn.
We sharpen knives, do minor bike repairs, will attempt to repair clothing, electrical items, toys and ornaments. We attempt to do this with the owner to teach them how things do not need to be thrown away, and frequently enable the owner to mend their objects themselves.
We are always on the look-out for like minded people who are keen to help – either by being a “fixer” or a helper on reception or at the well utilized café on site. We meet every 3rd Sat afternoon of the month between 2 and 4 pm at the Scout Hut in Southern Road.