From our earliest beginnings on our founder, Janet Furnau's dining room table, in 1990, our charity has brought volunteers together to support anyone affected by genetic haemochromatosis. Volunteers continue to be vital to our work.

To get involved or to arrange a no-obligation discussion, register your interest!

Register your interest in volunteering

Independently accredited for our commitment to volunteering

We are Investing in Volunteers accredited, since September 2023. This award shows that we value our volunteers and demonstrates our commitment to volunteering within our organisation. (View our accreditation certificate, valid until September 2026).

Our volunteering charter

These are our core values for volunteering with us - our volunteering charter.

Volunteering should be fun.

If not, we’re doing something wrong. 😉

Volunteering should be rewarding & satisfying.

Meet new people, make new friends, change the world.

Volunteering is unpaid.

But we will reimburse out-of-pocket expenses by prior written agreement*.

Volunteers are fully supported.

We will help you share existing skills – and develop new skills, too.

* Subject to our charity expenses policy.

Our volunteering policies

Our Volunteering Policy sets out the charity’s overall position on volunteers, our values and how we will recruit, engage and support anyone undertaking volunteering with us. Our Problem Solving Policy and Procedures sets out the behaviours we expect of volunteers and the processes we will follow if things go wrong or a problem develops in relation to volunteering.

Our volunteering agreement

Every volunteer with Haemochromatosis UK has a simple volunteer agreement, which sets out what's involved in the role, how we will support you and what we expect of each other. It's important that all our volunteers understand and support our charity's policies, too.

For certain roles, we'll also ask you to attend specific training, for example in safeguarding. This is usually delivered online and can be undertaken at a time and place to suit you.

Current volunteering opportunities

We regularly advertise volunteering opportunities to our members via email and also on this website.

Check out our current volunteering opportunities here!

If you cannot see something that suits, drop us a line explaining a little bit about you, your skills and what you'd like to volunteer for.

Thanking our hidden haemochromatosis heroes...

For volunteers with less than 12 months of active volunteering with HUK

In memory of our founder Janet Furnau MBE, in September 2023 our Board of Trustees established the Janet Furnau Volunteering Impact Award, which will recognise up to two volunteers who have made the most contribution or impact in their first 12 months of volunteering with us. This award will take the form of a £150 gift voucher for each lucky winner. The inaugural award will be announced in HUK's "New Year Honours" in January 2024.

For volunteers with at least 12 months of active volunteering with HUK

We’re constantly on the look-out for ways to recognise the contribution and efforts of everyone who regularly volunteers for Haemochromatosis UK. Sometimes, “thank you” just isn’t enough! 

So, we have partnered with Room To Reward (RTR) to provide FREE SHORT BREAKS for our hidden haemochromatosis heroes!

Every year, #TeamIronOverload will nominate volunteers to Room To Reward, in recognition of their amazing-ness and the contribution they have made to the GH community over the previous year. RTR will assess the nominations and select 2 volunteers to receive a FREE one-night or two-night stay at a hotel of the volunteer’s choice.

There are hundreds of 3*,4* & 5* hotel and holiday park options available all over the UK. Please note that RTR can only consider nominations for volunteers who have been volunteering regularly with us for 12 months or more.